Unknightly
- November 30, 2017
- Portal Studios
Get on Steam"Unknightly" is a single-player VR stealth game set in a medieval world, currently in public beta. As a retired master-thief, you're drawn back into a life of crime to help an old comrade, navigating levels with compelling gameplay and pretty visuals. Support the development of this potential fine stealth game.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- An immersive and intuitive Stealth VR game that runs well.
- Good UI/menu design and satisfying weapon mechanics.
- Offers a unique VR experience reminiscent of classic Thief games.
- Seemingly abandoned with little content and no updates for an extended period.
- The AI is often unresponsive and immersion-breaking.
- Gameplay can be frustrating due to unclear mechanics and lack of guidance.
- gameplay170 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by intuitive stealth mechanics and enjoyable climbing, providing an immersive experience, particularly in VR. However, it suffers from issues such as repetitive missions, inconsistent AI behavior, and some mechanics that don't function as intended, leading to a mix of fun and frustration. Overall, while the game shows promise and has solid core mechanics, it requires further refinement and additional content to reach its full potential.
“The game really gets that you need good lighting and darkness for immersive stealth gameplay, and it beats even most of the modern flat screen games in this aspect.”
“Overall, this game is a really fun stealth game and the stealth mechanics are some of the best I've seen in a VR game. The developers seem really proud of what they have achieved so far, and I am too. This game is still in early access, so I can only imagine what the future holds for it, but for now, it's still an amazing stealth game to play and a must-get for any VR lover.”
“I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've played so far; the mechanics are solid and intuitive, and the graphics are good.”
“4 short missions, under 2 hours of somewhat repetitive gameplay.”
“The stealth mechanics don't work some of the time.”
“There's just an overall lack of production values and depth to the gameplay.”
- story112 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is currently underdeveloped, with players noting a lack of narrative depth and content, as it features only a few short missions and feels more like a demo than a complete experience. While some missions offer engaging gameplay mechanics, the overall plot is minimal and not well integrated, leaving many players craving a more substantial storyline and additional content. As the game is still in early access, there is hope for future improvements, but as it stands, the story does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
“Masterful blend of extremely original storytelling: wow, they really set a standard here.”
“I hope a storyline develops and there are some dialogues and readables.”
“Story could be a little better implemented into the game, which is another area I know they are working on.”
“The story seems non-existent.”
“The lack of promised choice, the lack of any promised story elements, the immersion-breaking guards, and the lack of content really hurt this game.”
“No real campaign, story, or world yet, just a few levels of enemies and corridors at the moment.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally considered decent, with some users noting that they still look good despite their age, particularly due to effective lighting. However, many reviews highlight that the visuals can be underwhelming, with issues such as texture holes and clunky animations detracting from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and gameplay mechanics, others feel that the graphics do not meet modern standards, especially in comparison to more polished titles.
“Visuals still look very nice despite their age, again thanks to great lighting.”
“The graphics are good, and I rarely experience any screen door effect due to the visual choices made by the developer.”
“I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've played so far; the mechanics are solid and intuitive, and the graphics are good.”
“The AI is useless, and the graphics aren't great either unless you are in any of the spots that you see in the screenshots, which conveniently leave the edges of the map and the texture holes out of frame.”
“The graphics and animations are very underwhelming.”
“Its graphics were nothing special, the AI was a bit dumb, and the environment art from which the levels were built (i.e. the walls, ground, door models) seemed like they were pieces from a Unity/Unreal store asset pack.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting poor performance and noticeable frame drops, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some players have managed to achieve a smoother experience by adjusting settings, there is a consensus that the game feels unoptimized and would benefit from more comprehensive performance-related options and automatic hardware assessments.
“Performance-related settings should be added, and lower settings should be assumed if there is no hardware assessment or best settings function.”
“The performance has been acceptable for me; my GPU is a bit below spec, but I can get a smooth experience at lower resolutions.”
“Feels very unoptimized.”
“I did have some performance issues when I first loaded the game with a lot of dropped frames until I tinkered with the settings.”
“Performance related settings should be added and lower settings should be assumed if there is no hardware assessment/best settings function.”
- stability16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with players enjoying the experience despite encountering some minor bugs and glitches, such as issues with climbing and texture/shader problems. While there are occasional mechanical quirks, the game is considered virtually bug-free and effectively delivers a satisfying stealth experience.
“Just challenging enough with a ton of satisfaction and virtually bug free.”
“It runs great and I'm having a blast playing it.”
“Sometimes there are glitches (like indefinitely shaking heads of dead bodies).”
“There were some issues though (no snap turning, climbing was finicky, some glitches).”
“Hiding behind cover in bright light seems also a bit buggy.”
- music14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its dynamic quality, effectively indicating player awareness through guard chatter and movements. However, many users feel that the background music is repetitive and lacks variety, with some levels described as bland and nearly silent. While sound effects are appreciated, there is a strong desire for more ambient music to enhance the overall atmosphere.
“It is always clear whether you are being noticed or not, thanks to dynamic music, guards' chatter and movements, and unobtrusive GUI elements.”
“The sound and music do a decent job of setting the scene.”
“Different music, we really need more varied music in the background.”
“I kept trying to turn down the music/ambiance so I could hear my footsteps and the guards' comments, but I couldn't find a great balance.”
“The levels are bland, empty, and almost completely devoid of sound and music, but the gameplay is exactly how a sneaky game should be.”
“The sound effects currently in place are good, but the game is lacking in any background music and ambiance noises.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive dungeon environments, effectively balancing darkness and visibility, which enhances the overall experience. While the level design could be more intricate, the unique art style and thematic elements contribute to a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of classic stealth games like Thief. Overall, players appreciate the focus on atmosphere over high-end graphics, especially in a VR context.
“The dungeon environment is quite atmospheric and manages to hit just the right level of dank and dark without being too hard to see things.”
“Thief had a great story with depth, unique art style and very immersive atmosphere without all this fancy VR tech.”
“I like the thief-like atmosphere/setting.”
“The level design could be more intricate, as stated above, but the graphics themselves are perfectly fine--they serve the purpose and I feel that in VR I care less about graphics than the right atmosphere being established and the game running stably.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Players find the game to have significant replayability due to its climbing mechanics and multiple approaches to challenges. The existing chapters are already engaging, and the potential for future content, particularly with expansive maps, suggests that players will continue to enjoy revisiting the game.
“The current chapters are already highly replayable, so I can see myself spending a lot of time with the game as new ones are added, especially with larger, open-ended maps like the village.”
“Worth it on sale just for the climbing mechanic; it allows for some replayability.”
“There's quite a lot of replay value as quite a few parts feel like they have more than one possible approach to pass them.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as simple yet immersive, with players finding amusement in the quirky mechanic of climbing with only one hand, which adds a comedic twist to the gameplay experience.
“Quite simple but really immersive and funny.”
“Funny enough, you only use one hand while climbing; in other words, you can't hold yourself up with two hands.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a sense of disappointment and longing regarding the emotional content of the game, particularly due to the limited initial offerings of only two missions, which leaves them craving more depth and engagement.
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, particularly highlighting the excessive time spent without meaningful rewards, such as gear. The experience can feel unbalanced and discouraging, especially when others in the same instance receive valuable items while the player does not. Overall, this leads to a diminished enjoyment of the game.
“I'm not a big speed-runner, but I just don't have a lot of patience for games anymore, thanks to World of Warcraft. Grinding for a good nine hours for new gear (legit nine hours, I timed it...) without getting a single piece of gear, despite quite literally everyone else in the instance getting gear, not trash, but actually relevant gear, whereas I didn't even get trash... fun times in the world of grindcraft.”
