Dungeon Knight (2023)

Very generic prevision platformer. What it does it does fairly well, but there is no horizontal momentum or run button. So then all the obstacles rely on tight timing since you don't have much ability to vary your character's speed.

Could only make it to level 14. :(

My favorite genre is big dumb side-scrolling dudes hitting things with swords. I was kind of hoping for more combat based on the videos, but there's only one super easy boss fight at the end. You don't get any kind of sword until then, but after 49 levels of tough as nails platforming it was only a mild letdown. I had a ton of fun! The controls are very smooth. Your only ability is a double jump, although you're able to jump on most projectiles or spiders you encounter to propel yourself higher and reset that jump. Eventually there's also midair pick ups that enable one more jump, leading to some crazy segments where you never touch the ground as you barely miss a bunch of big scary buzz saws. Later on a platform that switches gravity a la Metal Storm is also introduced, which definitely upped the challenge in a gratifying way. I would totally buy and play another sequel that has more boss battles.

Although it may appear to be just another precise platformer, the gameplay is smooth and fair, so that doesn't matter. You play a knight whose sole ability is the double-jump. This allows you to jump on spiders that kills them and gives you a boost to reach higher platforms. This maneuver is employed throughout the entire game since there are times when it is the only way to succeed. With the exception of never-ending cannon balls, if you kill a spider and fail to reach the platform, you’ll have to restart the stage. There is no plot; the only objective is to get the key and make it to the exit through all 50 levels. Although the stages are packed with the traditional death traps that quickly kill you, the variety is small, and they repeat from the first to the last stage. All you'll have to avoid are retracting and falling spikes, rotating discs, lasers, and disappearing platforms. The gravity switch is the only other mechanic that is frequently used. If you’re looking for extra challenge, you can try grabbing the book in certain stages. It's not particularly difficult because only around half of the stages have them. One minor quibble is that the level select screen doesn't …

It´s a pretty basic precision platformer - and it doesn´t claim to be anything it isn´t. What it sets out to do, it does quite well, so this is a recommend from me.

I'm Just getting started, but I like it, not many mechanics, all timing and precision. Not very forgiving collision-wise, but that's fine for that type of game.