The Knight Witch is a Metroidvania adventure game from Super Mega Team and Team 17. The game separates itself from other shooters by combining Metroidvania with deck-building and rogue-like elements. In our Knight Witch review, we’ll take a look at how well that combination works and what it brings to the genre.
Story and Writing
Going in blindly into the game, I did not expect The Knight Witch’s story to be good. I predicted that it will be the typical “protagonist saves the town” trope that is already seen countless times. But I was wrong.
Right off the bat, there is a brief introduction of what has transpired during the previous war and why the people now live in Dungeonidas. Golems and other monsters have started to attack the calm city after years of peace.
The game’s protagonist is Rayne, an expelled Knight Witch trainee who runs her own business. However, she learned how to fly – one of the skills that a Knight Witch possesses and as she moves through the story, her abilities start to grow.
It is then that she decides to save the people of Dungeonidas, and after the first few battles, she gets to be the fifth Knight Witch – a title with many responsibilities.
So what makes The Knight Witch’s story good?
First, the dialogue is great, and it flows with the story smoothly. Second, the game is unpredictable. There are instances where you have to decide the outcome through your own choice. It is a nice touch since you are given a chance to decide how your story with progress.
Lastly, you never know who your real enemies are. Sure, there are golems and monsters out there but, you will start to question what exactly is the goal of the characters in the game. Are they your companions, or is it all just a PR stunt?
All in all, kudos to the game writers for providing an exciting story accompanied by compelling gameplay.
Visuals and Audio
The Knight Witch visuals are excellent. It is like watching a kid’s storybook come to life.
The character design is top-notch. Rayne has a certain charm to her design, and the same can be said of Robyn – fierce and powerful. The designers did a great job working on the side characters too. You can easily determine which ones are important.
Playing through the well-designed environment adds to the game’s immersion. Each map has its own characteristics. The background also blends well with the foreground, and it does not feel like a JPEG image plastered in the back.
Overall, the game’s visuals felt dynamic. There are no elements that look dull and are boring to look at. If ever you are going to play the game, I am sure that you will pause and admire the hard work that the designers did.
Not everything about the visuals looks great, though. Sure, the bullets and the attack animation, especially the spells, look great. However, the visual clutter can be too much.
I am not sure if this is part of the game, but it is difficult to look at the character when there are hundreds of bullets swarming to get you. It might be part of the game’s actual design, though, to make it more challenging.
Moving on to the audio. Like the game’s aesthetics, the audio matches the game pretty well. There are no off-feeling sounds, and The Knight Witch felt mesmerizing.
The audio is on point whether it is from a regular level or a boss battle. It clearly helps in making you feel the emotions in-game.
If the level is tense, then the music brings it up to a notch. If the environment looks calm, then the music is soothing as well. Ultimately, I have no complaints in this regard.
The Knight Witch: Gameplay
The Knight Witch gameplay is easy to understand. There is a brief tutorial at the start on how you would play the game.
The game sticks true to its Metroidvania qualities, and you can go whenever you want to move forward in the game. I am not a fan of roguelike games, though, so dying and going back from the save point is kind of annoying since some of the levels take a lot of time to clear.
There are two ways to dominate the enemies here in this game. You may either go for a pure shooter or be an arcane master and use your spells to demolish enemies.
There are upgrade paths available once you level them, you can unlock perks that determine whether you are the “shoot everything in sight” type or “kill them with spells” kind of player.
Back to the shooting style, it is a little bit annoying that Rayne shoots her bullets slower than Robyn since the tutorial showcased the latter’s shooting speed. Besides that, there are upgrades available to make the bullets go faster.
Moreover, the game has deck-building elements to it. It has some RNG involved since your spells are based on the deck that you have.
You may build your deck depending on the boss battle that you are facing. Sometimes, your spells are the key to surviving an ambush or staying alive so keep that in mind. There are ways to upgrade or duplicate your cards, though, so be sure to plan your deck ahead of the fight.
Using skills requires mana which you acquire by fighting enemies. There will be blue orbs surrounding them. Go near the orbs, and you will restore your mana.
There is no spell spam here since your mana is very limited. It gets frustrating at times since I died a lot due to a lack of mana to block bullets.
On the other hand, it is an excellent mechanic since it adds to the game’s difficulty. If you want to expand your spells though, look out for chests or collect Yupi coins and exchange them for a random spell.
As you battle your enemies, you will collect shards and mana. You may use the green shards to buy a shield or a health muffin (restores health by one.)
There are other perks to the green shards, such as upgrading the beacon or making the people of Dungeonidas happy. It is also used to upgrade your spells, so save some of it.
Controls
The Knight Witch has a simple control scheme, and it is easy to understand. I used a controller to play the game, and I suggest that you do as well. Using one will provide you with better aiming and movement control.
There is an automatic shooting where you need to hold a button, and the bullets will kill the nearest enemy. You may also aim for more precision.
Movement is smooth using a controller. However, the combination of WASD felt underwhelming. The game is better suited for joystick controls.
The opposite can be said of aiming, though. The mouse is still superior when it comes to precision.
Overall, you may use whichever input you are comfortable with. The game is all about fast and precise movements, so choose carefully.
The Knight Witch Final Thoughts
This Knight Witch is a great Metroidvania game that ticks the right boxes with its impressive gameplay, visuals, well-written characters, and exciting mechanics. It is made alive by the added deck building and rogue-like gameplay that keep things fresh throughout the campaign. It can be a bit challenging initially, but that’s part of the appeal and what makes it stand out.
Challenging yet fulfilling is what I would say in this game. It fulfills the need for a fun Metroidvania title while retaining what makes this genre painful to play.
Who is this game for?
The Knight Witch is the best year-ender game for Metroidvania veterans, but it will be a challenge for those who are diving into the genre for the first time.
Beginners will take more time to get used to it. However, once you are in the zone, this game will provide hours of fun playtime.
Catch The Knight Witch on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, and the Nintendo Switch.
This review is based on the PC version of The Knight Witch. The key was provided by Team17.
