The Knightling is a classic adventure game that will capture your heart

I’ve played a lot of indies over the last few months, and my heart is full of new favorites that will always be worth a replay or recommending to anyone seeking something new to play. The Knightling is one of those games, quickly rising through the ranks to become one of my all-time favorites, perhaps even knocking some of my long-time beloved titles down the list. 

The Knightling is a game developed by Twirlbound that encapsulates that old-school fantasy feeling with some unique and lovable tweaks to the formula. What starts out as a typical romp through a fantasy land turns into a lesson in kindness and perseverance, with challenging battles and intriguing puzzles at every turn. 

Something I didn’t know I was missing

Playing The Knightling for the first time feels like playing Fable for the first time, so it’s strangely nostalgic. I can’t say it was a feeling I’ve actively been searching for in the time since Fable was released way back in 2004, but as soon as I realized that I was feeling nostalgic for it, it hit me: I’ve been missing that sense of wonder, and The Knightling provides it in spades. On the first day, I played for seven hours straight.

The Knightling is the type of game that, while it doesn’t openly invite you to veer off course from your main objective, it certainly puts temptation in your path. Everywhere you look, there’s something to distract you from your current quest, and there is always something new to find. It’s like there’s a devil on your shoulder saying, “I mean, you could go and rescue Sir Lionstone, but did you see the shiny Knightling Praise over there?”  

There are a ton of side quests just waiting to be picked up and completed, ranging from straightforward races down the hillside using the sentient shield as transport to hunts for needles in the metaphorical haystack, or in this case, Forgotten Coins in the Outskirts. Every side quest introduces you to new characters or aspects of the story, and none of them feel pointless, which is a hard balancing act to manage.

Visually and audibly stunning

The scenery and vistas in The Knightling are all gorgeous to take in and stare at while you’re off on your adventures. However, to me, the true beauty of this indie gem lies in the details, especially when it comes to character design. 

Now, I’m not sure whether the choice to put the majority of the characters in makeshift headgear was one based on whimsy or whether it was something done out of necessity. As someone who can’t draw faces (or much else, for that matter) with any kind of artistic skill, I can appreciate the possibility that it was a simple matter of faces being difficult to draw, especially in large numbers, while trying to keep individual characters unique in some way.

There are some NPCs with cardboard boxes on their heads, others with crates, and others with logs. The rest all have some form of headwear on, and every single character (besides the sentient shield that has too many opinions, if anything) speaks with a muffled voice because of it. It’s a glorious choice for sound design that helps with immersion, because it’s realistic in a way I didn’t know I needed something to be.

Sir Lionstone, who?

Look, I know that the main point of The Knightling is to find your knight, Sir Lionstone. He’s your hero and fearless leader into the fantasy world of Clesseia, but it’s almost unfathomably easy to forget what your main purpose in playing actually is, and that’s not a bad thing. 

You’re a knightling. Your purpose is to support a knight, in this case Sir Lionstone, and assist him with menial duties. You’re essentially a medieval squire, except you seem to have more guts and skill than Sir Lionstone could ever hope to have. Beyond that, you have more heart. You yearn to help others, you want to prove your worth in any way you can, and you’re unburdened by the ego that knights tend to possess. 

When Sir Lionstone goes MIA, you return to the city dejected and frightened, not knowing what to do. You’re lost, in every sense, but Gynni is there to be your guiding light into mischief and finding a purpose outside of your knightling role. She pushes you to do more, be better, help people, and generally step out of your comfort zone to find your strength and grow within yourself. 

Maybe that’s a little deep, but it hit home for me. We all need someone like that in our lives, who gives us gentle shoves in the right direction because they see something in us that we don’t. That’s how we grow, and that’s how you grow in The Knightling, and none of it would be possible without a best friend like Gynni. 

The Knightling is available to download and play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on PC via Steam, and it’s well worth diving into if you’re a fan of the fantasy genre or love games inspired by the epic adventure games of old, like Zelda or Fable.