Black Knight Sword

Last updated

Black Knight Sword
Black Knight Sword cover.jpg
Developer(s)
Publisher(s) Digital Reality
Director(s) Ren Yamazaki
Producer(s) Shuji Ishikawa
Designer(s) Ren Yamazaki
Artist(s) Kazuyuki Kurashima
Writer(s)
Composer(s) Akira Yamaoka
Engine Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: December 11, 2012 (PS3)
  • NA: December 12, 2012 (360)
  • EU: December 12, 2012
  • AU: December 12, 2012 (360)
  • JP: January 10, 2013
Genre(s) Platform, Metroidvania [1]
Mode(s) Single-player

Black Knight Sword [a] is a side-scrolling platform game co-developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality. It was released in North America on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network on December 11, 2012 and on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on December 12, 2012.

Contents

Gameplay

Black Knight Sword has an Kamishibai art style. Black Knight Sword screenshot.jpg
Black Knight Sword has an Kamishibai art style.

Black Knight Sword is a side-scrolling platform game. Players control a character who takes on the identity of the Black Knight and his sword on their quest to defeat the White Princess. The game features a theater styled backdrop whereupon the character remains static as the backdrops change place to give the player a feeling of movement. [2]

The player has a magical sword used to dispatch foes, and the game also features elements of platforming. Hearts can be collected from fallen enemies, which in turn can be used in various in-game shops to purchase equipment and upgrades. [3]

Plot

The game begins with a narrator stating "The wormwood sways back and forth, embracing the wind", as stage curtains open to reveal the set of a play, and the player character, Grahame Wormwood, having committed suicide by hanging himself in an empty bedroom. He sways back and forth to free himself from the noose around his neck, and what lies in front of him on the floor is a black suit of armor impaled with a sword, and a small, doll-like female character, known as Black Hellebore hovering above it. Black Hellebore then seems to inhabit the sword by phasing inside of it, and Grahame pulls the sword from the suit of armor. The black suit of armor then binds itself to Wormwood, as the play continues with Wormwood (now as the Black Knight), with the help of Black Hellebore, progressing through stage sets filled with hostile creatures, whom are often disembodied heads, other grotesque monstrosities, and wild animals.

The stage play is separated into and presented in 5 acts, with each act prefacing itself with fairy tale-like scenarios involving animals and their deaths. The animals in these stories serve as each act's finale. For example, one tale tells of a spider that saved a princess from entrapment, only to have been killed by her unassuming father upon her return. This spider then serves as the act's finale, with the Black Knight engaging it in battle. The narrator often tells the audience to "beware" before these encounters occur, and applauds the Black Knight when he defeats these creatures. This theme of Wormwood having to make his way past animals with seemingly unfortunate pasts continues until the play reaches its final act, which is prefaced with a story about two constantly bickering sisters. The story states that God disapproved of their arguing so much that He trapped the two inside of their own fairy tale, where they could bicker for the rest of eternity.

As the Black Knight makes his way to act 5's finale, the narrator (seemingly addressing the Black Knight himself) starts to question if he even remembers all the ones he's killed and loved. As color progressively fades from the set, the narrator continues to state that if they are forgotten, then there is "nothing left."

The Black Knight then finds himself standing in front of the hanged Grahame Wormwood, whom he cuts from his noose with his sword. The room then fills with white flowers as a White Princess appears. The Black Knight taunts the Princess and engages her in battle. The White Princess appears ethereal as she floats around, telepathically chucking disembodied heads at the Black Knight and growing to an inhuman size. She then begins throwing eggs at the Black Knight which hatch into the disembodied heads and grotesque creatures he's already been facing throughout the play, where it's revealed that the White Princess was in control of these creatures all along. After The Black Knight defeats the White Princess (with invaluable help from Black Hellebore), her body dissipates and leaves a white suit of armor and white sword behind, as a small, white, doll-like character emerges; White Hellebore. Black Hellebore and White Hellebore are the two sisters mentioned in the prefacing tale, and true to the story, they start fighting each other as the Black Knight watches on. White Hellebore then animates the white suit of armor, and the White Knight appears and begins to attack the Black Knight.

The game concludes with a battle between the Black Knight and the White Knight on a stage set that's looking down at the Earth. After the White Knight and White Hellebore are defeated, the Black Knight and Black Hellebore then return to the initial bedroom set of the play, passing all of the previous sets along the way. Before entering the room, Black Hellebore removes herself from the sword the Black Knight is holding and flies away, as the sword and the armor dissipate completely, with Wormwood freed from the armor's binding. Wormwood then enters the bedroom and once again hangs himself. The narrator then reiterates the line "The Wormwood sways back and forth, embracing the wind," and adds "one day, the fields themselves will wither and fade. The wormwood forgotten by all," as the stage curtains close and the play comes to an end.

Development

Black Knight Sword was announced on August 17, 2011 at Gamescom. It was developed jointly by Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality. The game is one of two collaborations between the two teams, the other being Sine Mora , with Digital Reality publishing the game. [2] In response to an interviewer's question regarding the collaboration, Director of Publishing Balázs Horváth simply stated that the two teams "both know what makes a good game." [4] The storyline and tone were based on an early draft of Kurayami, a game that was eventually reworked into Shadows of the Damned . [5] A preview version was playable at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Prime 2011. [6] It was also shown with a playable demo at PAX East 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. [4] Digital Reality has described the game as "Monty Python meets Czech animation meets Japanese paper theater." [7] Composer Akira Yamaoka called the game "a throwback to the old-school classic side-scrolling action games." [8] During early previews the game drew comparisons from critics to the Mega Man , Strider and Castlevania series. [9] [10]

Reception

Black Knight Sword received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [11] [12]

Critics praised the game's art style, with Eurogamer stating, "Its richest ideas are to be found in the presentation, the aesthetic, the art direction and stage direction." [15] Reviewers often criticized its gameplay, however. While Meristation praised the gameplay, stating, "Black Knight Sword is a good return to the roots of the 16-bit action games, well crafted, with an amazing design", [26] other reviewers cited the game's difficulty as a point of contention. Joystiq wrote, "Yes, [the PSN version's] Normal mode itself is tremendously hard, but not in such a way as to make the struggle seem worth it, or even remotely do-able." [21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ブラック・ナイト・ソード, Hepburn: Burakku Naito Sōdo

Related Research Articles

Ninja Gaiden is a media franchise based on action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as Ninja Ryukenden in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side story" in Japanese. The original arcade version, first two Nintendo Entertainment System games and Game Boy game were released as Shadow Warriors in PAL regions. As of 2008, the series has shipped over 7.7 million copies.

<i>Soulcalibur II</i> 2002 video game

Soulcalibur II is a 2002 arcade fighting video game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco. It is the third installment in the Soulcalibur series of weapon-based fighting games as the sequel to Soulcalibur (1998). Originally intended to be released on Sega's NAOMI arcade board, the game was built on the Namco System 246 board before being ported to the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox home consoles in 2003.

<i>Armored Core 4</i> 2006 video game

Armored Core 4 is a 2006 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The fourth main entry of the Armored Core series, the game serves as a reboot for the franchise and is set in the future where a war has made the nations of Earth devastated and their respective governments have been replaced by corporations. Conflicts soon begin to break out between the corporations, which use massive combat robots, Armored Cores, to fight each other. The player is a Lynx, a name given to pilots of highly advanced NEXT Armored Cores.

<i>Castle Crashers</i> 2008 2D hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth

Castle Crashers is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by The Behemoth for the Xbox 360. It was originally released on August 27, 2008 by Microsoft Game Studios via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. A PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on August 31, 2010, and November 3, 2010, in Europe via the PlayStation Network. A Microsoft Windows and OS X version, exclusive to Steam, was released on September 26, 2012. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice. The game includes music created by members of Newgrounds.

<i>White Knight Chronicles</i> 2008 video game

White Knight Chronicles is a role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is Level-5's first project for the system. As of August 2009 it has sold 350,000 copies in Japan. A sequel titled White Knight Chronicles II was released in Japan in 2010. A related game for the PlayStation Portable, titled White Knight Chronicles: Origins was released in Japan, Europe and, Australia in 2011.

<i>The Orange Box</i> Video game compilation by Valve

The Orange Box is a video game compilation containing five games developed and published by Valve. Two of the games included, Half-Life 2 and its first stand-alone expansion, Episode One; had previously been released in 2004 and 2006 as separate products. Three new games were also included in the compilation: the second stand-alone expansion, Half-Life 2: Episode Two; the puzzle game Portal; and Team Fortress 2, the multiplayer game sequel to Team Fortress Classic. Valve also released a soundtrack containing music from the games within the compilation. A separate product entitled The Black Box was planned, which would have included only the new games, but was later canceled.

<i>Soulcalibur IV</i> 2008 video game

Soulcalibur IV is a 2008 fighting video game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As the fifth main entry in the Soulcalibur series, it marks a significant evolution in gameplay with enhanced graphics and new features compared to its predecessor Soulcalibur III (2005), including the introduction of three guest characters from the Star Wars franchise: Darth Vader, Yoda, and the Apprentice.

<i>Section 8</i> (video game) 2009 first-person shooter video game

Section 8 is a first-person shooter video game developed by TimeGate Studios and published by SouthPeak Games. It utilizes the Unreal Engine 3 and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in September 2009 for Xbox 360 and PC, and for the PlayStation 3 on March 25 in North America and April 15, 2010, in the PAL region.

<i>Conan</i> (2007 video game) 2007 action-adventure game

Conan is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Nihilistic Software and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Players take control of the titular hero, Conan the Barbarian, from Robert E. Howard's fantasy literature.

<i>Bionic Commando Rearmed</i> 2008 video game remake

Bionic Commando Rearmed is an enhanced remake of the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System version of Bionic Commando. It was developed by Grin and published by Capcom for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade, and was released in August 2008. The BlackBerry version was developed and published by Beeline Interactive and released on April 23, 2009. The remake serves as a prelude to the 2009 video game Bionic Commando.

<i>Armored Core: For Answer</i> 2008 video game

Armored Core: For Answer, stylized in Japan as ARMORED CORE: FA - For Answer and otherwise abbreviated as ACfA, is a 2008 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware and published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 13th installment in the mecha-based Armored Core series, the game is the direct sequel to Armored Core 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frozen Codebase</span> Video game developer

Frozen Codebase was an American independent video game developer founded in 2006 by Ben Geisler. The company developed games for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii and WiiWare.

<i>Dungeon Siege III</i> 2011 video game

Dungeon Siege III is an action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment. It was published by Square Enix for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in June 2011. It is the third full and fifth overall release in the Dungeon Siege series of video games and the first since Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony in 2006. The game is set in the pseudo-medieval kingdom of Ehb, 150 years after the events of Dungeon Siege and follows descendants of survivors of the 10th Legion in their quest to reestablish their military force.

<i>Iron Man 2</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Iron Man 2 is an action-adventure video game loosely based on the 2010 movie of the same name. It was released in Australia on April 29, 2010, Europe on April 30, and in North America on May 4 for Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. Published by Sega, the game was developed by Sega Studios San Francisco for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Griptonite Games for Nintendo DS, High Voltage Software for Wii and PlayStation Portable, and by Gameloft for iOS and BlackBerry PlayBook. A Microsoft Windows version was planned, but it was cancelled.

<i>Naughty Bear</i> 2010 video game

Naughty Bear is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Canadian studio Artificial Mind and Movement and released by Italian publisher 505 Games for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and iOS. The game is set on the fictional Perfection Island in the 1980s, where sentient teddy bears live in harmony. Naughty Bear is a shabby teddy bear who is rude, which earns him disdain from other bears, and starts a vengeful rampage against them when he is shunned from a birthday party. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Costume Quest</i> 2010 action role-playing video game

Costume Quest is a party-based role-playing video game developed by Double Fine Productions and published by THQ on October 20, 2010. In the game, the player controls a child who is trick-or-treating with their twin on Halloween night when they encounter a monster that kidnaps their sibling. The player must travel around the local neighborhood collecting items for their costume, candy, and fellow children as companions in order to face the leader of the monsters and rescue their sibling. The costume aspects are used in turn-based battle segments, where the player character and companions are transformed into whatever they are dressed as to fight other monsters; the costume aspects are also used for abilities outside of battles.

<i>Shadows of the Damned</i> 2011 action-adventure video game

Shadows of the Damned is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was directed by Massimo Guarini, produced by Shinji Mikami and written by Suda51. The game follows Garcia Hotspur, a Mexican demon hunter who goes to the City of the Damned to battle its evils in order to save his girlfriend Paula, who was captured by the Lord of Demons, Fleming.

<i>No More Heroes</i> (video game) 2007 video game

No More Heroes is a 2007 action-adventure game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture for the Wii. It was released by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan in 2007, Ubisoft in North America and Rising Star Games in PAL territories in 2008. The game was directed, designed, and written by Goichi Suda, also known by his nickname Suda51. The game follows Travis Touchdown, an otaku who wins a beam katana in an auction, from which he inadvertently becomes involved in the United Assassins Association and forced to kill assassins higher in rank to prevent other assassins from targeting him.

<i>Deadpool</i> (video game) 2013 video game

Deadpool is an action-adventure video game based on the Marvel Comics antihero of the same name. It was developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 in June 2013. Written by Daniel Way, the game's story follows Deadpool as he joins forces with Cable and the X-Men in order to thwart Mister Sinister's latest scheme, getting into numerous comedic adventures along the way. Similarly to other media featuring the character, the game includes self-referential humor and numerous fourth wall breaks.

<i>Shovel Knight</i> 2014 video game

Shovel Knight is a platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in September 2014, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in April 2015, Amazon Fire TV in September 2015, and Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Shovel Knight is inspired by gameplay and graphics of platformer games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

References

  1. ↑ Osborn, Alex (September 12, 2011). "Grasshopper's Black Knight Sword Demoed in All-New Trailer". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016. It looks like Suda51 and his team over at Grasshopper Manufacture are taking a stab at a side scrolling "Metroidvania" game of their own with Black Knight Sword.
  2. 1 2 Fletcher, JC (August 17, 2011). "Grasshopper and Digital Reality reveal 'Black Knight Sword' for PSN and XBLA". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ Walker, Richard (April 6, 2012). "Black Knight Sword Hands-On Preview – 'Tis But a Scratch!". Xbox Achievements. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Santalego, Nick (April 8, 2012). "Wielding the Black Knight's sword at PAX East". XBLAFans. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ 『SUDA51 OFFICIAL COMPLETE BOOK GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE & HUMAN WORKS』 (in Japanese). PIE Corporation. 30 June 2018. ISBN   978-4-8356-3857-7.
  6. ↑ Fisher, Ian (February 1, 2012). "Sine Mora Exclusive Developer Interview". Shogun Gamer. Shogun Gamer Media Inc. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ↑ Cork, Jeff (August 19, 2011). "Black Knight Sword (Preview): Grasshopper Brings Its Weirdness To DLGs". Game Informer . GameStop. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  8. ↑ Yoon, Andrew (August 17, 2011). "Black Knight Sword announced for XBLA and PSN by Grasshopper Manufacture". Shacknews . Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  9. ↑ Tan, Maurice (August 24, 2011). "Preview: Black Knight Sword". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  10. ↑ Zwetsloot, Robert (September 1, 2011). "Black Knight Sword preview". PSU.com . The Bishop Way Inc. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Black Knight Sword for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  12. 1 2 "Black Knight Sword for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  13. ↑ Carter, Chris (December 13, 2012). "Review: Black Knight Sword (PS3)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  14. ↑ Patterson, Mollie L. (December 14, 2012). "EGM Review: Black Knight Sword (PS3)". EGMNow . EGM Media, LLC. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Parkin, Simon (January 3, 2013). "Black Knight Sword review (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  16. ↑ Bischoff, Daniel R. (December 14, 2012). "Black Knight Sword Review (PS3)". Game Revolution . CraveOnline. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  17. ↑ Brown, Peter (December 20, 2012). "Black Knight Sword Review (PS3)". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Black Knight Sword - Review (PS3)". GameTrailers . Viacom. January 4, 2013. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  19. ↑ Sanchez, David (December 25, 2012). "Review: Black Knight Sword is one of the prettiest games of the year but sadly nothing more (PS3)". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Meunier, Nathan (December 13, 2012). "Black Knight Sword Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Mallory, Jordan (December 14, 2012). "Black Knight Sword review: All flash, no flesh". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  22. ↑ Lewis, Cameron (November 2012). "Black Knight Sword review". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. p. 77. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  23. ↑ Kollar, Philip (January 8, 2013). "Black Knight Sword review: angel of death (PS3)". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  24. ↑ Wehner, Mike (December 20, 2012). "Black Knight Sword Review (PS3)". The Escapist . Defy Media. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  25. ↑ Hargreaves, Roger (December 14, 2012). "Black Knight Sword review - something completely different (X360)". Metro . DMG Media. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  26. ↑ Taboada, Pablo González (December 13, 2012). "Black Knight Sword (360)". Meristation (in Spanish). Retrieved June 4, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.