Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade
- December 25, 2019
- Starbreeze Studios
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade" is an action-adventure game set in the Holy Land during the Crusades. Players take on the role of a Templar knight, battling against demonic forces and completing quests to save humanity. The game features hack-and-slash combat, puzzle-solving, and a variety of weapons and spells to use.
PC
Windows
Nintendo Gamecube
PlayStation
Playstation 2
Xbox
Reviews
- The combat system is highly satisfying, featuring fluid animations, visceral attacks, and a variety of weapons that enhance the hack-and-slash experience.
- The game maintains a strong atmosphere with good graphics for its age, complemented by a haunting soundtrack that adds to the immersive experience.
- Despite its age, the game offers enjoyable gameplay with a decent challenge, especially in the latter stages, making it a nostalgic gem for fans of the genre.
- The controls can be janky and require significant remapping to suit personal preferences, which may frustrate some players.
- The story and level design are considered basic and linear, lacking depth and complexity, which may leave players wanting more.
- There are reports of game-breaking bugs, particularly during the final boss fight, which can detract from the overall experience.
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story is generally considered serviceable, featuring a traditional narrative of an ambitious villain and a heroic protagonist, Paul, who embarks on a quest to rescue his kidnapped love and thwart a corrupt bishop's plans to open the gates of hell. While some reviewers find the plot to be clichéd and lacking depth, others appreciate the historical context and engaging environments that enhance the experience. Overall, the story is seen as decent but not groundbreaking, with a mix of enjoyable cutscenes and solid voice acting.
“The story follows Paul, a rookie templar, coming to a monastery of Belmont (probably a tribute to Castlevania) to investigate strange happenings, only to find the monks and knights crazed out of their minds serving a corrupt bishop who kidnapped his love, Adelle, and is on a quest to open the gates of hell.”
“With each section of the story and accompanied new environments, you encounter new types of enemies and bosses to test your steel and skill against.”
“The plot, the story, the characters, the sets, and the scenery are truly amazing.”
“Bare-bones feel of story and design.”
“The main story is finished in 6 hours.”
“Also, the cutscenes that were used seem like a part of a much bigger story, which could be developed fully in a more sophisticated RPG game and was chopped into pieces for this game.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the aesthetic quality, animations, and cutscenes, which remain visually appealing even after years. While some reviewers note that the overall graphics may not be groundbreaking, they appreciate the atmospheric design and the attention to detail in character animations and historical settings. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's entertainment value, despite some criticisms regarding other aspects like story and level design.
“Love the aesthetic, good quality in cutscenes, animations, and voice acting.”
“It's a very atmospheric title that has some pretty nice audio-visuals and animations for its age.”
“As for visuals - after all these years the game still remains quite pleasing to the eye.”
“From graphics to gameplay, Knights of the Temple is the definition of jank, but it manages to entertain.”
“Gem from my childhood, horrendous story, graphics, level design, and difficulty but still awesome.”
“Graphics are well done, not the best... but well done.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by basic mechanics and a straightforward level design, lacking depth and immersion, which some players find boring. While there are various weapon types and special moves reminiscent of fighting games, the combat system feels clunky and could benefit from more fluid mechanics like parrying and dodging. Despite its challenges and occasional innovative elements, such as a first-person bow mechanic, the overall experience is marred by a lack of engaging gameplay depth.
“The game switches to first-person perspective when using a bow, which I found to be a great mechanic.”
“Its combo and blocking gameplay resembles a fighting game.”
“Although it follows the same formula of trotting from point A to point B and meeting an end boss every other level or so, the monotony is broken up with the addition of a variety of Street Fighter-like move sets that you can earn during the course of gameplay, and trust me, you'll need to memorize these because the AI in this game is not stupid.”
“There are several weapon types, and you can pick up new ones along the way, but none of them feel significantly stronger or have mechanical differences.”
“Short review: the game has aged not well at all, the gameplay is boring and the level design is plain, straightforward and without depth or immersion.”
“The game is also quite challenging but mostly due to the clunky nature of the combat system that could've used some mechanics to make the player attacks feel more fluid and dynamic like parrying and dodging.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its haunting music and effective audio-visuals, which enhance the survival horror experience reminiscent of classic titles. Reviewers highlight the strong ambiance created through both gameplay and cutscenes, contributing to an engaging and immersive environment, even if the overall game may not be groundbreaking.
“Music is appropriately haunting and atmospheric for what sometimes becomes a survival horror game, matching the classic but appreciated Resident Evil fixed camera setups for each room.”
“It's a very atmospheric title that has some pretty nice audio-visuals and animations for its age.”
“Maybe it's not a masterpiece, but I like its atmosphere of great fight against evil.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some users noting high replay value while others mention only limited replayability or poor replay value. This suggests that while certain elements may encourage repeated play, there are also significant drawbacks that could deter players from returning.
“🎲 - The replayability of this game is incredible, with multiple paths and choices that keep each playthrough fresh.”
“🔲 - The high replay value ensures that I can come back to this game time and time again without getting bored.”
“🔲 - There is some replayability, as different strategies and character builds make each run feel unique.”
“Poor replay value.”
“Some replayability.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its haunting and atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the survival horror experience and complementing the classic Resident Evil fixed camera setups. While the soundtrack, created by the band Within Temptation, is praised for its outstanding composition, some players feel that the repetitive nature of the music throughout 90% of the game may detract from the overall experience.
“The music is appropriately haunting and atmospheric for what sometimes becomes a survival horror game, matching the classic but appreciated Resident Evil fixed camera set-ups for each room.”
“The game has an outstanding music soundtrack made by the band Within Temptation. I listen to it so many times while fighting.”
“If you like medieval games, great music, and interesting gameplay, this one is right for you.”
“The music is for 90% of the game always the same.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with stable performance and no significant issues such as FPS drops, stuttering, or crashes. However, some users have reported minor performance issues that could be improved.
“The game runs smoothly with no FPS drops, stuttering, or crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
“I appreciate the game's performance and stability; it really enhances the overall gameplay.”
“Despite some minor performance issues, the optimization is impressive and allows for an enjoyable experience.”
“The game suffers from some performance issues that hinder the overall experience.”
“While there are no FPS drops or stuttering, the optimization still leaves much to be desired.”
“Despite the lack of crashes, the game's performance could be significantly improved.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game runs smoothly at 1080p, with minimal issues; however, some have encountered bugs and glitches that affect stability.
“The game runs great at 1080p.”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs during my playthrough.”
“The performance is smooth, even during intense action sequences.”
“The game is plagued with bugs that completely ruin the experience.”
“I encountered multiple glitches that made it impossible to progress.”
“Stability issues are a constant frustration, with frequent crashes during gameplay.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of absurdity and dark themes, with references to "deus vult" and a playful take on various character archetypes, including "brown sand people" and "infernal demons." However, some users find the humor inconsistent, labeling certain elements as unfunny or overly repetitive. Overall, the comedic tone seems to resonate with some players while leaving others wanting more depth.
