gamestop":3hjrugrv said:
A prelude before one of the battles
Knights in the Nightmare is an experience on its own. First thing that anyone must know is that this game is complicated beyond belief. There will be a lot going on the screen at once, so it takes attentiveness and a little bit of micro-managing. But once you understand the basics, which is explained through tutorials, it is an extremely addicting strategy game.
The art style is unique and beautiful and has some neat concepts
The game plays out like so: You are a wisp. Your job is to control recently disease people, or ghosts, and command them to beat the creatures or monsters that block your path. Its a basic concept in words, but it is stretched out beyond belief and there are a lot of twists to the system. First off, the units that fight with are not permanent, therefore you recruit them using a special item that you might of found in a previous map.
There is a lot of stuff going on before the attack...
Your wisp can equip certain items to characters. Each class has a type of weapon you can use. The weapon will break after a certain amount of uses, therefore you have to be careful on what items you use. Enemies have elemental weaknesses as well, so having the right weapons is a must. You can only equip four weapons per round, therefore preplanning is necessary.
This is what the screen mostly looks like when playing
To top it all off, there is a chaos/law system. Basically, you can change whether or not you are in chaos or law mode. The more you are in one mode, the less experience you will gain over time, therefore switching modes is recommended throughout the battle. Of course, most weapons only work in one of the two modes, so strategizing and dividing what weapons you bring into the battle expands farther.
A basic battle
The battle are split up into rounds. You have around sixty seconds per round to defeat all the enemies on the map. If you fail to do so, more enemies appear. You only have a certain amount of rounds before you lose the battle. Enemies will try to attack the wisp with attacks that fly across the screen, and when hit you lose time for that round.
There are some crazy attacks
There ae many other features as well such as experience bonuses, weapon fusing, character boosting, recruiting, and character management. Overall, this game is complicated and might take a while before getting into. But its well worth it. The art style is great and the music is something worth listening to. The game is absorbing, and with a whole bunch of features, this game will last you for hours.
June 1, 2009 - Developer Sting has worked itself into a pretty nice little rhythm these days. The company does a lot of niche gaming, focusing on smaller projects like Rondo of Swords and Dokapon Kingdom for Atlus, and then churns out a full-on AAA effort every couple of years. We got Riviera on GBA, later ported over to PSP. Yggdra Union hit after that, and now Knights in the Nightmare, a strategy RPG that blends some of the best art I've seen on DS with a moody, haunting presentation, some great music, and a game design that truly invents its own genre. It has a high barrier of entry, it's hands-down the most complex handheld game I've ever played, but once you understand it all it'll suck you in. Fans of The World Ends With You, Disgaea, and of course any of Sting's previous handhelds efforts should pay close attention; this may be one of the most innovative, beautiful, and imaginative handheld games you've ever played.
Trying to describe everything that makes up Knights in the Nightmare would necessitate a tiny book, so rather than write a novel on what the experience is about I'll simply link you over to my previous hands-on offerings – the initial one can be found right here, and the other here . They go over everything, so if you want a deep understanding of the game's systems and mechanics, check there.
Knights in the Nightmare essentially blends elements from top/down shooters with tactics game such as Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre and then scales it all back a bit into what ends up feeling like an arcade vertical slice of the experience. Rather than playing as a cast of specific players, you control the wisp; a spirit that's traveling through the woods (and then abandoned church) as it relives a mysterious battle one event at a time. Death surrounds the wisp, so with every chapter progression you get new slices of the story, as well as monsters attacking the wisp. For each battle the spirit calls on the dead, using them as temporary soldiers to lay vengeance on the enemy. After the battle the spirit will leave again, but if players take special note as to items found in that level (or previous battles) items from the spirit's former life can be given to them, thus reviving them and making them a permanent member of your squad.
General gameplay is performed by moving the stylus on the bottom screen to control the wisp. Move over a character in your party and you can attack specific spots on the map, adding even more attack power and strategy by equipping items for one-time use during battle via a small belt of icons on the right side. Most characters can't move, so instead it's about selecting specific attacks that cover squares around the battlefield. There's also a huge chaos/order system (similar to Ikaruga) where certain items can only be used at certain times, also affecting enemy power and unit strength. Each level is basically one screen set of enemies and treasure, with enemies following paths in a very "quarter at a time" inspired design. If you fail a round, you send new enemies in for the next battle and move on with the fight. Once done, the story continues, and you're on to the next arena-like event.
The list seems to go on forever, be it the tic-tac-toe enemy spawning system, item merging and upgrading, character skill tweaking and soul fusion (you can actually merge two characters into one… don't ask) and the hundreds of strategies that come with items, characters, and the chaos/order system. I can say with confidence that this is a game that could last players hundreds of hours if they are out to learn everything, collect all characters, power fighters and weapons to their fullest, and truly complete the game. In fact, you can even replay levels with your current squad from the main game menu, so even if you only have time for a quick experience-gaining battle you can boot the game, go into a quickplay fight, whomp on some baddies, and then turn the system off again without dealing with story or progression. It's essentially "play now" or "grind" mode that works very well within the confines of a pocket title.
With that being said, here comes the token this game is for the hardcore warning. This is a complex offering. I personally feel it's tougher to grasp than any turn-based strategy game out there (Disgaea included), and it's also a more complex offering than Riviera. Knights in the Nightmare is a deep game with seemingly never-ending systems to grasp, and just when you think you've got it all there's even more to discover That's also why it's so damn fun though too. For some players (I'm one of them) this is an extremely engaging concept. Every time I sit down with the title I feel like I'm learning even more of what makes it tick, I've shown the game to family and friends and had long, lengthy discussions with them about strategy and concepts in the package, and more than anything else that feeling of discovery and progression is everywhere, which I love. After playing something like Knights in the Nightmare, everything else seems simple and one-dimensional (Disgaea players know what I mean, as does anyone that played Sting's previous masterpiece titles). With it being so deep and somewhat closed off in nature – any game with a list of dozens of mini-tutorials well worth your time isn't messing around – I don't see a lot of people playing it front to end. Those that do, however, will insist that this is something truly special.
So how do you differentiate between a game that's too deep for its own good, and a classic must-play offering that sets standards for in-depth strategy gaming on DS? It's a thin line, and it's one that's up for debate. Some critics are going to pan Knights for being too complex and oversaturated, but in my opinion it's all based on how the game nurtures a player through the complexity. Yeah, if you play Knights in the Nightmare for 10 minutes you may never want to play it again. Take the time to go through the suggested tutorials however, and you'll get what the game is all about at the end of the half hour long session, even going as far as to hit up additional tips menus and learn even more about how the game functions and its deeper levels. Knights in the Nightmare is a deep experience, and a daunting one at that. It also presents that complexity very well though, and that's a testament to the design.
On the audio/visual front, Knights in the Nightmare is rivaled by only a few select titles on DS. The visuals are simply stunning, blending some beautiful hand-drawn art with lots of effects work, lighting, hundreds of on-screen sprites during hectic battles, and an impressive overall style. There's a reason this game comes with an art book for pre-orders; the art direction is simply beautiful. On the audio front, orchestrated music fuses with strong synth pieces to create a soundtrack that holds its own against the best on the system, and there's even room for some select sound bites for each character. Some people may never get very far in the actual game or grasp every concept, but this one is worth a look as a complete package in the same way as PSX's Lunar: Silverstar Story was. It's a game, but it's also a beautiful blending of visuals and sound that will pull gamers into the world. The only real downside here? Each level tends to look similar to the last, and like Riviera text, icons, and art are often intentionally cluttered and overly complex. The gameplay is deep, but it makes sense. At times the game's menus, tables, icons, and layout feel as if they're trying to add to the complexity just to be edgy… sometimes it's beautiful, and other times it just looks overly busy.
Closing Comments
Knights in the Nightmare may be – in fact, I’m pretty sure it is – the most complex game I’ve ever played. There’s a near-endless list of options, strategy, stats, and gameplay mechanics to learn, and I could see serious players spending an hour or two learning the ins and outs of the game via tutorials and tips, trying a few missions to get the feel for it all, and then restarting their file once they really get the game. It’s deep, and for some it’s going to be too much. For others though, this is the depth and strategy that is missing from current-day games. If you’re up for a truly original, genre-less experience that innovates and pushes players in a way few titles will, Knights in the Nightmare is meant for you. And with every new piece of the puzzle comes a whole new wave of possibilities. By the time you figure it all out, you’ll have discovered a game so robust and truly complete that you – like me – will want to see everything it has to offer. Knights in the Nightmare is an awesome addition to the DS library.
Editor’s Note: Knights in the Nightmare also comes packed in with a CD soundtrack for the game as well as a pre-order full-size art book. These extras were not taken into account for the review of the game itself, but do make for a great collection all at the standard game price. Keep it up Atlus. This is some great fan service for your loyal customers.
8.5 Presentation
It can feel cluttered at times, and if you skip the tutorials you’ll be lost. Spend the time, however, and it’s an awesome experience with a strong story and dark mood.
9.0 Graphics
There’s a lot to take in, but when you do you’ll find some amazing sprite work, an unrivaled 2D hand drawn style, and plenty of effects and visual trickery. It’s slick.
8.5 Sound
The music is well done and very haunting, and what little voiceover found in the game is well done, if not a bit over the top.
8.5 Gameplay
It’s an immense amount of systems and mechanics, but if you spend the time to learn it all it’s also a lot of fun. Tactics, bullet dodging, character customization, all at an arcade pace.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
This game is massive, containing near-endless customization and strategy within weapons, characters, classes, and upgrading. It’s one main combat system, but it’s simply gigantic.
8.8
(out of 10 / not an average)
Trying to describe everything that makes up Knights in the Nightmare would necessitate a tiny book, so rather than write a novel on what the experience is about I'll simply link you over to my previous hands-on offerings – the initial one can be found right here, and the other here . They go over everything, so if you want a deep understanding of the game's systems and mechanics, check there.
Knights in the Nightmare essentially blends elements from top/down shooters with tactics game such as Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre and then scales it all back a bit into what ends up feeling like an arcade vertical slice of the experience. Rather than playing as a cast of specific players, you control the wisp; a spirit that's traveling through the woods (and then abandoned church) as it relives a mysterious battle one event at a time. Death surrounds the wisp, so with every chapter progression you get new slices of the story, as well as monsters attacking the wisp. For each battle the spirit calls on the dead, using them as temporary soldiers to lay vengeance on the enemy. After the battle the spirit will leave again, but if players take special note as to items found in that level (or previous battles) items from the spirit's former life can be given to them, thus reviving them and making them a permanent member of your squad.
General gameplay is performed by moving the stylus on the bottom screen to control the wisp. Move over a character in your party and you can attack specific spots on the map, adding even more attack power and strategy by equipping items for one-time use during battle via a small belt of icons on the right side. Most characters can't move, so instead it's about selecting specific attacks that cover squares around the battlefield. There's also a huge chaos/order system (similar to Ikaruga) where certain items can only be used at certain times, also affecting enemy power and unit strength. Each level is basically one screen set of enemies and treasure, with enemies following paths in a very "quarter at a time" inspired design. If you fail a round, you send new enemies in for the next battle and move on with the fight. Once done, the story continues, and you're on to the next arena-like event.
The list seems to go on forever, be it the tic-tac-toe enemy spawning system, item merging and upgrading, character skill tweaking and soul fusion (you can actually merge two characters into one… don't ask) and the hundreds of strategies that come with items, characters, and the chaos/order system. I can say with confidence that this is a game that could last players hundreds of hours if they are out to learn everything, collect all characters, power fighters and weapons to their fullest, and truly complete the game. In fact, you can even replay levels with your current squad from the main game menu, so even if you only have time for a quick experience-gaining battle you can boot the game, go into a quickplay fight, whomp on some baddies, and then turn the system off again without dealing with story or progression. It's essentially "play now" or "grind" mode that works very well within the confines of a pocket title.
With that being said, here comes the token this game is for the hardcore warning. This is a complex offering. I personally feel it's tougher to grasp than any turn-based strategy game out there (Disgaea included), and it's also a more complex offering than Riviera. Knights in the Nightmare is a deep game with seemingly never-ending systems to grasp, and just when you think you've got it all there's even more to discover That's also why it's so damn fun though too. For some players (I'm one of them) this is an extremely engaging concept. Every time I sit down with the title I feel like I'm learning even more of what makes it tick, I've shown the game to family and friends and had long, lengthy discussions with them about strategy and concepts in the package, and more than anything else that feeling of discovery and progression is everywhere, which I love. After playing something like Knights in the Nightmare, everything else seems simple and one-dimensional (Disgaea players know what I mean, as does anyone that played Sting's previous masterpiece titles). With it being so deep and somewhat closed off in nature – any game with a list of dozens of mini-tutorials well worth your time isn't messing around – I don't see a lot of people playing it front to end. Those that do, however, will insist that this is something truly special.
So how do you differentiate between a game that's too deep for its own good, and a classic must-play offering that sets standards for in-depth strategy gaming on DS? It's a thin line, and it's one that's up for debate. Some critics are going to pan Knights for being too complex and oversaturated, but in my opinion it's all based on how the game nurtures a player through the complexity. Yeah, if you play Knights in the Nightmare for 10 minutes you may never want to play it again. Take the time to go through the suggested tutorials however, and you'll get what the game is all about at the end of the half hour long session, even going as far as to hit up additional tips menus and learn even more about how the game functions and its deeper levels. Knights in the Nightmare is a deep experience, and a daunting one at that. It also presents that complexity very well though, and that's a testament to the design.
On the audio/visual front, Knights in the Nightmare is rivaled by only a few select titles on DS. The visuals are simply stunning, blending some beautiful hand-drawn art with lots of effects work, lighting, hundreds of on-screen sprites during hectic battles, and an impressive overall style. There's a reason this game comes with an art book for pre-orders; the art direction is simply beautiful. On the audio front, orchestrated music fuses with strong synth pieces to create a soundtrack that holds its own against the best on the system, and there's even room for some select sound bites for each character. Some people may never get very far in the actual game or grasp every concept, but this one is worth a look as a complete package in the same way as PSX's Lunar: Silverstar Story was. It's a game, but it's also a beautiful blending of visuals and sound that will pull gamers into the world. The only real downside here? Each level tends to look similar to the last, and like Riviera text, icons, and art are often intentionally cluttered and overly complex. The gameplay is deep, but it makes sense. At times the game's menus, tables, icons, and layout feel as if they're trying to add to the complexity just to be edgy… sometimes it's beautiful, and other times it just looks overly busy.
Closing Comments
Knights in the Nightmare may be – in fact, I’m pretty sure it is – the most complex game I’ve ever played. There’s a near-endless list of options, strategy, stats, and gameplay mechanics to learn, and I could see serious players spending an hour or two learning the ins and outs of the game via tutorials and tips, trying a few missions to get the feel for it all, and then restarting their file once they really get the game. It’s deep, and for some it’s going to be too much. For others though, this is the depth and strategy that is missing from current-day games. If you’re up for a truly original, genre-less experience that innovates and pushes players in a way few titles will, Knights in the Nightmare is meant for you. And with every new piece of the puzzle comes a whole new wave of possibilities. By the time you figure it all out, you’ll have discovered a game so robust and truly complete that you – like me – will want to see everything it has to offer. Knights in the Nightmare is an awesome addition to the DS library.
Editor’s Note: Knights in the Nightmare also comes packed in with a CD soundtrack for the game as well as a pre-order full-size art book. These extras were not taken into account for the review of the game itself, but do make for a great collection all at the standard game price. Keep it up Atlus. This is some great fan service for your loyal customers.
8.5 Presentation
It can feel cluttered at times, and if you skip the tutorials you’ll be lost. Spend the time, however, and it’s an awesome experience with a strong story and dark mood.
9.0 Graphics
There’s a lot to take in, but when you do you’ll find some amazing sprite work, an unrivaled 2D hand drawn style, and plenty of effects and visual trickery. It’s slick.
8.5 Sound
The music is well done and very haunting, and what little voiceover found in the game is well done, if not a bit over the top.
8.5 Gameplay
It’s an immense amount of systems and mechanics, but if you spend the time to learn it all it’s also a lot of fun. Tactics, bullet dodging, character customization, all at an arcade pace.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
This game is massive, containing near-endless customization and strategy within weapons, characters, classes, and upgrading. It’s one main combat system, but it’s simply gigantic.
8.8
(out of 10 / not an average)
Knights in the Nightmare is a rich tactical role-playing game that tells the tale of the kingdom of Aventhiem--and quite a tale it is, too. Picking up soon after the death of a brave and beloved king, the story is a complicated but compelling one, packed with political schemes and betrayals, as well as ancient rivalries and new alliances. It also boasts a cast of characters that's hard to keep track of because it's so large. The story jumps around in time and leaps frequently between knights and nobility, creating a rich sense of Aventhiem's people and history. It advances at a deliberate pace that only very slowly makes clear what's transpiring, but this serves to make each upcoming scene all the more tantalizing. You're free to skip the between-battle story sequences, but if you do, you'll be missing a significant part of what makes Knights in the Nightmare a rich and rewarding experience.
The complexity of the story is more than matched by the complexity of the gameplay. The action in Knights in the Nightmare consists of a series of small-scale battles in which you control a wisp with the stylus. As this lost soul--whose true nature becomes clear in time--you have the ability to give life to fallen knights, and as the wisp journeys toward its destiny, you use the souls of these knights to battle the monsters and evil forces that stand in your way. The battles play out in a fashion that is dramatically unlike those you'd find in a typical tactical RPG. Rather than worrying about your units taking damage, you live or die by the wisp. Using the stylus, you maneuver the wisp around the isometric playing field, carrying weapons to your knights, charging them up to unleash attacks, and trying desperately to avoid enemy attacks. These attacks take the form of a shower of stars, massive snakes that circle the borders of the screen, huge columns of energy, and much more. In each round of a battle, you have a set amount of time to charge up your knights' attacks, but each time the wisp comes in contact with an enemy attack, you lose some of that very precious time. Avoiding enemy attacks is similar to weaving your way through a shower of bullets in a shooter, and it creates all the white-knuckle tension you'd expect when the pressure is on and the slightest slipup can spell defeat. Occasionally, the screen grows too cluttered and makes your life even more difficult, but for the most part, these fast-paced battles are an unmitigated blast.
Glancing at a battle in Knights in the Nightmare, you might assume that it's more of a precision-based action game than a tactical one. On the contrary, Knights in the Nightmare combines the action of battle with impressive tactical depth. The decisions you make before a battle are crucial, and initially, it's a challenge just to learn all the factors you need to take into consideration. The battles take place on small fields made up of squares. The chesslike unit types (seven regulars, plus an occasional hero companion) have specific directions and ranges for their attacks, so selecting the best unit for each of your allowed positions is essential. You're also limited to bringing just four weapons into battle, and weapons have restrictions based on class, level, and an "act phase." The two act phases are law and chaos, which you can switch between at any time during battle. You'll need to switch between them constantly to gather the gems the wisp needs to collect. These gems are used to direct knights to attack with a weapon. However, most weapons can only be used during either the law or chaos phase, so it's important that you balance your weapons between the two phases or you may find yourself out of gems and unable to perform any skill attacks.
There's more to consider too, including the durability of your items, the elemental weaknesses of the monsters you're about to battle, and the amount of time a given weapon's attack takes to charge. The learning curve here is exceptionally steep, and you may find yourself initially frustrated as you go into battle with units in positions from which they can't land attacks and armed with weapons they can't effectively use. The flipside of this frustration is the sense of gratification that comes from learning the ropes and going into battle armed and prepared for victory. To its credit, the game places all the information you need to play well at your disposal, which is organized in three tutorial sections you can peruse at your leisure.
There are also crucial decisions to be made between battles. You'll need to fuse weapons together to repair them and use items collected in battle to strengthen them. As you progress and recruit units to your army, you'll choose which units to spend experience points on and level up. You may also find that some units are more useful as sacrifices than as soldiers. Through the "transoul" process, you can select a unit to sacrifice and merge its soul with that of another unit. Doing so dramatically improves the recipient, but death is permanent in Knights, so it's a decision that requires careful consideration. For better or worse, Knights allows for only one save file, which lends gravity to your decisions that they might otherwise lack, but it also limits your ability to experiment with different rosters. The game prevents you from getting yourself into an insurmountable situation through poor decision making by filling out your ranks with nameless knights if your own forces are lacking; these nameless knights can't be recruited, however, and leave after one battle.
Knights in the Nightmare is a beautiful game. Character sprites are ornate, colorful, and detailed. Environments are lush and atmospheric, and attacks look powerful. There aren't any prerendered cutscenes here, but the visuals and language used to tell the story are so evocative that you won't mourn their absence. The sound is every bit equal to the visuals, with a gorgeous score and dramatic sound effects that pull you in to the action. The battle cries of your knights may repeat too often, but this is a minor issue.
Knights in the Nightmare is the very definition of a genre-defying game. Regardless of how many tactical role-playing games you may have played before, you've never played anything like Knights in the Nightmare. The unusual mechanics and complexity of tactical considerations make this a daunting undertaking for genre newcomers and seasoned vets alike. But Knights in the Nightmare is so skillfully made and compelling that what may first feel like an uneasy mix of disparate genres eventually feels like the perfect marriage of elements, which results in something wholly new and legitimately exciting. If you have any interest in tactical games and don't mind a serious challenge, you should absolutely own Knights in the Nightmare.
The complexity of the story is more than matched by the complexity of the gameplay. The action in Knights in the Nightmare consists of a series of small-scale battles in which you control a wisp with the stylus. As this lost soul--whose true nature becomes clear in time--you have the ability to give life to fallen knights, and as the wisp journeys toward its destiny, you use the souls of these knights to battle the monsters and evil forces that stand in your way. The battles play out in a fashion that is dramatically unlike those you'd find in a typical tactical RPG. Rather than worrying about your units taking damage, you live or die by the wisp. Using the stylus, you maneuver the wisp around the isometric playing field, carrying weapons to your knights, charging them up to unleash attacks, and trying desperately to avoid enemy attacks. These attacks take the form of a shower of stars, massive snakes that circle the borders of the screen, huge columns of energy, and much more. In each round of a battle, you have a set amount of time to charge up your knights' attacks, but each time the wisp comes in contact with an enemy attack, you lose some of that very precious time. Avoiding enemy attacks is similar to weaving your way through a shower of bullets in a shooter, and it creates all the white-knuckle tension you'd expect when the pressure is on and the slightest slipup can spell defeat. Occasionally, the screen grows too cluttered and makes your life even more difficult, but for the most part, these fast-paced battles are an unmitigated blast.
Glancing at a battle in Knights in the Nightmare, you might assume that it's more of a precision-based action game than a tactical one. On the contrary, Knights in the Nightmare combines the action of battle with impressive tactical depth. The decisions you make before a battle are crucial, and initially, it's a challenge just to learn all the factors you need to take into consideration. The battles take place on small fields made up of squares. The chesslike unit types (seven regulars, plus an occasional hero companion) have specific directions and ranges for their attacks, so selecting the best unit for each of your allowed positions is essential. You're also limited to bringing just four weapons into battle, and weapons have restrictions based on class, level, and an "act phase." The two act phases are law and chaos, which you can switch between at any time during battle. You'll need to switch between them constantly to gather the gems the wisp needs to collect. These gems are used to direct knights to attack with a weapon. However, most weapons can only be used during either the law or chaos phase, so it's important that you balance your weapons between the two phases or you may find yourself out of gems and unable to perform any skill attacks.
There's more to consider too, including the durability of your items, the elemental weaknesses of the monsters you're about to battle, and the amount of time a given weapon's attack takes to charge. The learning curve here is exceptionally steep, and you may find yourself initially frustrated as you go into battle with units in positions from which they can't land attacks and armed with weapons they can't effectively use. The flipside of this frustration is the sense of gratification that comes from learning the ropes and going into battle armed and prepared for victory. To its credit, the game places all the information you need to play well at your disposal, which is organized in three tutorial sections you can peruse at your leisure.
There are also crucial decisions to be made between battles. You'll need to fuse weapons together to repair them and use items collected in battle to strengthen them. As you progress and recruit units to your army, you'll choose which units to spend experience points on and level up. You may also find that some units are more useful as sacrifices than as soldiers. Through the "transoul" process, you can select a unit to sacrifice and merge its soul with that of another unit. Doing so dramatically improves the recipient, but death is permanent in Knights, so it's a decision that requires careful consideration. For better or worse, Knights allows for only one save file, which lends gravity to your decisions that they might otherwise lack, but it also limits your ability to experiment with different rosters. The game prevents you from getting yourself into an insurmountable situation through poor decision making by filling out your ranks with nameless knights if your own forces are lacking; these nameless knights can't be recruited, however, and leave after one battle.
Knights in the Nightmare is a beautiful game. Character sprites are ornate, colorful, and detailed. Environments are lush and atmospheric, and attacks look powerful. There aren't any prerendered cutscenes here, but the visuals and language used to tell the story are so evocative that you won't mourn their absence. The sound is every bit equal to the visuals, with a gorgeous score and dramatic sound effects that pull you in to the action. The battle cries of your knights may repeat too often, but this is a minor issue.
Knights in the Nightmare is the very definition of a genre-defying game. Regardless of how many tactical role-playing games you may have played before, you've never played anything like Knights in the Nightmare. The unusual mechanics and complexity of tactical considerations make this a daunting undertaking for genre newcomers and seasoned vets alike. But Knights in the Nightmare is so skillfully made and compelling that what may first feel like an uneasy mix of disparate genres eventually feels like the perfect marriage of elements, which results in something wholly new and legitimately exciting. If you have any interest in tactical games and don't mind a serious challenge, you should absolutely own Knights in the Nightmare.
Knights in the Nightmare is a game that can be best described as an action/arcade/strategy mash-up. The core game looks and feels like a tactical RPG similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, Atlus's own Luminous Arc, or something like Tactics Ogre. Instead of controlling a huge slew of characters, moving them around the screen in turn-by-turn chess matches, however, you play as the stylus itself, embodied in a character called the "Wisp." Wherever you point, the cursor-creature flies to, so as you drag around the screen you're actually highlighting items, but also controlling the only character in the game that can take direct damage.
Here's how it all works. Knights in the Nightmare is based on the concept that the Wisp can possess ghosts of fallen warriors. You arrive in this town (specifically a tower) where the souls are reliving a mysterious battle that took place years ago. Each actual fight in the game is based on monsters attacking the Wisp, which brings you to specific one-screen tactics fights. Confused? Hang in there.
Once a battle starts, the Wisp summons either random or specific heroes based on the fight itself. Early on you use "borrowed" heroes, but s the game progresses you'll start building a stable of fighters you can use as you please. Fights are, at least for the most part, played by standing in place. Enemies move in predetermined paths which you can see at all times, and each fighter the Wisp is in charge of can attack on certain points of the grid as well, so it becomes a matter of using attacks at the right time, and hitting enemies as they wander around the little world. To do this, you'll simply fly the Wisp over to allies, hold on them while an attack charges, and then let go by lifting the stylus, which will start an attack. If enemies were in the spaces attacked, you do damage. Pretty simple really.
Where thing get more complex, however, is in the "Lawful vs. Chaotic" mechanic in the game, which is similar to titles like Ikaruga. Switching from lawful to chaotic (blue to red) via a little switch on the bottom screen, the Wisp can make use of specific weapons for each ally in a match. You can select up to four items to start each round off (all listed in a huge chart of item, lawful/chaotic allegiance, level required for that item, attack power, and grid of where it attacks) with each item used by simply clicking it during play, and dragging it to the fighter that can use it.
Since there's the whole lawful and chaotic system though, certain items can only be done depending on which mode the battle is in, so players will need to select what items to use for each round, use the Wisp to change the battle from lawful to chaotic on the touch screen, and make use of each item as best as possible. It's a tall order, but once you wrap your head around the idea of two worlds, and weapons for each, it really boils down to click and drag fighting.
Since the Wisp is the only character that can actually take damage, the game is not only made up of quick little tactical fights, but it's also a sort of touch-based "bullet hell" shooter as well. Enemies are attacking your cursor with huge magic, different styles of bullets or orbs, and it's your job to keep the fight going by issuing commands, but also dodging attacks in the process. If you get hit, you'll lose overall time left to kill everyone in that round. Screw up too many rounds, and you'll lose the battle. On the flipside of things, each enemy you kill in each round goes on a huge tic-tac-toe board that carries through the entire course of a fight. Each round you'll use a little slot machine mechanic to not only select who you'll be fighting next round, but also show off exactly where your little token would go if you do in fact beat them. Form a full line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally over the course of multiple rounds, and you win the battle.
Like everything else in the game it can be daunting at first, but it's a pretty easy concept to grasp. The slot machine moves slow enough to you can pick which enemies you want to fight, so the real strategy comes when deciding which enemies you want to do battle with. Sure, you might have three in a row on your little graph, and the final spot is just one enemy away, but if you know the monsters in the game, and you can tell that the last spot needed is tied to a gigantic mini-boss of a creature, you'll want to rethink your strategy or get ready for a seriously difficult fight.
Knights in the Nightmare is certainly an intimidating game, but it's really all about a lot of simple concepts all piled on top of each other, and after an hour with the game I not only get the concept, but love it. Once you figure it all out, it becomes a fast-paced, short-burst tactical game that really feels as much like a quarter-dropping arcade cabinet as it does a full-on RPG experience (when in reality it's a little of both). The battle system is easy to get into after coming to grips with the design, and from there each fight is made up of different one-screen arenas, a slew of enemies, and a few heroes to upgrade and battle with on the fly; really fun, and extremely addicting. I'm just scratching the surface on what Knights in the Nightmare has to offer, but already the visuals are simply stunning, the interface and presentation is intentionally "info overload" in nature, but easy to read once you understand it all, and the music is beautiful. For those that really want to learn the game's ins and outs, there's also about an hour of tutorials, lessons, and tips available from the start of the game, so it's clear that Sting knows just how complex their game is. So far though, it has been well worth the learning curve.
Here's how it all works. Knights in the Nightmare is based on the concept that the Wisp can possess ghosts of fallen warriors. You arrive in this town (specifically a tower) where the souls are reliving a mysterious battle that took place years ago. Each actual fight in the game is based on monsters attacking the Wisp, which brings you to specific one-screen tactics fights. Confused? Hang in there.
Once a battle starts, the Wisp summons either random or specific heroes based on the fight itself. Early on you use "borrowed" heroes, but s the game progresses you'll start building a stable of fighters you can use as you please. Fights are, at least for the most part, played by standing in place. Enemies move in predetermined paths which you can see at all times, and each fighter the Wisp is in charge of can attack on certain points of the grid as well, so it becomes a matter of using attacks at the right time, and hitting enemies as they wander around the little world. To do this, you'll simply fly the Wisp over to allies, hold on them while an attack charges, and then let go by lifting the stylus, which will start an attack. If enemies were in the spaces attacked, you do damage. Pretty simple really.
Where thing get more complex, however, is in the "Lawful vs. Chaotic" mechanic in the game, which is similar to titles like Ikaruga. Switching from lawful to chaotic (blue to red) via a little switch on the bottom screen, the Wisp can make use of specific weapons for each ally in a match. You can select up to four items to start each round off (all listed in a huge chart of item, lawful/chaotic allegiance, level required for that item, attack power, and grid of where it attacks) with each item used by simply clicking it during play, and dragging it to the fighter that can use it.
Since there's the whole lawful and chaotic system though, certain items can only be done depending on which mode the battle is in, so players will need to select what items to use for each round, use the Wisp to change the battle from lawful to chaotic on the touch screen, and make use of each item as best as possible. It's a tall order, but once you wrap your head around the idea of two worlds, and weapons for each, it really boils down to click and drag fighting.
Since the Wisp is the only character that can actually take damage, the game is not only made up of quick little tactical fights, but it's also a sort of touch-based "bullet hell" shooter as well. Enemies are attacking your cursor with huge magic, different styles of bullets or orbs, and it's your job to keep the fight going by issuing commands, but also dodging attacks in the process. If you get hit, you'll lose overall time left to kill everyone in that round. Screw up too many rounds, and you'll lose the battle. On the flipside of things, each enemy you kill in each round goes on a huge tic-tac-toe board that carries through the entire course of a fight. Each round you'll use a little slot machine mechanic to not only select who you'll be fighting next round, but also show off exactly where your little token would go if you do in fact beat them. Form a full line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally over the course of multiple rounds, and you win the battle.
Like everything else in the game it can be daunting at first, but it's a pretty easy concept to grasp. The slot machine moves slow enough to you can pick which enemies you want to fight, so the real strategy comes when deciding which enemies you want to do battle with. Sure, you might have three in a row on your little graph, and the final spot is just one enemy away, but if you know the monsters in the game, and you can tell that the last spot needed is tied to a gigantic mini-boss of a creature, you'll want to rethink your strategy or get ready for a seriously difficult fight.
Knights in the Nightmare is certainly an intimidating game, but it's really all about a lot of simple concepts all piled on top of each other, and after an hour with the game I not only get the concept, but love it. Once you figure it all out, it becomes a fast-paced, short-burst tactical game that really feels as much like a quarter-dropping arcade cabinet as it does a full-on RPG experience (when in reality it's a little of both). The battle system is easy to get into after coming to grips with the design, and from there each fight is made up of different one-screen arenas, a slew of enemies, and a few heroes to upgrade and battle with on the fly; really fun, and extremely addicting. I'm just scratching the surface on what Knights in the Nightmare has to offer, but already the visuals are simply stunning, the interface and presentation is intentionally "info overload" in nature, but easy to read once you understand it all, and the music is beautiful. For those that really want to learn the game's ins and outs, there's also about an hour of tutorials, lessons, and tips available from the start of the game, so it's clear that Sting knows just how complex their game is. So far though, it has been well worth the learning curve.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r8gR8eQB7A
Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2u3ZukJPb8
Trailer
Again, talk about anything that has to duw with this game. Ask questions, answer questions, state your opinions, whatever you want. :3