Black Knight Sword; the latest game in a series of collaborations between Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture, is probably the latter studios weirdest game. For the studio that brought us the likes of ‘No More Heroes’ and’ Killer 7’ that really is saying something.
The action on screen is presented as a puppet show. The entire game is framed by a set of plush red curtains and loading screens are populated with the shadows of the audience leaving to get booze and tiny pots of overpriced ice cream during the intermission. But this isn’t Punch and Judy, no this is something far more sinister.
The game opens with a single puppet hanged by its own string in a seedy looking hotel room. Rocking the left thumb stick backwards and forwards the small paper marionette eventually breaks free and crumples to the floor. He slowly rises, shambling towards a corpse with a sword sticking out of it. As you press x he pulls the sword out and is consumed by dark spirits transforming him into the Black Knight.
From this stark and incredibly creepy opening, the game descends into what could best be described as the work of Monty Python’s Czech lovechild, studying in Japan, in the depths of some kind of drug fuelled frenzy; East Asia meets Eastern Europe in an opium den. As you cut a swath through each of the games five stages you’ll encounter all manner of weird creatures including; heads on legs, incredibly clumsy knights with huge swords, Giant wolves with human faces a giant gas mask wearing spider with a human head for an arse and my personal favourites a pair of half pig half motor bike monsters ridden by skeletons.
However hands down my favourite moment in the entire game came when I stumbled into a creature that looked suspiciously like one of the zombies from the crypts in ‘Ocarina of Time’ wearing a towel. After knocking it down with my sword it jumped back up and began to hump me, little love hearts fluttering through the air as the damn thing curled itself around my back and began to groan. I burst out laughing and didn’t stop until he was finished.
There’s a dark sense of humour that runs the course of the narrative and the game’s ability to completely subvert everything it touches is probably its greatest strength. With a name like Black Knight Sword you’d expect to be saving a princess, instead you’re on a quest to kill one. The usual fairytale settings peel away and are replaced with modern towns, a nuclear testing ground, a sewer which transforms into the river Styx, and finally a toy box. As the world twists and turns It becomes clear that this gruesome tale of suicide and revenge might actually be being told by a child with whatever they have to hand and homemade puppets.
Accompanying this unique visual style is brilliant sound design including a superb soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka that captures the east meets east vibe as well as the raucous action on screen perfectly. From the minimalistic kettle drums and shamisen of the title screen to the trumpeting horns and polkas of the games Eastern European setting, it never misses a beat.
The grunts and whistles of the games cast of bizarre creatures also feel particularly pythonesque to the point where i swear I heard someone yell” Dinsdale” at one point, but it was probably just all in my head. The clashing and clattering of attacks also help to give them a palpable and weighty feel.
Although the real star of the show is the games narrator, who consistently manages to be both funny and incredibly creepy in equal measure as he reacts to the action on screen usually when you’re just about to die. Which is often, as well as presenting the games Kamishibai style cut scenes in between levels in which he puts on a ‘woman’s voice’ that would make Graham Chapman proud.
But how does the game play I hear you cry. Is this a case of style with very little substance? The good news is that no, It isn’t.
If you hadn’t already guessed BKS is a traditional 2D Hack ‘n’ Slash adventure game in the vein of 16bit greats such as Ghosts’ n Goblins and pre ‘Symphony of the Night’ Castlevania.
Combat is simple, enemies are plentiful and varied, and the chances of success are incredibly slim. Even on easy the game poses a significant challenge especially in its later stages with few lives and increasingly aggressive bad guys. This is exacerbated in the game’s final punishing Stage which has you, in classic 16bit fashion; take on all of the games previous bosses before one final, ball achingly brutal boss fight.
Despite this I still found the game incredibly enjoyable. Maybe it’s just my age but the satisfaction of a fight well won in a game never gets old and BKS puts up one hell of a fight.
That’s not to say you won’t get any help, through the course of the games five stages every enemy you kill will drop hearts, these can then be fed to a floating eye monster thing that acts as the games shop. These shops provide upgrades to your health, armour , attack strength and maximum health as well as additional lives. Access to the shop is a godsend, especially before a difficult boss fight or after taking a substantial beating to regroup and replenish your lives.
Also dotted around each level are microwaves which contain caches of additional hearts or golden skulls which fully replenish your health. If you see one in the distance its well worth finding a way to get to it as they usually foreshadow another tough fight or difficult platforming section.
As well as fighting on foot the game also features flying sections in which the knight rides a… giant, fire breathing chicken. These bullet hell sections were a fun, unexpected addition and served as a great little advert for the duo’s previous collaboration, Sine Mora. However I’d say they had more in common with similar interludes in Grasshopper’s ‘Shadows of the Damned’. It was also the moment in BKS where my brain finally gave up trying to make sense of the events unfolding onscreen and just went with it.
My only niggle with the entire game though is how the game saves your progress, or doesn’t. As punishing and crazy as the game is at times, the one thing that really left me baffled and a little frustrated was the fact that the game has no auto save function. The game will save your progress back to the last checkpoint, but only when you ask it to. So if say, you were reviewing the game and you decided to stop for the evening but forgot to hit save on the menu before quitting., you would return in the morning to find you had to start the entire game again.
Luckily the game itself isn’t that long. So you’ll no doubt be able to get back to wherever you left off without too much trouble. Many would see the main campaign’s relatively brief 4-5 hour run time as a bad thing, however I think it’s actually to the titles benefit as it never overstays its welcome and doesn’t have a minute of filler in it. From its unsettling beginning to its abrupt climax the game is incredibly well paced and never ceases to astound and bemuse.
That’s not to say that the game has no replay value. As well as attempting to complete the main campaign on higher difficulties there are also collectable Cat Head Grass to find in each level and from the beginning most require going off the beaten path to find and encourages additional exploration of each stage. There are also unlockable challenge and arcade modes to battle through,
Challenge mode revolves around using certain moves to get through a series of levels without getting hit, but the main event is certainly Arcade Mode which takes the action of the main campaign and condenses it into a living hell. If the main campaign is Castlevania, tough but measured in its brutality, Arcade mode is Ghosts n’ Goblins, a relentless barrage that only those that have properly mastered the game can ever have a hope of finishing. I found it difficult to even slog through the first stage and I thought I was quite good at these kinds of games.
So should you get Black Knight Sword? If you are a fan of Grasshopper Manufacture then chances are you don’t need to read a review to see whether or not you want to buy their latest creation, their reputation speaks for itself. BKS is another prime example of the studios ability to create highly original, unique and quirky games with solid mechanics backing them up.
However, I will admit that BWS isn’t a game for everyone. It’s old school sensibilities might put off some as the game is pretty difficult by modern standards and the combat may appear simple to those that haven’t played this style of game before. Also the visuals and art direction, while i personally loved it, could also dissuade those that don’t fancy feeling like they’ve been on drugs for several hours.
For everyone else, if you have even just a passing interest in Black Knight Sword I would recommend at least playing the trial. Its unique art style and eccentric narrative belie a competent and challenging game which is sure to put a smile on the faces of older gamers as well as fans of the surreal.
If you ever wondered what a modern Monty Python game would be like, this is probably the closest thing we’ll ever see to it. If you miss the days when games used to show you the ropes and then kick your arse, this is the game for you.
