KNIGHTS
- March 22, 2016
- Arzola's
- 10h median play time
KNIGHTS is a single-player puzzle game with a minimalistic art style, featuring a relaxing soundtrack and sound effects. The objective is to place colored knights on matching spaces by planning moves ahead. With dozens of handcrafted levels, a color-blind friendly palette, and 75 procedurally generated levels daily across five grid sizes, KNIGHTS offers a challenging and engaging experience for all.
Reviews
- The game offers a satisfying challenge with a gradual increase in difficulty, making it engaging for puzzle lovers.
- The minimalist art style and soothing music create a relaxing atmosphere while playing.
- Daily puzzles provide endless replayability, keeping the game fresh and interesting even after completing the main levels.
- Some puzzles can feel repetitive and may lead to frustration, especially in the later levels.
- The diamond-shaped board orientation can be confusing and uncomfortable for players used to traditional layouts.
- There is a lack of variety in mechanics, which may lead to a feeling of monotony as the game progresses.
- music108 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and ambient qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience while solving puzzles. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can become monotonous over time, with a desire for more variety and individual volume control options. Overall, the soothing music complements the minimalist design and helps players maintain focus, making it a fitting backdrop for the gameplay.
“A surprisingly difficult game that takes you for a ride with pleasant music and minimalist design.”
“The smooth music in the background also helps you get more in-depth with the puzzles and helps you relax.”
“Its beautiful, enchanting music and minimalistic design will lure you in instantly.”
“Barring a very forgettable one-song soundtrack, knights does everything it could possibly do as perfectly as a game this simple and inexpensive could.”
“The music can (and will) get a little grating, and later puzzles are quite the brain-busters despite the simple nature of the riddles.”
“One thing that became annoying was the looping music.”
- gameplay92 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Knights" is centered around a simple yet engaging puzzle mechanic that involves moving chess knights across a mini-board to achieve specific configurations. While the game offers a solid learning curve and a mix of straightforward and challenging puzzles, some players find it repetitive and lacking in variety as it primarily relies on a single mechanic. Overall, it provides a decent amount of playtime for its price, appealing particularly to chess enthusiasts, though it may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay dynamics.
“The core puzzle gameplay - moving knights around on a mini-chessboard so the right color knight goes on the right color squares - feels fluid and intuitive.”
“Knights takes the mechanics of moving a knight chess piece, and builds a fantastic little puzzler around it.”
“Like the best puzzle games, it has a unique mechanic, adds new challenges as you advance through the game, and it does not overstay its welcome.”
“It's short (2-3 hours), very simple (all the mechanics are presented quite early), and to be honest - pretty boring.”
“However, considering there is nothing else to the game besides the singular, repetitive mechanic, I don't feel that the game provides value beyond being an interesting concept for chess fans.”
“While the game may not have technical flaws that I know of, the gameplay itself is kind of underwhelming.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a clean, minimalist art style that some players find charming and relaxing, complementing the overall gameplay experience. However, many reviews criticize the visuals as simplistic and low-quality, particularly on PC, where expectations for graphical fidelity are higher. While the aesthetic is generally appreciated for its pleasantness, the lack of substantial graphical options limits improvement for those seeking a more visually impressive experience.
“The elegant presentation (both graphics and sound wise) and the infinitely expandable 'daily' mode that comes after the curated campaign puzzles--all under a low price tag--make this a no-brainer for any player (regardless of their experience) interested in the game.”
“I thought the graphics were clean and really appreciated the alternative colorblind-friendly palette.”
“Very nice graphics and relaxing ambient music complete the package.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the mobile app, all this does is scale up the simplistic low quality vector art assets used to make the mobile app, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the mediocre 2D visuals.”
“Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its daily randomly generated puzzles, providing near-infinite content after completing the initial hand-crafted levels. Players can engage with increasingly challenging daily missions, which enhance the replay value, although some may find the difficulty level daunting. Overall, for a low price, the game delivers a wealth of content that appeals to puzzle enthusiasts.
“Once you beat the hand-crafted levels, there are 75 daily randomly generated puzzles for you to do, so the game is pretty much infinitely replayable.”
“If you're able to handle everything the game has to offer, it has unlockable daily puzzles that are generated every 24 hours, giving the game near-infinite replay value if the concept clicks with you.”
“I enjoy the increasing challenge of knights along with the endless replayability.”
“Once you've completed the game, there are daily challenges that add indefinite replayability. However, I quickly found myself giving up on attempting to complete any of the daily challenges, as they are all seemingly set at the king level of difficulty and passing even the first stage in a daily set feels nearly impossible.”
“The main game itself doesn't have a lot of puzzles, but there are new randomly-generated daily puzzles that essentially account for the game's replay value.”
“It's taken me about five hours to beat all the puzzle packs, and there are daily puzzles on the more difficult side that add replay value.”
- story20 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and often overshadowed by more prominent titles, with some players noting a lack of engagement in the narrative. While there are moral themes about perseverance, the overall storytelling is considered weak or non-existent, leading to a focus on gameplay mechanics rather than a compelling narrative.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Replayability is possible with daily missions, which I found more difficult than the base levels.”
“Hardly a success story, gamers just weren't all that interested in the mobile app.”
“Games like these are often obscured by big titles, fast FPS, or deep storytelling.”
“Story - n/a.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many noting that the daily levels feel more grindy than challenging. While some enjoyed the game overall, the grind has led to a decrease in their motivation to continue playing.
“It gets a bit tedious after a while.”
“I enjoyed the game, but the daily levels feel a bit grindy rather than challenging, so I won't be playing more of them.”
“Feels tedious.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a mixed experience regarding stability, with some noting minor bugs and glitches, while others claim the game is bug-free and fully functional. However, there are also comments suggesting a significant presence of bugs, indicating that stability may vary for different players.
“The game is bug-free and fully functional.”
“The game is bug-free and fully functional.”
“The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs and glitches.”
“There are a few bugs and glitches.”
“There are minor bugs and glitches.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its excellent optimization, allowing for smooth gameplay across various systems, making it accessible and easy to play for users.
“Very easy to play in any case, and runs smoothly.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the emotional aspect of the game as being uplifting, with a strong emphasis on positive and wholesome encouragement throughout their journey. This supportive atmosphere enhances the overall experience, fostering a sense of achievement and well-being.
“The game provides uplifting and wholesome encouragement that makes you feel supported as you progress.”
“I love how the game offers positive reinforcement, making every step of the journey feel meaningful and uplifting.”
“The emotional support from the game is incredible; it really motivates you to keep going and feel good about your achievements.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of "Knights" has been criticized as a blatant cash grab by mobile developers, with users feeling that it lacks the depth and quality expected from a PC game. The game is perceived as a simplistic mobile puzzle app that has been poorly ported to Steam, further fueling dissatisfaction with its monetization strategy.
“Knights is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile devs. This app is the usual minimal games style mobile app puzzle game where you must move knights on a puzzle board (in the way knights in chess move) onto specific target squares... that's all there is to it.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally well-received, featuring appealing visual aesthetics and sound design, complemented by atmospheric music. However, some players find the music becomes irritating after a short period, detracting from the overall experience.
“The visual aesthetics are stunning, complemented by immersive sounds and atmospheric music that truly enhances the experience.”
“The game's atmosphere is captivating, with a perfect blend of visuals and sound that draws you into its world.”
“The combination of beautiful graphics and haunting music creates an unforgettable atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”