Game Review #522: Knight Squad (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewer: Mat Benson

Developer: Chainsawesome Games

Publisher: Chainsawesome

Category: Arcade, Action, Party, Multiplayer

Release Date: June 5, 2020

Price: 14.99 (digital)

Watch the Trailer

Buy Knight Squad from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.

Do you like Party Games?

Alright, it is time to go over a game that is in one of my favorite genres of games. We are looking into a party couch co-op game called Knight Squad. Like most of the party games out there, the concept is usually pretty simple, but the gameplay is vast. Party games come in all shapes and sizes, but all have one single goal in mind: to bring players together in one room to have a ton of fun, and let me just say, Knight Squad delivers.

The Basics

Knight Squad is a local only couch co-op game where up to 8 players and/or bots play different game modes, each with their own objectives. All of these modes are clearly inspired by other games, with modes like Juggernaut, Team Deathmatch, Soccer, Capture the Flag, Domination, and so much more. There are 13 game modes as a whole, which is just an insane amount of content to choose from. This is the game that utilizes the power of the Nintendo Switch to the fullest. The concept of going to a friend’s house and handing people Joycons to party is exactly what Knight Squad is all about, and what the Nintendo Switch was built and marketed for.

The controls are basic, with moving around and swiping or shooting your weapon. There are a bunch of different knights to choose from, all with their own personalities, as well as more to unlock. To top it all off, there are 2 other general game modes, besides multiplayer. You have a solo challenge mode, with 6 challenges to play through; however, be forewarned, they can be pretty tough. Luckily, Knight Squad only gives you two difficulties for these challenges, easy and insane… which is definitely one way to go from zero to sixty super quick! One thing that surprised me is that these solo challenges have leaderboards, which is something I wouldn’t expect from a game of this caliber, but hey, thankfully I made it on all the leaderboards, for now. I challenge you to get the game and dethrone me and the other reviewers of Knight Squad who currently have the top leaderboard spots. The last mode is a bot showdown, which is literally you watching bots play against each other. I personally do not see the benefit of this mode, but hey, to each their own.

Multiplayer Mayhem

Now, the real purpose of this game is the couch co-op portion of it. Knight Squad delivers, period! The fact that they packed in so many game modes into here is fantastic. When playtesting the multiplayer, I had to invite some friends to play with and test it out, and there were no complaints. We played all the game modes, against each other and some bots, and let me be the first to tell you that even though those bots have multiple difficulty settings, they are far from push overs, even in easy mode which gives an excellent challenge.

When playing Knight Squad with my friends we threw around terms like how it reminded us of the Gauntlet series in its game play, as well as games like Halo, Call of Duty, and Counterstrike with the ideas for the different game modes. All the same it still kept it fresh with its knightly medieval aesthetic. The levels and weapons keep to this feel with things like swords, bows, and magic staves; however, the developers decided to still add a minigun and some lasers for fun. Altogether, Knight Squad perfectly encapsulates exactly what a great couch co-op game is supposed to be; just pure chaos for you and your friends to play through, laugh at, and of course, yell at the bots and each other from time to time (depending on how competitive everyone can get).

Wrap Up Time!

To start finishing up, I just have to praise this game for what it is. Knight Squad is just an all-around joy to play, with tons of content, from the leaderboards to get on, the knights to unlock, and the vast amount of game modes and maps to play. Although some of the negatives would have to be that it is just plain in terms of graphics, art style, and sound quality, but seeing as it is a party game, I feel like that is not the point of a game like this one. The only big negative I have to mention is the game did freeze on me one time when I was trying to back out of the solo challenges; however, that was the only time it did so. Knight Squad is just plain fun for all your friends and family. It will liven up any party you bring your Nintendo Switch to, and I for one cannot wait to go to my next gathering and pass out those Joycons to some fellow knights.

Score: 9/10

Buy Knight Squad from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.

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*A game code was provided for review purposes.