Knightfall: A Daring Journey

Knightfall: A Daring Journey - Wacky, Absurd Fun With Friends

Multiplayer Mayhem in the Middle Ages

Let the Battles Begin 

Knightfall: A Daring Journey is a third-person multiplayer-only battle royale that supports up to 28 players per match, which amounts to 14 teams of 2 knights each. The game is developed and published by the talented team at Landfall Games. Currently, the title is available for PC on Steam, with plans to add other platforms eventually.

The Basic Premise

As far as multiplayer games go, Knightfall: A Daring Journey tasks each player with a unique objective. Each player starts the match with a teammate, horse, and some randomly generated supplies. The duo must compete with other teams to track down a rose. Rather than a large circular map, each team must embark upon a long journey to reach the destination on the other side of the level.

The pilgrimage from one end of the map to the other takes place over multiple in-game days. Each night forces players into towns for safety and restocking, which is how most fights break out. Like in any good battle royale, the sight of another player leads to an intense confrontation that could result in either team losing the entire match.

The duo who successfully claims the rose at the end are declared the winners. With that said, the game takes itself less seriously than Apex Legends or Fortnite. Ultimately, the game is about going off and having fun with a companion.

This concept is 4 out of 5 stars for daring to try something original with the often-regurgitated battle royale genre.

Concept Rating: 4/5

Graphics, Audio, and Presentation

Knightfall: A Daring Journey opts for an animated art style that matches the irreverent tone of the action. The graphics strike a balance between visual appeal and resource costs. Most PCs will be able to run the game with stable performance.

Special effects sell the impact of each attack, and the animations are fluid. Overall, the graphics will not distract anyone from the gameplay loop.

The audio also takes a humorous approach offering over-the-top death screams and other zany sound effects. These fun effects help keep lobbies from becoming overly competitive and sweaty. The player base knows the game intends to be wacky right when the audio starts to play.

The music tracks kick in when other players are nearby but are forgettable outside of playing the game. They are not bad per se, but they blend into the background during exploration and combat.

The graphics and presentation receive 4 out of 5 stars for leaning into the humorous and animated nature of the action on-screen.

Graphics & Audio Rating: 4/5

Guns, Looting, and Horse Drifting.

The gameplay loop primarily involves getting stronger and gathering supplies as the match progresses. Like many battle royale titles, the map comes loaded with randomized loot that can drastically alter a player's success rate. Pistols, throwable explosives, shotguns, and rifles make up the bulk of the weapons available.

The aiming mechanics feel fine, and there should be very few problems hitting the intended target with projectile fire. The accompanying weapon sound effects add to the thrill of each attack that lands on an opponent. While the weapon roster does not stand out as particularly impressive amongst the sea of other loot-driven battle royales, it is hard to criticize the armaments present in the current build.

Throughout each location, players can find upgradeable armor and health packs. The goal is to scour areas as quickly as possible for the best loot before racing toward the rose. The stronger the team, the better chance of fighting off the hordes of players who will converge near the end.

As seen in Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS) and Totally Accurate Battle Zombielator (TABZ), Landfall embraces minor glitches as part of the core experience. The bugs turn into running jokes throughout the community. While this sounds strange, it shows the indie developer's commitment to creating a fun and entertaining game.

It also solves one of the problems faced by many similar multiplayer skirmishes. Extended matches in serious competitive arenas can be extremely frustrating and demoralizing when the player is killed unexpectedly by someone off-screen. In Knightfall, the humorous journey until death is reward enough to justify the time commitment.

As for control, the game is responsive enough to facilitate multiplayer combat. The on-foot movement and shooting are serviceable to good. The real highlight is the overhauled horse mechanics.

Horse travel in many other games is unwieldy and not very enjoyable. In Knightfall, the horses control like a dream and can even drift around tight corners. Drifting animals might seem a bit out there at first, but the smooth control this mechanic offers makes up for the unnatural animations and glitches that stem from the absurdity.

The gameplay gets 3.5 out of 5 stars to balance out the engaging gameplay loop with the serviceable weapons and combat.

Gameplay Rating: 3.5/5

The Value Proposition

Knightfall: A Daring Journey launched for the PC on April 1, 2022. However, being a battle royale, it is reasonable to expect a live service style of constant content drops in the months and years to come.

The game costs $5.99 on Steam and is easily within the impulse purchase range. Just check the player counts to ensure it will be easy to find matches. While the community is still strong at the time of our review, multiplayer titles are always at risk of not having enough players.

The low price also makes it easy to convince some friends to purchase the game, which should alleviate the struggles of finding matches.

The Final Word

Knightfall: A Daring Journey is an exciting time in short bursts, and there is enough fun and laughs in this battle royale to justify the low price point. While it is not likely to become the next massively successful live service, it has a great chance of carving out an enthusiastic and dedicated community of knights. 

Since Knightfall is a multiplayer game, the replay value is determined by how many friends and other players are up for a skirmish. Overall, the game is fantastic in short bursts of a few hours each. As it stands, Knightfall gets 3 out of 5 stars in replayability. 

Keep in mind that Knightfall has not yet implemented microtransaction purchases or season pass offers. The lack of monetization is a good thing on the surface but leaves room for uncertainty about future updates and upgrades. Battle royales typically thrive on a constant stream of purchases, so it would not be surprising to see paid cosmetics and experience boosters emerge at some point.

The Fun

• Wacky and humorous battle royale fun is perfect for co-op with friends.
• Low cost and hardware requirements allow anyone interested to hop in.
• Horse drifting is fun, and the overall innovation in horseback control is solid.
• The premise is unique and will satisfy gamers who are bored with battle royales that feature shrinking circles.

The Wacky

• No single-player content and requires an internet connection to play.
• The roster of weapons and loot could be better.

Replay Value: 3/5

TL;DR

Knightfall: A Daring Journey is full of action-packed combat and hilarious horse-drifting, neatly packaged into a unique and super-fun battle royale.