Games for Lunch: Knights in the Nightmare
In a nutshell: What the hell is going on? Oh, that's what's going on? OK, that's pretty cool then.
6/30/2009 11:28 AM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: Sting
Publisher: Atlus
Release Date: June 2, 2009
System: Nintendo DS
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site
0:00 In my experience, knights don't usually show up in the nightmares, but in good dreams. Buff, sparkling knights, with broad shoulders and rippling pecs, rescuing me from ... well ... perhaps I've said too much.
0:01 A story scrolls by WAY too fast for me to read it. All I caught was something about the "Island of St. Celestina." Anyway, we're off watching a woman in white hover down a lavish hallway, battling enemies as she goes. "I must hurry ... before the nightmare engulfs me. Before the wisp of hope is lost. I have to survive! ... To regain what was lost." As she escapes into the night, a crowd of voices calls out that they have to find her. The fast-paced music transitions to gentle piano and strings as the title comes up over a red castle in the distance. Powerful!
0:03 Let's go with "Teachings" before starting the game. "First Steps" is for first time players, and has 10 sub-categories. Good lord!
0:06 Interesting ... moving the stylus around on the touch-screen moves a little white "wisp" on the top screen, which can be used to select characters on an isometric grid. Hold it there to charge up an attack, then point in the direction of an enemy and FIRE! "Ready ... I'll cut you in two! It worked!" says my character with genuine surprise in his voice.
0:08 Hmmm ... enemies shoot bullets that don't hurt my character but DO hurt the stylus-controlled wisp. All the twitchy action of a shoot-'em-up with all the strategy of a tactical RPG. I like it!
0:10 I drag an axe from my item box onto my knight and do a big "Calamity Strike." Great name for a rock band, by the way. "I will corrupt your soul," says my fighter as he unleashes the strike. Hey, that could be the band's first single!
0:11 To beat the stage, I have to use defeated enemies to line up lights in a grid. So it's a puzzle game too? Jeez, pick a genre, game!
0:12 Enemies release gems that you grab out of the air by moving the wisp around with your stylus! I haven't had this much fun since
Crystal Quest on my Macintosh Jr.
0:14 I have to change the entire environment between "Law" and "Chaos" modes to keep away fog that limits my ability to collect crystals. OK, this is beginning to get complex.
0:16 Changing the environs also changes the shape of my warrior's attack, from a sideways line to a three-way split shot. OK, now it's getting REALLY complex...
0:18 Apparently most weapons only work in Law or Chaos, not both. The interface doesn't make it exceptionally clear which are which, unfortunately.
0:20 I can charge up attacks and hold them in a "ready state" to unleash later. Nice touch, especially if I plan to be way too busy dodging enemies later.
0:24 Hitting objects releases items which can be used to recruit new knights. The game describes this process extremely pedantically in four minutes.
