{"id":101612,"date":"2019-10-10T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/a_knights_quest"},"modified":"2019-10-10T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T13:00:00","slug":"review-a-knights-quest-a-pale-imitation-of-zelda-but-at-least-it-has-a-sense-of-humour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/10\/10\/review-a-knights-quest-a-pale-imitation-of-zelda-but-at-least-it-has-a-sense-of-humour\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: A Knight&#8217;s Quest &#8211; A Pale Imitation Of Zelda, But At Least It Has A Sense Of Humour"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/a_knights_quest\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/a_knights_quest\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99999\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99999\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Ever wondered what happens when you\u2019re the adventurous son of a Mayor and accidentally set in motion the end of the world? Welcome to <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/a_knights_quest\">A Knight\u2019s Quest<\/a><\/strong>, a charming if flawed action-adventure from Sky9 Games.<\/p>\n<p>You play as Rusty, a brave (if clumsy) protagonist tasked with putting right his rather substantial mistake of setting free a swathe of demons that have a terrible habit of wanting to destroy everyone <em>and<\/em> everything, and it\u2019s up to you as the only one who can bring serenity back to your normally quiet and serene island. It\u2019s a fun premise to kick off an adventure larger in scale than you might have expected.<\/p>\n<p>Where A Knight\u2019s Quest exceeds is in its platforming sections, particularly in the puzzling Desert Proving Grounds, a fun sequence that challenges you in three individual areas (puzzle-solving, combat and platforming) to test your knowledge of the game&#8217;s mechanics, with the reward being access to a boss room. You can attack them in any order you like, with the platforming sequence a particular highlight. The whole thing harkens back to traditional mechanics, such as avoiding spikes out of the ground, jumping over sinking sand and navigating your way across bridges to avoid the dreaded water that Rusty appears to dislike with the fury of a thousand suns. There\u2019s a real traditionalist feel to these areas which makes it stand out, and the final brainteaser in the puzzle sequence is infuriating but <em>hugely<\/em> rewarding once completed.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/100004\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/100004\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>There are various highlights scattered across A Knight\u2019s Quest, but the one constant is the sense of humour in the dialogue. Throughout you\u2019ll be quietly chuckling away at the script, with a persistent flow of light-hearted quips that bring the NPC\u2019s surrounding you to life, particularly in the town just before the Desert Proving Grounds (&#8220;I\u2019m a fan of capitalism!&#8221;) or Rusty\u2019s father, Mayor Munsch, who has a particular fondness for cannons and even manages to sneak in a rather unexpected comment on terrorism (&#8220;Since when has shooting something out of fear and ignorance ever had any unintended consequences?&#8221;). The dialogue is very aware of itself, with Rusty referring to his sword as his &#8220;whacking stick&#8221; early on, setting the tone for the rest of the story. It&#8217;s certainly a refreshing change of pace in a market full of action-adventure games that take themselves <em>far<\/em> too seriously.<\/p>\n<p>The most confusing aspect of A Knight\u2019s Quest, though, is that throughout the playthrough it seems at odds with what it\u2019s attempting. Pulling aspects of various 3D platformers and open-world RPGs into a single experience would <em>seemingly<\/em> make sense \u2013 and certainly works well in particular levels \u2013 but when this mechanic comes undone, it makes the game feel disjointed. The navigation is fine, but it\u2019s almost as if the game <em>encourages<\/em> you to get lost so you can find your own way through. It\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing, but there are times during the playthrough where you\u2019re not entirely sure if the open world has ended and the level has begun.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/100006\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/100006\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Whilst you can set tasks and quests to follow, you\u2019re encouraged to navigate your way there and at times that means an awful lot of backtracking between <em>gargantuan<\/em> levels of platforming. There are times when you feel like you\u2019re making no progress at all because you\u2019re simply going back and forth trying to find your way to the location you\u2019re <em>meant<\/em> to be heading towards, making this light-hearted experience feel unnecessarily convoluted. The map isn\u2019t particularly helpful and despite offering up the bare minimum of showcasing where your next quest is located, you\u2019re not able to zoom in to see finer details. This is a vast open-world map that could really do with the ability to &#8216;pin&#8217; certain sections such as health pools, shops and treasure spots. Instead, you\u2019re left to simply remember the more useful locations, and in a game as expansive as A Knight\u2019s Quest, it\u2019s a critical oversight.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s in its technical aspects where A Knight\u2019s Quest suffers the most. From slowdown, early sections that appear blurry and audio that cuts in and out, it\u2019s plagued by hugely unfortunate problems and there appears to be no rhyme or reason to what is causing these hiccups. Certain areas are beautifully clear, full of colour and a joy to explore, whilst others are jaggy and slow. An early sequence has you navigating water rapids in order to make it over to an area without a bridge. As you\u2019re powering through, a fight will break out that you\u2019ll need to win in order to progress. You\u2019re surrounded by enemies and it seems perfectly fine, though if you fall in the water anywhere near this area, Rusty\u2019s movement will grind to a halt like the game is struggling to keep up with handling the water physics and keeping track of Rusty&#8217;s movements within it at the same time. Water seems to be a bit of a sticking point throughout the game; Rusty can\u2019t swim, so if you find yourself in a section of water that he can\u2019t stand up in, he\u2019ll fall and you\u2019ll have to seek out an alternative route.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/100005\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/100005\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"A Knight's Quest Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>The climax of the game&#8217;s performance problems takes place in the docks at the very beginning of the game. Rusty accidentally got caught in deep water and the game decided to infinitely respawn him in the <em>exact same spot<\/em> before giving us a chance to move him out, meaning the whole thing needed to be reset in order to continue. Discovering game-breaking bugs in the first twenty minutes does not make a particularly great first impression. At least on the Switch version reviewed, it would seem the odd patch here and there will do wonders; it remains to be seen if this happens.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hardly a surprise to anyone that the biggest influence throughout Rusty\u2019s adventure is <strong>The Legend of Zelda<\/strong>. Whilst most fantasy action adventures all tread a familiar path (chests to open, an expandable inventory, unlockable gear, monsters and vast worlds to explore and so on), the bright and breezy nature of A Knight\u2019s Quest makes it feel like a companion to Link\u2019s lighter, more care-free adventures. While the humour that runs throughout allows the game to shine in its own spotlight, the stage it\u2019s performing on belongs to the world of Hyrule, echoing <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/gamecube\/legend_of_zelda_the_wind_waker\">Wind Waker<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/ds\/legend_of_zelda_phantom_hourglass\">Phantom Hourglass<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A Knight\u2019s Quest attempts to create <em>just enough<\/em> of its own enjoyment to not make it feel like it\u2019s merely a mash-up of greatest hits from the overcrowded action-adventure genre album that\u2019s a couple of tracks too long, but it\u2019s difficult to escape the nagging feeling that \u2013 particularly on Switch \u2013 everything A Knight\u2019s Quest throws at you is available with far more polish elsewhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>A Knight\u2019s Quest brings a much needed light-hearted take on the action-adventure fantasy genre, with a genuinely funny sense of humour running throughout and plenty of world to explore. It\u2019s marred by a poor navigation system, inconsistent visual quality and an overall lack of polish. There\u2019s plenty of fun to be had on this quest, but there\u2019s very little to write home about when the Switch is full to the brim with similar titles that provide superior experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wondered what happens when you\u2019re the adventurous son of a Mayor and accidentally set in motion the end of the world? Welcome to A Knight\u2019s Quest, a charming if flawed action-adventure from Sky9 Games. You play as Rusty, a brave (if clumsy) protagonist tasked with putting right his rather substantial mistake of setting free [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}