Game Review #443: A Knight’s Quest (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewer: Chad M.

Developer: Sky9 Games

Publisher: Curve Digital

Category: Action, Adventure, RPG, Puzzle

Release Date: 10/10/2019

Price: $24.99

Buy A Knight’s Quest from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.

Is Knight Time the Right Time?

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: a young adventurer stumbles upon a mysterious chest or item and his curious nature gets the better of him, and even though everything screams “Danger!”, the young adventurer doesn’t heed his better judgment, and instead chooses to take the item, or in this case, open the mysterious chest.

The young adventurer is our main protagonist, Rusty, who is brave, yet clumsy. He unleashes a demonic entity upon the world that will stop at nothing to destroy everything in its path until nothing is left alive. Though the story isn’t one that feels original, it has an overall feel that will make adventure gamers feel right at home, and it is easily one of the funniest games I’ve played in a while, with humor that will have you laughing out loud.

The Legend of Rusty Is Here

When you jump into the game, it’s really hard to not see the obvious comparisons to the last few Legend of Zelda games. Right away, you see everything from gameplay, inventory, and upgrading weapons that will show you how the developers at Sky9 Games were inspired by—and surely adore—the Zelda games. Even the feel and look have a Nintendo-property vibe, but it misses the mark in a few spots that Nintendo would have made sure to work out the kinks.

After washing up on the shore of the now-under-siege kingdom, I began to realize that the beautiful 3-D open world was larger in scale than I originally thought it would be, and the gameplay is done well by mixing portions of platforming, action, Zelda-inspired puzzles, hunting collectibles, and time trials. Don’t let all of this make you think that A Knight’s Quest is a straight clone and doesn’t blaze its own path, because it does, and has buckets of charm.

Allow The (Avatar) Spirits to Guide You

Once the mayor tells the story of the wind, fire, and ice spirit warriors, you set upon your quest, using your wooden sword and shield to fight skeletons and other baddies along the way. It’s not long before you upgrade your weapon to hardened steel, allowing you to battle more powerful enemies; and upgrades come with new powers from the spirit warriors, like being able to shoot out mini tornadoes from your sword to hit enemies or interact with objects.

Of the three main gameplay elements, the puzzles were my favorite, and blended the worldly elements perfectly into the levels, offering a decent challenge that gives you a feeling of accomplishment when you figure them out. The platforming felt like it was from the N64 Mario days and was done well, with the environments adding an extra layer to the platforming that shows the developers really want you to become immersed in this world as you work to traverse it. The controls are laid out and opportunities are set up to learn how to use the controls in basic, controlled scenarios, like learning how to parry attacks, wall running, and more.

The action was the element that didn’t feel as fleshed-out as the first two; yes, the controls allowed me to move freely, but it just wasn’t as fluid. Also, the enemies are rather easy, and the action doesn’t get tough until you run into high-powered enemies scattered throughout the world who will give you a run for your money. Bosses can be epic, and also afford you a proper challenge—and are pretty damn fun!

Audio & Video

The audio in the game is well-done, with a solid soundtrack that has a fun, but epic tone, and sound effects that feel solid. The unfortunate fact is that, while the audio was done well, it cut out a few times during my playthrough, mostly when the game started up. The visuals are also done well, as the developers have sculpted a beautiful world and created some unique characters, but the visual quality was sometimes lacking in areas. The game could get a little blurry, though I never had any terrible slowdown, which was nice. The game has so much potential, and even with these few things working against it, I still quite enjoyed the game.

The Adventure Has Come To An End

A Knight’s Quest is an ambitious game with a large map, funny charming characters, and puzzles that are challenging and fun. Once the developers work out a few bugs and kinks, the game will be worthy of heaps of praise, but even in its current state I quite enjoyed it, and looked forward to playing it every time I jumped back into this world, which you can tell was made with love. I recommend picking it up so you can judge for yourself. As I said, with a little TLC, I can see it being a hidden gem or a classic indie game.

Score: 7.5/10

Buy A Knight’s Quest from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.

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*A game code was provided for review purposes.