I'm a fan of Suda 51's work. I enjoyed some of his better works like No More Heroes and even found a game like Lollipop Chainsaw to be a guilty pleasure so it's no surprise that Black Knight Sword quickly caught my attention.
As I usually do, I started the game up on the Normal difficulty setting. It didn't seem so bad at first. I got a bit ahead of myself and was being too cocky because I soon found myself switching to Easy mode.
This game can be a pain in the ass and not always for the right reasons!
The first level was fairly straight forward action-side scroller: the narrator guides your quest and the game throws you little tutorials as you figure things out. You have your sword attacks, jumps, dodge button, etc. as well as being able to use the sword's Spirit for help. You gain new moves while you progress, but you'll mainly rely on your basic melee attacks.
The game is a challenge but the controls are clunky, particularly when it comes to the platforming. The game plays like an old-school side scroller, this NES-era, and any fan of the genre will feel at home with Black Knight Sword.
Where the game really shines is its weird soundtrack and visuals. The game feels very morbid -- a very dark puppet show that even makes use of a stage as well as paper puppets for the characters -- and the music just adds to that feeling. It is very unique and I loved it. I don't even know how to begin to describe the thing that helps power your character up when you collect enough hearts (currency) from fallen enemies.
Fans of action side-scrollers will get a kick out of BKS. I just wished the game felt more polished, especially with its controls, but even though the game isn't as memorable as some other side-scrolling classics such as Castlevania, I think it's definitely worth checking out if you have some extra money in your pockets
And if you find the game is driving you crazy, I suggest setting the game to easy.
- J'Tonello
The Good:
- Visual and audio style
The Bad:
- Clunky controls
- Feels unpolished
