Having been resurrected by her apprentice, Minukelsus the alchemist, Gretchen returns in search of his killer, warning him that they too have been resurrected, but now seek revenge on those who condemned the sisterhood. Heinrich agrees to help the young with in her quest under one condition: that her spell of immortality will break when it’s all over.
Though it sets itself up nicely, there is very little going for the story in Knight’s Contract. Events unfold sporadically, soon stamping out any sparks of plot innovation or creativity. Minor characters have no sense of depth about them whatsoever; neither Gretchen or Heinrich have any likability about them either. If not for the grim setting which at times feel similar to that of smash hit RPG, Demons’ Souls, there would be little to keep the player engaged.
a complete slog from start to finish
Knight’s Contract follows a linear, episodic design. The game is broken into chapters and once beaten, these can be revisited to scoop up any collectibles or to improve your level score. In terms of the gameplay, if you have played Devil May Cry, or more recently, Darksiders, you will know what to expect. For the larger part of the game players will take control of Heinrich, a number of brutal combos available. With Gretchen at your side, you will also have access to a panel of magic of attacks which can be upgraded over time, though they need to recharge upon use.
The only unique gameplay aspect in Knight’s Contract is Heinrich’s immortality. No matter how much damage he takes, Heinrich can always piece himself back together and jump into battle once more. The way this is translated into gameplay however is appalling; after being hacked to pieces the axeman will simply lay there whilst you hit buttons for a good twenty seconds to resurrect him. Gretchen on the other hand is not so tough and you will find yourself protecting her throughout the entire game. It wouldn’t be such a chore if her friendly AI wasn’t so inefficient; instead of dodging attacks she wanders straight into them. At times Gretchen will simply walk into lava or other hazards, prompting a restart from the last checkpoint.
a test of your patience more than anything else
Without puzzles or any other form of diversions, the game feels like a complete slog from start to finish. One of the final stages lasts at least an hour, forcing the player to engage in battle after battle. It’s a total grind, and what’s worse is the spiking difficulty level; one second Heinrich can be slicing through enemies like butter before you suddenly hit an unyielding brick wall. Chokepoints are clustered together so tightly, especially during the end sequence, that Knight’s Contract is a test of your patience more than anything else.
Another gripe many will have with the game is its visuals. Despite the leading characters having a creative flair about them, the rest are fairly generic, with only twelve or so enemy models in the entire game. Textures are embarrassingly poor as well the sturdy animations; even the cutscenes are below-par.
As a port of a Japanese-developed game, the poor voice acting should come as no surprise. The script is needlessly melodramatic and even nonsensical in parts. With that said, the audio presentation of Knight’s Contract is somewhat rescued by its soundtrack; an epic yet chilling chorus of tracks which bring flavour to the medieval setting.
Pros:
- Interesting plot to begin with
- Soundtrack is fitting
Cons:
- Sub-par graphics throughout, sturdy animations
- Sporadic plot development
- Stagnant, progressive-less combat
- Repetitive mission design, unfair boss battles
- Shameful friendly AI, and spiking difficulty level
With such a diabolical amalgamation of defunct mechanics and monotonous mission design, it will take half an hour tops to tire of Knight’s Contract and shelve it for good. Compared to the magnificent Majin & The Forsaken Kingdom, Game Republic’s latest adventure is a complete let down, and is easily one of the worst games we have seen this year.
Score: 2/10
Gamoc
Ooh, ouch.
leon
That hurt
djhsecondnature
Oh dear.
SpikeyMikey23
Must have been a chore to review that Jim. At least using the sexy chick as the icon will get people in to read it eh? ;)
Jim H [Teabags]
It’s the only game I’ve played in which I’ve become so frustrated that I almost gave up on finishing/reviewing it. A total pain in ass.
Aquastyle
Ouch, a 2.
Read the review, sounds extremely boring…
Sympozium
NOOOO NOOOOOOOOO!!!!……
I was really hoping that this would be a good game to buy…
moshi
not even a rental for me now, shame.
Lal
Just finished playing it. It’s o.k. nothing special. would recommend that if you are going to play it, best buy it secondhand or rent it.
Samiro05
Easy platinum I guess?
Lal
No not really,need to play through twice at least to platinum. (once was enough for me. ha ha)
Foxhound_Solid
Ooooo, thats bad….
HDNdk
only clicked in because of the chick xD
The Lone Steven
I have never heard of this game untill i read the review. I can see why you chose that picture of that chick. In fact it sounds like that picture is better then the game. now if you excuse me, i will go back to staring at that chick.:P
Kovacs
Some sites are already selling it for about €20. Amazing how the price of a game can go down so quick.
Note to self: give The Last Guardian 1/10
;)
MadBoJangles
Lol!
I very nearly bought this last week in Grainger Games, sooooo glad I didn’t now.
aerobes
You must really like punishing yourself, Jim! First Mindjack and now this … I can’t wait to see what’s next! :D
Jim H [Teabags]
Warriors: Legends of Troy.
I know a lot of people will say I am biased in favour of the Warriors series. However, even if I end up really liking Troy though realise it has some big flaws (some of the current reviews suggest it does,) I will always score it accordingly.
aerobes
That’ll be a particularly interesting read then. I very much look forward to it.