Game Review: Legendary Knight by Na.p.s. Team Promises a New Endless Runner Experience

by Chrisanna Lazaridou on 18 January 2016 · 3753 views

As it is commonly known, the App Store is flooded by Endless Runners and this genre tends to be the most famous among all the rest. I still can’t figure out what it is in them that draws players, including me- despite having played so many of them by now. I believe that Endless Runners cover most of a player’s needs when it comes to mobile gaming. Not many people want to try complicated games on their phones and prefer to spend their time on the bus or their breaks with something fun and simple. And that’s what Endless Runners are all about. Of course not all are unique or have the quality matching current standards. Legendary Knight, the game I’m reviewing today covers all aspects successfully and deserves a spot among the ERs that still manage to stand out.

Plot

Legendary Knight takes place in a fictional medieval world where our hero, Arthur the chevalier enjoys a date with the beautiful princess Daphne. Things don’t go as smooth as expected though, when an uninvited guest appears to ruin the date, the huge dragon Synge, who kidnaps the princess and locks her at the top of a tower. If Synge finds all the magic crystals scattered in the kingdom, then Daphne will become a Lady Dragon. But Arthur won’t let that happen and needs your help to find the crystal first! Many obstacles, inanimate and not will make your attempts hard but a knight’s gotta do what a knight’s gotta do!

Gameplay

The controls are easy and the same as in most, if not all, ERs. You swipe left or right to avoid obstacles, swipe up to jump (and tap twice to double jump), and swipe down to slide under obstacles. These are your basic actions but there are plenty more to learn and it might take some time (and loses) to get accustomed to all. For instance, tapping once in your screen launches the knight’s weapon to hit an oncoming enemy. One hit is not enough though so you must keep firing till the enemy is destroyed. Usually 2-3 hits should do the trick. Also, by tapping on the icon that appears on the bottom right of your screen, you activate the shield that protects the knight from collisions and breaks through all obstacles until its power runs out and you’ll have to wait before using it again.

In addition, by swiping up, the knight not only jumps but also acquires wings to fly and overcome large gaps. Needless to say, cute white wings look really funny on a huge knight. Except wings you can also make use of an owl that can transport you far on the air if you come across difficult areas, by tapping on the icon at the bottom left of your screen. Similar to the shield, you can’t use it continuously, so use it wisely. You are given a maximum of 10 lives (hearts) and you get a new one every 10’. You can also change path on the map, if you get fed up with your current one, by spending 100 coins. If you lose and are close to a Dragon Door (checkpoint), you can use a potion and restart the stage where you left off.

Reaching a Dragon Door creates a checkpoint which allows you to start from there next time you play but you have to spend coins to activate it. Mind you, the stages don’t change, you continue running on the same arena only with more enemies or obstacles and some changes in the setting. Speaking of which, the enemies include boars that run towards you, huge carnivore plants, oncoming vehicles, flying pigs, even zombies at some point, and more. The obstacles are mostly huge walls, falling trees and/or huge gaps. Many times, the walls will have coins and power-ups on top of them so if you use your wings on time, you can get on top of them and collect as many as possible. Same goes for the vehicles. Also, keep a sharp eye for crystals as they’re what are most important in the game.

While playing you will notice many jars around you; try to break as many as you can because some of them bear gifts for you. Most of them are empty though which can be disappointing at first. Treasure chests are also present although more rare to come by, but they have something for you always so try not to miss them.

At the menu you will find many icons to choose from. Apart from the usual ones there are daily challenges, an icon that gathers all Cards you collect in-game, Collectibles where all important items are gathered (like old books, jewels and more), and the Mistery icon where you can open a treasure chest and get a reward (power-ups). You can do that as many times as you want but you’ll have to watch an ad first.

The difficulty level is I might say above average compared to other ER, especially the walls that pop up too often and can be very confusing. I really wish it had a difficulty bar which could be manipulated by each individual. The balance though, is that the levels aren’t automatically generated so after losing you know what to expect and plan your moves beforehand. The ads are also annoying but most freemiums come with that “bonus” so it’s nothing new.

In-App Purchases

In LK there are two options for buying stuff: you can either visit the Shop where you can buy armory and weapons (the costumes range from cool to full body bunny suits and they're hilarious!) with the game’s currency, or visit the Store where you can purchase coins, potions and all sorts of necessary items by spending real money.

Graphics & Sounds

The 3D graphics are really well-made and with a lot of imagination and attention to detail in both the characters and settings. The MC in particular is very memorable and I consider him one of the most funny and likable characters in ER games due to his looks. The colors are crystal-clear and vibrant and the BG music is very enjoyable and matches the game’s atmosphere perfectly.

Conclusion

Legendary Knight is a lovely addition to the ER genre, and even if you’re not fond of endless runners, this one is worth your time change your opinion about them. There’s a lot of content in this game and too much to appreciate in it despite some flaws. Give it a try and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.