Whenever I see an open world game made by a small team, my assumption is usually that it’s going to be a buggy, janky mess that bites off far more than it can chew. Rarely have I been so glad to see an exception such as The Knightling. As a longtime 3D platformer fan, the game gave me exactly what I wanted and more with its terrific movement, worthwhile exploration, and endearing world. Its brisk pacing and decent-sized move list really sealed the deal, and it seems I’ve finally got an open world 3D platformer to gush about.
The Knightling‘s world isn’t huge, but it’s a nicely varied slab of handcrafted goodness with a few distinct biomes. The titular hero runs and double jumps through the world, aided by the game’s smooth, precise jumping controls. It’s rare to see a 3D platformer that nails movement like this one does and I stand engrossed by this alone for hours. When combined with the game’s love of doling out shiny trinkets, it hits upon the collectathon aspect a bit too, albeit in a more modern context. One of the game’s main charm points is that your only weapon is a shield, but it’s used for more than that.
Yes, you block (and perfect parry and counterattack) using the shield, which has a solid assortment of moves, including a couple of different basic combos that vary based on when you press the attack button, as well as a launcher, air attacks, a downward smash, a running attack, and even a dodge attack. The combat isn’t quite as good as the movement and jumping, but it’s no slouch, offering you a healthy dose of options (plus you can throw it like a boomerang, much like Captain America.) The shield also aids in your mobility, letting you glide and slide quickly on downward slopes. It all feels natural and intuitive.
The Knightling‘s main story doesn’t dawdle, giving you markers to each of your objectives. These quests are absolutely more varied than simply going from A to B to fight things. Perhaps you’ll be exploring a dungeon or mixing a concoction to give your shield more functionality. There are multiple side quests too, some of which don’t hold your hand and require you to explore. Rewards for these improve your character or give you currency. You’ve got money (called guilders,) Knight’s Praise (which you use to learn new moves,) and metal parts that improve certain aspects of your shield and combat abilities, as well as allowing you to equip more perks.
On the opposite end, though, there’s not much enemy variety. After a few hours you’ll have seen pretty much every foe the game will throw at you. Combat can feel kind of cheap, as enemies sometimes attack in groups that are too large and hit harder than you might expect. Some enemies can take away half your health in a single hit. But if you’re good at parrying, if you block reliably, and if you heal as needed the game isn’t too rough. This aspect can feel like the sloppiest part of the game, though, especially with the quick time event needed to strip away enemy army, which leaves you vulnerable to attacks in the meantime. The fact that so many side quests are just “find x number of y” is a little weak too, but I enjoyed exploring so much that this didn’t bother me much either.
You’ll also find chests hidden all over with currency inside, as well as races that reward you for beating certain times. Much of what you find can be added to your map as stamps that you can buy from cartographers, but I mostly elected to explore on my own, as I find that more enjoyable. But a big aspect that vexed me are the game’s puzzles, which are almost all of the “push stones onto altars to mimic a constellation” type. These are mostly optional, but, for whatever reason, I just can’t wrap my head around them and I’m not sure why. The game doesn’t really teach you how to solve them either.
I did also run into a nasty crash that I could repeat. Attempting to venture into a late-game area early and getting spotted by a guard would freeze the game on a black screen, requiring me to shut it down manually. It’s a pretty glaring oversight that hasn’t been fixed as of this time. Granted, the game won’t let you venture here early no matter what, so it’s not a huge deal. It’s just odd that no one caught it when so many aspects of The Knightling are quite polished. The game isn’t a massive, sprawling epic that’ll take you dozens of hours, but there’s plenty of content on offer that I thought made the game a good length overall.
If you ever wanted an open world 3D platformer, look no further than The Knightling. It’s fun, it’s colourful, and it’s engaging in a lot of surprising ways. Some frustrations show from time to time and I’m still not entirely sure what to do with those puzzles, but I had a great time with this one and I can absolutely see myself playing it again. I’m sure I’ll figure out what to do with those puzzles eventually.
The Knightling: Oozing fun and creativity, The Knightling offers a robust, satisfying experience that really gave me what I wanted from an open world 3D platformer, with plenty of action and exploration. – Andrew Farrell
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