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The Knightling

The Knightling is a lovely open world adventure game that stands out from the crowd with its focus on shield-based combat and traversal.
The Knightling Game Cover
88%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
optimization, stability
88% User Score Based on 228 reviews
Critic Score 90%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5XboxWindowsPlayStation
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The Knightling Game Cover

About

The Knightling is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Twirlbound and was released on August 28, 2025. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

The Knightling offers a charming adventure featuring customizable characters with unique colors and coatings, including exclusive golden and Albamare styles. Explore the world of Clesseia with your loyal companion Magnus, enhancing your journey with distinctive cosmetic upgrades like the Lantern Ribbon. Immerse yourself in a vibrant realm blending whimsy and regal flair.

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The Knightling screenshot
The Knightling screenshot
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The Knightling screenshot
The Knightling screenshot
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The Knightling screenshot
The Knightling screenshot
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88%
Audience ScoreBased on 228 reviews
story37 positive mentions
optimization5 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful graphics and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience.
  • Combat is engaging and rewarding, with a unique shield-based mechanic that adds depth to both combat and exploration.
  • The world is vibrant and filled with interesting characters, making exploration enjoyable and rewarding.
  • Performance issues, including frame rate drops and bugs, can detract from the overall experience.
  • Some combat mechanics feel clunky and can lead to frustrating encounters, especially when facing multiple enemies.
  • The early game can feel a bit slow, with some UI elements and mechanics not being intuitive for new players.
  • story
    105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally praised for its engaging narrative, charming characters, and enjoyable progression, with many players appreciating the whimsical world-building and unexpected twists. While the main storyline is considered solid, some reviewers noted that it feels a bit short and that many side quests can be generic or underwhelming. Overall, the story effectively ties together the gameplay experience, making it a highlight for many players despite some criticisms regarding pacing and quest design.

    • “The storyline takes you places you wouldn't imagine, and I really enjoyed it.”
    • “An enticing story, fun characters, and aside from the main quest line, the countless side quests are also genuinely a joy to complete.”
    • “The story is done really well, and as someone who usually doesn't enjoy combat, I surprisingly really enjoyed fighting in this game.”
    • “The story isn't entirely anything to write home about, but it's still very enjoyable and a fun time all around.”
    • “The story and worldbuilding end up shallow, with a lingering feeling of unrealized potential.”
    • “A lot of the side quests feel incredibly generic and fetch questy, so I ended up just mashing through the dialogue.”
  • gameplay
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally praised for its fun mechanics, smooth movement, and engaging exploration, with many players enjoying the unique shield-based combat and platforming elements. However, some users noted performance issues, such as frame rate drops and bugs that hindered progress, as well as a lack of depth in combat mechanics that can lead to frustration in more chaotic encounters. Overall, while the game offers a charming experience reminiscent of classic titles, it also faces criticism for certain gameplay inconsistencies and quality-of-life concerns.

    • “The world’s bright and full of character, the gameplay’s smooth, and there’s a great mix of combat, exploration, and platforming.”
    • “While the combat is chaotic, once you get the hang of it, it's an absolute blast and the movement mechanics, sliding, and gliding are all awesome.”
    • “Fantastic game, the mechanics are fun and dynamic, the world is beautiful and vibrant, and it has one of the best soundtracks I have ever found in a game.”
    • “- the performance seems to be stuck hovering at 30fps in some areas, with noticeable drops throughout gameplay.”
    • “At this point, I avoided combat at all costs because food was so difficult to come by, and if I got into a fight, I'd almost certainly lose a good chunk of my health from getting overwhelmed by so many enemies with either a lot of health, awful mechanics that were impossible to dodge sometimes, or both.”
    • “Particularly in using the right/left stick to navigate vertical menus, there's no single press map button (always needing to navigate away from the quest menu which I rarely need), the map scroll speed is painfully slow, and some gameplay feedback is really lackluster.”
  • music
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its captivating and beautiful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the orchestral compositions and whimsical tones, which perfectly complement the game's vibrant visuals and adventurous atmosphere. While some noted a few repetitive themes, the majority found the music to be a standout feature, making it a memorable aspect of the gameplay.

    • “Something I really want to highlight, however, is the absolutely fantastic music; some of the best music in an indie game I've played this year. It's light and warm and makes you feel like you're going on an adventure.”
    • “The music is beautiful and the overall atmosphere feels relaxed — that combination makes the game feel unique and refreshing compared to other action-adventures.”
    • “The art, music, and writing are all full of character, making it clear the devs put a lot of love into this very charming game.”
    • “The first area has 5 side quests, the rest has 1 each, and most of them are go collect X from objects (blow bugs, feathers, flowers). The forest areas (3 areas) have almost no music; it is dead quiet about 70% of the time.”
    • “The soundtrack?”
    • “The game's soundtrack is whimsical and relaxing, the composer's way of telling you: we're going on an adventure.”
  • graphics
    39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming art style and vibrant visuals, contributing to an engaging and whimsical atmosphere. While many players appreciate the artistic direction and fluid movement, some have noted performance issues and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered a highlight, enhancing the gameplay experience despite some technical shortcomings.

    • “Combat is fluid, graphics are gorgeous.”
    • “The movement and platforming stay engaging the whole way through, the visuals are gorgeous and colorful, the whole experience is rather whimsical in a way I enjoy.”
    • “This game is very charming, the visuals are incredibly artistic and the soundtrack is beautiful, definitely a highlight of the game.”
    • “I'm sympathetic to smaller teams having less resources, but it's not like we're pushing the limits of graphical fidelity here!”
    • “I can run Black Myth: Wukong with ray tracing on a higher FPS on my high-end system than this game with its very simple graphics.”
    • “Graphics and models glitch out.”
  • optimization
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly in larger areas and cities, leading to frame rate drops and stuttering. While some users report no problems and enjoy smooth gameplay, the overall consensus highlights a need for improvements, especially regarding bugs and performance stability. Many hope for future patches to address these shortcomings and enhance the gaming experience.

    • “Settings are fairly simple, but you don't need tons of performance settings for a game like this.”
    • “The only drawback I’ve noticed so far is the performance, which I hope can be improved in future updates.”
    • “Not a game breaker in the slightest, but an update to address performance in the city would be appreciated, even something simple like adding frame generation or DLSS.”
    • “The performance seems to be stuck hovering at 30fps in some areas, with noticeable drops throughout gameplay.”
    • “The game is very buggy currently, with some progress on the overworld not saving or showing up, like chests or races, and some heavy performance issues that bring even my relatively powerful PC to its knees.”
    • “The performance of this game is just flatly unacceptable.”
  • character development
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is highly praised for its charming and colorful designs, appealing animations, and humorous writing, contributing to an engaging and vibrant experience. Reviewers appreciate the high-quality art direction and dynamic lighting that enhance the overall presentation, making the characters feel both unique and memorable.

    • “An incredibly charming and colorful 3D platformer, with some amazing character designs and fun character writing!”
    • “The character designs and cartoony style are very appealing, complemented by rather vibrant and beautiful dynamic lighting that makes the game feel surprisingly high-budget.”
    • “Love the weird character designs and intricate world.”
  • emotional
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of wholesome storytelling and strong character design, with many players appreciating the game's aesthetic and emotional expressions. However, some side quests feel unrewarding, and the main character's emotional journey is perceived as neglected, detracting from the overall emotional impact. Despite these criticisms, the game offers a comforting experience that encourages players to immerse themselves in its vibrant world.

    • “Outstanding story development; amazing graphics; wholesome characters; & phenomenal gameplay.”
    • “Perfect to just turn your brain off and soak in the wholesome vibes.”
    • “This is a shame because the emotion showcased through facial expressions (eyes) and just the overall aesthetic here are fantastically wholesome.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including bugs that affect progress saving, performance problems even on powerful PCs, and various glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game is unpolished and may detract from the experience for many users.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
    • “The game is very buggy currently, with some progress on the overworld not saving or showing up, like chests or races (but not for everyone it seems) and some heavy performance issues that bring even my relatively powerful PC to its knees.”
    • “And though this is a negative review, I still suggest getting the game, but be warned that it's very buggy and there are tons of bugs that can ruin a whole playthrough.”
    • “At the moment, it's still a bit rough around the edges with glitches, items falsely marked as 'uncompleted', and some characters not speaking on time.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating the funny writing and character design, particularly the quirky visual style and the amusing dialogue. The unique sound effects and the characters' odd helmets add to the comedic charm, although the muffled sounds may take some getting used to. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's appeal.

    • “Loved the character design and humor as well.”
    • “Great movement, great humor, amazing visual style.”
    • “I had a good chuckle with some of the dialogue; the writing is funny.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is praised for its beautiful music and relaxed ambiance, creating a unique and refreshing experience in the action-adventure genre. However, some players find the repetitive dialogue from the shield character disruptive to the immersive exploration.

    • “The music is beautiful and the overall atmosphere feels relaxed — that combination makes the game feel unique and refreshing compared to other action-adventures.”
    • “The atmosphere is immersive, drawing you into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
    • “The combination of stunning visuals and ambient sounds creates a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being perceived as a cash grab, especially given its challenging release window coinciding with a similar title in the Metal Gear franchise.

    • “The monetization strategy feels like a cash grab, especially with the timing of its release.”
    • “The in-game purchases are overly aggressive and detract from the overall experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when it comes to long-distance travel across the map. While upgrades like gliding and updraft abilities enhance movement, the overall experience can still feel laborious without the use of fast travel options.

    • “Another criticism is that movement is tedious.”
    • “The gliding upgrade and subsequent updraft ability felt great and significantly expanded the movement options in the game, but traveling long distances across the map still felt tedious if you ignore fast travel.”
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90%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Knightling is a action adventure game.

The Knightling is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, Windows and others.

The Knightling was released on August 28, 2025.

The Knightling was developed by Twirlbound.

The Knightling has received positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

The Knightling is a single player game.

Similar games include Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition, Cookie Cutter, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, BioGun, Blue Fire and others.