The Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight
- November 6, 2014
- alpha six productions
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamThe Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight is a fast-paced, action-packed platformer game. Players control Joylancer, a motor knight with a powerful drill lance, battling enemies and bosses across various stages. With a vibrant art style and intense combat, players must strategize and upgrade their abilities to save the kingdom.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a solid foundation with fun combat mechanics and a nostalgic retro aesthetic.
- The sprite work and visual customization options are well-executed, providing a charming look reminiscent of classic games.
- There is potential for enjoyable gameplay, especially for fans of fast-paced action and platforming.
- The game has been in Early Access for nearly a decade with no significant updates, leading many to believe it is abandoned.
- The soundtrack is widely criticized as grating and unpleasant, detracting from the overall experience.
- The controls and tutorial are poorly designed, making it difficult for players to understand the mechanics and navigate the game effectively.
- music83 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 28 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been overwhelmingly criticized, with many players describing it as grating, annoying, and even unbearable, often leading them to mute it entirely. While there is an option to replace the soundtrack with custom music, reviewers suggest that the original score is so poor that it detracts significantly from the overall gaming experience. Despite some acknowledging that the music might fit the game's fast-paced nature, the consensus is that it is one of the game's major shortcomings.
“I really like the art style and the customization of colors, backgrounds, and even music is a really nice touch.”
“The music is pretty damn good as well, and fits the high-speed, aggressive nature of the game.”
“Also worth mentioning is the music, because your mileage will likely vary: the harsh soundtrack can at times be distracting, but it can also fit the action quite nicely.”
“It doesn't help that the soundtrack is horrible and forces you to mute it, effectively ruining the game experience.”
“Look, I wish the best for the composer of this game, but I believe this soundtrack is one of the worst crimes committed in gaming history.”
“This game looks kind of bad and messy, and man, the music, the music... it must be the most godawful chiptune soundtrack I've ever heard: totally unbearable.”
- gameplay46 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by deep mechanics and fluid combat, offering a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic action/platformers. However, the tutorial is often criticized for being confusing, leaving players struggling to grasp the mechanics, while the chaotic battles can become visually overwhelming. Despite these issues, many players find the core gameplay enjoyable and rewarding, especially once they become accustomed to the controls and mechanics.
“There are numerous palettes to choose from, allowing you to customize the feel of the gameplay and tailor the experience to the particular nostalgic gaming experience you wish to replicate.”
“Speaking of combat mechanics, they are very fluid, brawls are chaotic in the best kind of way, and beating up on enemies is so satisfying.”
“A case study in self-imposed constraints leading to polished, refined design, Joylancer's chunky pixels and limited palette mesh well with its responsive, fluid gameplay.”
“The game's mechanics seem well-made and deep, but the tutorial is confusing and doesn't manage to correctly tell you how everything works.”
“Tedious mechanics and a tutorial that does a terrible job explaining them.”
“The game is based around a completely unnecessary 'revving' mechanic where you have to hold down and press X (when using an Xbox controller) to charge up energy.”
- graphics41 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are a mix of praise and criticism, with many appreciating the retro 16-bit and Game Boy aesthetics, while others find the visuals cluttered and difficult to interpret. Although the pixel art is often described as charming, some players feel that the graphics can be harsh on the eyes and suffer from technical issues. Overall, the art style has potential, but the lack of updates and improvements has left some users disappointed.
“Graphically, the game is rather pretty, with a decent variety of enemies, all stylistically presented as 16-bit animated sprites.”
“Some of the pixel art is a treat, and the Game Boy Color aesthetic is pretty much nailed down.”
“Aesthetics - while the gaming market is saturated with titles that attempt to capture the retro game art style (most done poorly), Joylancer manages to pull off the style well.”
“The graphics are quite poor; the developer opted for retro graphics due to either lack of talent or lack of money to pay for an artist.”
“The graphics, while being stylized to look like a Game Boy game (which is something I'm usually fond of), in many scenarios have too much stuff cluttered on the screen, which combined with a constant shaking and other action effects, makes it hard to see what's going on.”
“I understand its Game Boy aesthetic, but it's way too harsh on the eyes even after adjusting the settings.”
- story8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, with players feeling disconnected due to minimal explanations and no voice acting in cut-scenes. Additionally, the design choice of not allowing saves in the main mode detracts from the enjoyment of progressing through the narrative. Overall, the story fails to engage players, leaving them wanting more substance.
“As for story, well... I don't know.”
“It's just a dumb design decision and defeats the whole joy of progressing through the story.”
“I want to like this game, but the story doesn't grip me.”
“Either I don't get it, or the game seems to be missing a lot in terms of storyline, save for a simple explanation of what is going on, who am I, where are we, etc.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users noting significant issues such as inconsistent frame rates that can drop to 30 fps, leading to sluggish gameplay. While the movement mechanics offer potential for speedrunning enthusiasts, the overall performance remains unpolished and unfinished, detracting from the experience.
“Especially exciting if you like speedrunning because the movement mechanics give a lot of interesting opportunities with regards to movement optimization.”
“Needs optimization on framerate - frame rate varies for me; when the game is at 30 fps, the gameplay slows to a crawl and feels like you're playing in slow motion.”
“It is a fun game and makes for an interesting piece of canceled gaming content, but I do not suggest people give the developer money for a game that is and will forever remain unfinished, unoptimized, and unfulfilled.”
“This game needs optimization on framerate - frame rate varies for me; when the game is at 30 fps, the gameplay slows to a crawl and feels like you're playing in slow motion.”
“Performance issues are a significant drawback.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding mechanics tedious and poorly explained in the tutorial, leading to frustration. Additionally, the background music is often described as grating, though users appreciate the option to turn it off or use their own music.
“Tedious mechanics and a tutorial that does a terrible job explaining them.”
“Only negative point that I've run into so far is grinding and an extremely insistent disharmony in one of the BGM tracks. I'm almost certain it's done on purpose and I'm usually all for deliberate disharmony in music, but for some reason this just rubs me the wrong way.”
“Let's get this out of the way, the music is ear-grinding and it drowns everything else, but thankfully, you can turn it off.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant bugs, leading to a lack of stability that detracts from the overall experience and makes it less competitive compared to others in its genre.
“The game is too buggy and it just ends up overall paling in comparison to many other games in the genre.”
