The Knightling is truly a knight in shining armor.
The studio that created the ambitious Pine, Twirlbound, has made a comeback with The Knightling. The devs, who are well-known for toying with odd mechanics and worldbuilding, defy expectations once more to produce something unique. The Knightling relies on a shield rather than a conventional sword-wielding hero to drive the plot.
This unconventional decision creates a familiar yet pleasantly novel experience. Although it isn’t a direct successor, The Knightling retains the elements of classic adventure games that many people have fond memories of, while adding features that make movement and exploration enjoyable. It is a nod to sixth-generation platformers as well as a development of the idea that a player-equipment interaction can be more than merely utilitarian.
You enter the sabatons of a knightling, a soldier-in-training being coached by Sir Lionstone, at the start of the story. Lionstone is renowned for utilizing a sword and shield infused with the mystical substance Chiralium to vanquish the Earthborn, massive stone creatures that formerly threatened the land. He was incredibly strong thanks to this drug, but it also caused the kingdom to become fixated on it.
Together with Sir Lionstone, you embark on a seemingly insignificant assignment that turns disastrous: to look into disturbances close to home. Lionstone confronts an Earthborn guardian after discovering a vault containing lethal Callyrium weaponry. He throws his shield to save you in the confusion, then he and the enemy vanish down a canyon. The shield and his gauntlet are all that are left.
You bring the damaged artifacts back to town and tell the Queen the bad news. The Queen is more interested in the recently found vault than she is in your missing mentor. You are left to fend for yourself with little direction. Thankfully, the shield, Magnustego, or Magnus for short, is restored by your blacksmith friend Gynni, and you quickly learn of its unexpected strength.
It can be thrown long distances, called back, and even used in unusual ways. Your objective then becomes apparent: find Sir Lionstone, help the citizens of Clesseia, assume knightly responsibilities, and discover the source of the kingdom’s problems.
The excitement of adventure is intrinsic to the Knightling’s design. Beginning with the Outskirts, the open world of Clesseia gradually expands into a diverse array of aesthetically unique locales. You just use a compass-like indicator that shows mission markers to navigate, in contrast to many other games that hold your hand using minimaps.
Working with the cartographers’ guild, you must descend ladders and climb their towers to obtain accurate maps that show the layout of a place and its areas of interest. To designate ruins, chests, and other secrets, you can also purchase stamps from the guild.
Exploration yields substantial rewards. You’re always encouraged to veer off the main road, whether it’s by secret treasures, bandit camps, harvesting supplies, or discovering Praise orbs—the golden spheres that serve as experience.
You can use praise to enhance your current moves or unlock new ones. In terms of plot and mechanics, side quests are just as satisfying. Assisting farmers, resolving issues in the hamlet, or even something as oddball as producing cheese, all fit into the global rhythm.
Movement is one of the most enjoyable parts of gaming. Despite not being the strongest hero, the Knightling can roll, dodge, climb, and slide with ease thanks to his agility. There are fluid transitions between sprinting, leaping, and shield-surfing during exploration.
Magnus is a fast, inventive, and endlessly enjoyable way to surf across slopes, rivers, or stairs. Traversal becomes more than simply a requirement thanks to this feature, which is reminiscent of the hoverboard in Jak 2. Instead, it becomes one of The Knightling‘s highlights.
Puzzles come up a lot throughout exploration and quests. Some of the puzzles require precise platforming or navigating through a maze, but most of them just require you to interact with Callyrium beams or pressure plates to make certain patterns. The Knightling fixes this by making a lot of the puzzles optional, so you can do them whenever you want, even though some of them seem boring.
Magnus, on the other hand, is crucial to combat. Since the shield is more defensive than offensive, blocking, parrying, and counterattacking are the main components of your strategy. As you attack or parry, the enemy’s stun meter fills, rendering them defenseless and dazed. This method prioritizes patience and timing over button hammering.
Combat changes with the times. Praise unlocks special strikes that allow you to disarm armored enemies or daze them, such as charging slams or shield throws. Layers are added by the variety of enemies, which range from swift combatants who dodge your blows to heavily armored foes who demand accurate responses. Clear silhouettes and color-coded health bar boundaries help to distinguish different enemy types, which is important when several enemies strike at once.
Combat, however, isn’t The Knightling‘s best feature. Although useful and entertaining in short bursts, it isn’t deep enough to be interesting all the time. Waiting for the ideal block or parry opportunity before countering is typically the deciding factor in fights. However, this aligns with The Knightling‘s defensive mentality and is never overdone.
Praise, which are collected golden orbs found all around the globe and given for finishing quests, is linked to experience. The Knightling promotes exploration as the primary means of strength development, in contrast to typical grinding, which requires you to battle nonstop.
This shifts the focus of the grind from fight repetition to curiosity. Since adventure ensures that advancement is connected to discovery rather than tiresome farming, praise seems satisfying since it arises spontaneously.
The Knightling uses a storybook style in its visual design. The scenery is varied and vivid, with shadowy ruins, rocky valleys, and bright fields. Clever color contrasts make important objects stand out—purple mushrooms encourage engagement, while yellow Praise orbs light brightly. Even in hectic encounters, readability is ensured by the distinct enemy outlines.
Character design is just as creative. Everyone must wear masks in this world, which is a charming and deeply symbolic idea. Knights wear cymbals, nobles wear silk masks, woodcutters use logs, and the impoverished use boxes or paper bags.
NPCs frequently make remarks about the ridiculousness or symbolism of the mask culture, which becomes a part of the story. Every interaction is visually recognizable because of this distinctive design decision.
The universe of the storybook is enhanced by the sound design. While you explore, soothing, ambient music plays, which smoothly transitions into upbeat combat tunes when foes show up. Even if there aren’t many songs that stand out on their own, the music fits the scene flawlessly.
But Magnus takes center stage in the audio. He starts talking after improvements, commenting on battles, locales, and even your shield-surfing antics. Although his voice work is enjoyable and frequently humorous, prolonged playback runs the risk of becoming monotonous. Magnus’ voice nevertheless gives him charm and character, highlighting the fact that he is more than just a tool.
The experience is further enhanced by sound effects. Actions seem rewarding when you hear the swoosh as you surf down a slope or the clang of Magnus stopping a strike. Despite being out of the ordinary, the muffled “jibber-dialogue” of masked NPCs matches the story and makes the environment seem more unified.
The Knightling is a touching adventure that is built on exploration, movement, and the bond between a hero and his shield. The environment of the story pushes people to explore at every chance, and the tale strikes a good balance between silly adventures and the mystery of Sir Lionstone’s fate. Shield-surfing and nimble mobility mechanics are two of the most fun ways to go about in recent memory.
