Game Review: Wind-up Knight

Written beautifully by Lerato Majikfaerie

Remember the old days when video games were like Pac Man? You run forever around a board, collecting coins and killing bad guys; you die and it’s game over. Wind-up Knight brings that back in a fast-action game that’s demanding of your full attention and reflexes.

Once you start off, there is no turning back – you play a “wind-up” knight that runs and runs on a quest to save a princess from an evil wizard, collecting coins along the way.

You run through a series of obstacles – spikes that kill you, gaps in the floor that kill you, flame throwers that kill you, and murderous roosters, dogs and other assorted creatures that – you guessed it – kill you. There are no extra lives; dead is dead. If you run out of “wind up” energy, you die.

There are no checkpoints and no way to stop running (if you hit a wall, you change directions, and that’s the only way to turn around). Wind-up Knight just runs and runs, until he winds down (remember to collect wind-up keys), dies (see above) or completes the level. No checkpoints means that if you die just a few steps from the end of a level, it’s right back to the beginning.

Exquisitely frustrating and highly addictive

Set in a castle-themed world with brilliant graphics that really pop, and incredibly responsive controls, Wind-Up Knight really keeps you on your toes. In between levels loading, the game pops up  cute “tips for pretty princesses”, some of which are trite, and some give valuable tips for the game.

Each level has a secret card to collect, and bonus scores for collecting every coin, so you need to practise hard and play each level a couple of times to master it. There are bonuses and different weapons, equipment and armour you can add on to your little Knight by earning coins, and extras can be bought with in-app purchase.

Developer Robot Invader has put up a fantastic offering here; sharp graphics, attention to detail, and even the menus and bonuses are great. The worst thing I can say about this game is… well, I’ll let you know when I stop playing it long enough to finish this review.

Wind-Up Knight is available from the Google Play Store for free download.