Puddle Knights
- October 8, 2020
- Lockpickle
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamPuddle Knights is a puzzle game centered around witty mechanics and chivalry, where you help mud-averse Ladies and Bishops cross muddy paths by skillfully maneuvering various knights. Over 100 levels of increasing difficulty offer creative tactical challenges, including stepping on heads, tearing capes, and operating drawbridges, ensuring that your strategic thinking will face plenty of heavy lifting!
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Windows
Tablet
Reviews
- Puddle Knights features a unique and well-executed puzzle mechanic involving knights and their capes, providing a fresh take on the sokoban genre.
- The game offers a well-balanced difficulty curve with over 120 levels, gradually introducing new mechanics and allowing for clever, satisfying solutions.
- The visuals are charming and polished, enhancing the overall experience, while quality-of-life features like unlimited undos and camera rotation improve gameplay.
- Some levels can become frustratingly complex, particularly in the later stages, requiring significant foresight and planning to solve.
- The music can be repetitive and distracting, leading some players to mute it during gameplay.
- A few levels lack clear direction, making it difficult to determine the intended solution without resorting to trial and error.
- gameplay116 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Puddle Knights" is characterized by its unique and intuitive mechanics, primarily centered around cape-based puzzles that evolve throughout the game. With over 129 hand-crafted levels across 10 worlds, players experience a gradual introduction of new mechanics that maintain a smooth difficulty curve, ensuring both challenge and satisfaction. The clever level design and variety of mechanics keep the gameplay fresh and engaging, making it a standout in the puzzle genre.
“The game has 129 hand-crafted levels across 10 worlds, each with its own visual and mechanical theme, which kept me busy for over 16 hours.”
“The mechanics that were introduced all felt intuitive enough and made way for tons of interesting interactions.”
“The game introduces new mechanics at a great pace, and then fully explores those mechanics.”
“Some of the later levels divulge in 'extra mechanics to increase difficulty' tedium, but for the majority of the game, the solutions are clever, unique, and satisfying.”
“The overall mechanics are pretty simple, although every new world up to a certain point does introduce something new to slightly spice up the formula, but overall the game mechanics always remain the same and for the most part pretty simple.”
“Some of them might make you want to tear your hair out, as the worst ones took me around an hour to figure out. Some of the later levels and mechanics can be pretty cruel, so to speak.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a charming, cartoonish aesthetic that is both clean and polished, enhancing the overall puzzle-solving experience without being distracting. While some reviewers noted that the visuals are simplistic and not technically demanding, they still found them visually appealing and fitting for the game's quirky premise. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, complementing its challenging puzzles and enjoyable sound design.
“Graphics and personality are refreshing and cute, extremely polished for this type of game.”
“Unique puzzle game with cute and pretty graphics and decorations.”
“It's beautiful visuals hide what was actually a pretty challenging game at times, one that will leave you a little stumped on later levels but all the more pleased with yourselves once you worked it out.”
“In terms of graphics, the game isn't anything to write home about, but I personally quite liked the simplistic art style.”
“Don't let the graphics fool you, as this game is definitely a well-tasting snack for any puzzle player who has been waiting for something new to sink their teeth into.”
“The graphics and sound design are really well done; though when you're really stuck on a level, the initially lovely, cheerful melody can get a bit repetitious.”
- music40 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it unobtrusive and pleasant, enhancing the overall experience, while others criticize it as repetitive and annoying, likening it to a jingle that becomes maddening over time. Although the soundtrack varies between worlds, many players express disappointment that it fails to provide the relaxing or pensive atmosphere typically desired in a puzzle game. Overall, while some appreciate the music's charm, a significant number find it detracts from the gameplay.
“I also have to talk about the music and the visual style of the game; they are both very good and make it really pleasant to play.”
“The music keeps changing as the player travels between different worlds.”
“Although some of the levels might be frustrating, the music and visuals provide that relaxing feeling needed in such a puzzle game.”
“The absolute worst element of Puddle Knights, however, is its music.”
“Think of any given seconds-long advertisement jingle, then imagine listening to it on repeat while trying to work, and you've just subjected yourself to the musical experience of Puddle Knights.”
“The only thing I didn't like was the soundtrack; it's repetitive and boring.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional response to the game, feeling challenged and at times frustrated, akin to their experiences with "snakebird." The game's mechanics, which require strategic thinking and cooperation among characters, evoke feelings of both confusion and satisfaction as players navigate the complexities of helping nobles avoid the mud. Overall, the emotional journey is marked by a blend of humor and exasperation.
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mix of tedium and satisfaction; while some levels can be frustratingly difficult, the sense of achievement upon overcoming them makes the experience worthwhile. Overall, the game's strengths help mitigate the impact of these tedious moments.
“Some of these levels were very tedious to figure out, but always felt satisfying when you finally do.”
“Ultimately, Puddle Knights' strengths are more than good enough to overcome a small handful of frustrating levels and some tedious tunes.”
“Some of these levels were very tedious to figure out, but always felt satisfying when you finally do.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its clever and original premise, where players assist nobles in navigating obstacles like mud. The escalating level difficulty adds to the comedic experience, as players find amusement in the contrast between their struggles and the subsequent ease of later levels.
“Pure brainwork in a funny and original setting: help nobles get to the exit without stepping in mud!”
“Level difficulty escalates nicely and it's funny to see that if I am stuck at one level for a while, the next two levels are not hard for me.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of Puddle Knights has been criticized for its intrusive and repetitive advertisements, which detract from the overall gaming experience and can be likened to enduring a catchy but annoying jingle on loop.
“The monetization strategy feels like a constant barrage of ads, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
“It's frustrating to see that progress is heavily gated behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”
“The game is more focused on pushing microtransactions than providing a fun and engaging gameplay experience.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game requires further optimization, as players have reported significant performance issues, such as excessive fan noise and overheating, particularly on laptops unless frame rates are capped.
“Could use some optimization as my laptop turned into a turbine if I didn't cap the FPS.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as very inviting, creating a welcoming environment that enhances the experience as players spend significant time navigating through the levels.
“The overall atmosphere is very inviting, which is important because you are going to be spending a lot of time trying to figure these levels out.”
