Knight's Story, developed by Anute, tells two stories at once. First, it's a story of a knight who inherits a castle estate and explores the land he rules. Second, this is a retelling of the classic yarn, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Playing this brand new social game for even a few minutes will reveal that it has been heavily influenced by games like Zynga's Treasure Isle. In Knight's Story, the first Facebook game I've ever seen created using Microsoft's Silverlight (a Flash competitor), players explore various tracks of land through a grid system in which each tile explored costs a point of Energy. Sound familiar?
The similarities don't stop there, though Anute does attempt to expand on this tried and true game style. Upon logging into the game, players can customize their knight and its mighty steed with a variety of options. But it isn't until you receive your deed to the castle estate that Knight's Story begins to brag a little. The only way to complete the deed is to sign it--literally. You must use your mouse to click and drag the feather pen as if you were truly writing your signature. It's certainly nothing new when it comes to what's capable in Flash or Silverlight, but it's possibly a first in social games. Regardless, it's entertaining touches like these that almost set Knight's Story apart from the rest of the treasure-discovery games on Facebook.
Gallery: Knight's Story
Unfortunately, the defining characteristics essentially stop there. The game drudges along, employing tactics and interactions we've already seen before, and not done in a way that is particularly engaging. While you will come across new characters along the way, it seems that their purpose doesn't go beyond a short quest such as, "Kill this boar for me, please?"
Speaking of which, the combat in Knight's Story is almost insultingly simplistic. Of course, conflicts with wildlife are settled through turn-based battles in which you have three options: Strike, Bribe and Run Away. The fact that you can already imagine how battles pan out doesn't exactly spell excitement, does it? (Bribery uses coins to convince a monster to leave, by the way.) You can imagine even the most casual of gamers being bored by pressing the sword icon repeatedly.
Knight's Story combat
At least exploration in Knight's Story has a purpose: to build your castle town into a vast kingdom. The materials you find on your travels (and receive from your friends as gifts) are used to complete the buildings you create. These buildings provide you with coins and other tools daily to help you in your travels, creating a balance of nature hikes and home improvement. Unfortunately, there isn't anything terribly exciting about building your kingdom, which will likely lead you to explore more than build.
Knight's Story doesn't do much to distance itself from games like Treasure Isle aside from its theme, but some of those differentiations are glowing. Take the music, for instance. While it does play on a loop like all social games, the tune to this game sounds fuller and better produced than most Facebook games, something we should see more of across the board. For those who adored Treasure Isle and are looking for something new, this is your bread and butter. But if you're seeking a new experience on Facebook (like myself), you likely won't find it traversing tiles and slaying inanimate boars.
Click here to try Knight's Story on Facebook Now>
Have you played Knight's Story yet? What do you think of Anute's approach to the treasure-hunting genre of Facebook games?
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