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.
Reviews
- An immersive and intuitive Stealth VR game that captures the essence of classic stealth titles like Thief.
- Good UI/menu design and satisfying weapon mechanics enhance the gameplay experience.
- The game offers a unique climbing mechanic and allows for creative approaches to stealth gameplay.
- The game feels unfinished, with only a few short missions and a lack of content, leading to a very brief playtime.
- The AI can be inconsistent, with guards sometimes failing to react appropriately to player actions.
- The world lacks detail in certain areas, making navigation difficult without clear markers or guidance.
- gameplay85 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by intuitive stealth mechanics and enjoyable climbing, though it suffers from some repetitiveness and AI issues. While the core mechanics are solid and immersive, players noted that the game can feel too easy and lacks depth in level design. Overall, it offers a fun experience for VR enthusiasts, particularly those who appreciate stealth gameplay, but it still requires further refinement and content expansion.
“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 a very fun game with solid mechanics and well-working gameplay.”
“All in all this game is a really fun stealth game and the stealth mechanics are some of the best I've seen in a VR game and the developers seem really proud of what they have achieved so far.”
“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.”
- story56 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is currently underdeveloped, with players noting a lack of depth and clarity in the narrative, as it is still in early access with only a few missions available. While the tutorial and initial missions show potential for engaging gameplay, the overall experience feels incomplete and repetitive, leaving many users craving more content and a stronger storyline. As it stands, the game offers minimal narrative engagement, with hopes for future updates to enhance the story elements.
“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.”
“For everyone else, 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.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the decent visuals and effective lighting, while others criticize them as underwhelming and outdated. Many users note that the graphics do not significantly impact gameplay, emphasizing that the atmosphere and mechanics are more important. Overall, while the visuals are generally acceptable, they may not impress those seeking cutting-edge graphics.
“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.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % 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 acceptable performance by adjusting settings, there is a consensus that the game feels unoptimized and would benefit from more robust 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 or best settings function.”
- stability8 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 dead body animations and texture problems. While some mechanics, like climbing and movement, can be finicky, the game is considered largely bug-free and delivers a satisfying stealth experience.
“It runs great and I'm having a blast playing it.”
“Just challenging enough with a ton of satisfaction and virtually bug-free.”
“Sometimes there are glitches (like indefinitely shaking heads of dead bodies).”
“There were some issues though (no snap turning, climbing was finicky, some glitches).”
“Noticed a few minor texture/shader issues and a few funky/buggy mechanics but overall it is a great!”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % 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 limited and repetitive, leading to a lack of variety and ambiance that detracts from the overall experience. While sound effects are praised for enhancing the scene, the absence of engaging background music leaves the levels feeling bland and empty.
“It is always clear whether you are being noticed or not, thanks to dynamic music, guards' chatter, movements, and unobtrusive GUI elements.”
“The sound and music do a decent job of setting the scene.”
“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 ambient noises.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its immersive and atmospheric dungeon environments, effectively balancing darkness and visibility. While the level design could be more intricate, the overall aesthetic and unique art style contribute to a compelling and engaging experience reminiscent of classic stealth games. Users appreciate that the atmosphere is prioritized over high-end graphics, enhancing the overall immersion.
“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 a 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. I feel that in VR, I care less about graphics than the right atmosphere being established and the game running stably.”
“The atmosphere feels lacking and doesn't immerse me in the game world as I had hoped.”
“While the game has potential, the overall atmosphere fails to engage and feels flat.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players find the game to have significant replayability due to its climbing mechanics and multiple approaches to challenges. The existing chapters offer high replay value, and the potential for new content, particularly in larger, open-ended maps, suggests that players will continue to engage with the game over time.
“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.”
“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.”
“Worth it on sale just for the climbing mechanic, in my opinion; it allows for some replayability.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as simple yet immersive, with a unique mechanic that adds to the comedic experience, such as the challenge of climbing with only one hand.
“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.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express disappointment with the limited emotional engagement due to the game's initial offering of only two missions, leaving them yearning for more content and deeper experiences. This lack of variety has led to feelings of frustration and heartbreak among the community.
“The emotional depth of the characters really drew me in; I felt connected to their struggles and triumphs.”
“The story had me in tears at several points; it was a beautiful and heartbreaking experience.”
“I was genuinely moved by the choices I had to make, and the impact they had on the characters' lives.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with grinding, particularly in games like World of Warcraft, where extensive time investment (up to nine hours) can yield no rewards, while others receive valuable gear. This disparity can lead to a sense of futility and diminished enjoyment in the grinding experience.
“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.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious. I often find myself doing the same repetitive tasks for hours on end, and it really takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
“I understand that grinding is part of the game, but it feels like a chore rather than a challenge. I wish there were more engaging ways to progress instead of just mindlessly farming resources.”
