Skautfold: Moonless Knight
- March 4, 2020
- Steve Gal
Get on Steam"Skautfold: Moonless Knight" is a Metroidvania game set in a single, interconnected world, where you explore the Imperial Palace to uncover its history and dark secrets. With a semi-open design, you can choose your path and battles, discover numerous secrets, and return to past areas with newfound relics to grow in power. The game features a variety of elements to find, from familiars to aid you in combat to eldritch horrors and even ninja-like pugs.
Reviews
- Moonless Knight features a polished combat system that combines elements from previous games in the Skautfold series, offering a satisfying and engaging gameplay experience.
- The game presents a unique and imaginative setting, blending Lovecraftian themes with a Japanese aesthetic, which enhances the overall atmosphere and storytelling.
- Exploration is rewarding, with various relics and collectibles that encourage backtracking and provide new abilities, making the gameplay feel dynamic and engaging.
- The game suffers from a lack of proper guidance and tutorials, leaving players to figure out mechanics and controls on their own, which can lead to confusion and frustration.
- Some players find the enemy variety lacking, with many areas reusing similar enemy types, which can make exploration feel repetitive over time.
- The leveling system and weapon upgrades are perceived as underwhelming, with some players feeling that character progression lacks impact and depth.
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story in the latest installment of the Skautfold series is engaging and well-crafted, particularly for fans of Lovecraftian tales, though it may not be the strongest aspect of the game. While newcomers can enjoy the gameplay independently, playing the previous entries enhances the experience by providing important context and callbacks. Overall, the narrative is a compelling part of the game, contributing to a rich exploration and combat experience.
“Despite all of that, I still had a fun time exploring the maps and fighting the enemies, not to mention the story that kept me engaged all the way through.”
“Finally, a game series that gets a Lovecraftian story right.”
“Additionally, the Skautfold series is an extremely earnest attempt at telling a compelling story via a medium that lends itself to storytelling unlike any other.”
“Overall, the story, combat, and writing are possibly the weaker aspects of the game, but they are still very much enjoyable if you love the series in general.”
“Edit: I heavily recommend that the other entries in the series, or at the very least the first two, are played first, as this game's plot and lore call back a lot to those and spoil some of their plot twists; you can go in blind, but you will be rather lost and miss a lot of cool callbacks and details.”
“If you haven't played any of the previous Skautfold games, you could jump into this one first, but as it's an ongoing story, I'd recommend starting from 'Shrouded in Sanity' first. It's worth experiencing the whole story if you can.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its depth and smoothness, with a combat system that balances risk and reward, allowing players to adapt their strategies effectively. While initially confusing, players quickly appreciate the mechanics, including feints and a guard system that enhances combat dynamics. The game is noted for its metroidvania-style exploration and improvements over previous installments, although some feel the progression of mechanics could be better paced.
“Fun gameplay and interesting bosses.”
“The good gameplay is just icing on the cake.”
“All this makes it so the game has a big focus on risk vs reward gameplay but it all feels extremely good to learn and master, it also allows you to adapt your playstyle to the situation as you see fit.”
“Edit: managed to beat a few bosses but I admit the game's mechanics should've been spread out a little better.”
“The gameplay is still rough around the edges, but more visceral than in the earlier games.”
“This time around we're back to a metroidvania-ish gameplay style, which reminds of the 2nd game in the series, usurper (except it's sorta top-down instead of side-scrolling).”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mix of tediousness and occasional relief, with some appreciating the shortcuts and fast travel options that alleviate backtracking. While some describe the experience as needlessly tedious, others feel it doesn't reach a level of grindiness that detracts from enjoyment.
“In short, this is a game that is tedious and just not fun to play.”
“Needlessly tedious.”
“Sometimes the backtracking can get a little tedious when you’ve killed everything and hit a dead end.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users feel that the game's lack of multiple endings significantly diminishes its replayability compared to other titles in the series.
“The only major negative is that, unlike other games in the series, this one only has a single ending, which robs it of some replayability.”
“After completing the game once, I found little incentive to play through it again, as the choices I made had minimal impact on the outcome.”
“The lack of diverse story paths and endings makes it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game may not be the most impressive, but they are forgivable given that it was developed by a single person in about a year. Players feel that the focus on gameplay quality outweighs any visual shortcomings.
“While the graphics may not be the most stunning in the gaming world, it's impressive to consider that the entire game was developed by a single person in about a year. The focus on great gameplay makes it easy to overlook any graphical shortcomings.”
“The art style is unique and adds a lot of character to the game, making it visually appealing despite not being cutting-edge.”
“The environments are beautifully crafted, creating an immersive experience that enhances the overall gameplay.”
