Knights of the Road [Review]
Action game Knights of the Road draws from 8-bit classics.
Knights of the Road. Credit: Shiny Byte Studios
Shiny Byte Studio's Knights of the Road is a faithfully 8-bit platformer in the vein of modern-retro classic Shovel Knight, this time with a hero who uses a shield rather than a shovel. It synthesizes its inspirations from several NES classics into a new experience that harkens back to the greats.
You play as Fred, a Robin Hood-style highwayman who robs the wealthy. His fairy companion Aiwa doubles as his weapon, transforming herself into a shield that Fred wields. When they see the king of Rockwall's men abducting other fairies, they reluctantly get pulled into an adventure to save the kingdom as they follow the kidnappers’ trail.
Knights of the Road. Credit: Shiny Byte Studios
Fred's shield is a versatile weapon that informs most of the platforming and combat. Fred can deflect projectiles with the shield and throw it to attack enemies. The throw consumes magic, which you regain by using Fred's other shield attack—he can hold his shield under him to bounce on enemies' heads and projectiles or land safely on hazards. When Fred holds his shield below him, he can also slide down slopes to pull off high jumps a-la Super Mario Bros. 3. Throughout the game, Fred will find other magic abilities, such as healing, an air dash, or transforming Aiwa into a bow that fires magic arrows. I would have liked it if some of these abilities, such as the airdash, didn't consume magic because it would have made platforming more fun.
Fred collects gold during his journey that you'll use to buy abilities and items. You'll also spend gold to activate checkpoints; I was not too fond of this, even though they were cheap. At least death was forgiving, as the game lets you keep the gold you've collected when you respawn at a checkpoint.
Knights of the Road. Credit: Shiny Byte Studios
I was frustrated by some of the bouncing mechanics. Often, when I felt the shield should have protected me during a headbounce, I'd still be hurt. The chaining of bounces should have been a little more forgiving. The game's platforming difficulty sometimes also felt unfair. For example, near the end of the game, there's a cliff where you have to blindly airdash beyond the edge of the screen without indicating where the jump leads. I consider blind jumps poor design. I also found the game's boss difficulty uneven.
Graphically and musically, the game feels like an NES game, faithful to the platform's limitations while still feeling modern. It also plays like an NES game, drawing from its many inspirations from that era. NES classics Duck Tales and Captain America and the Avengers clearly inspired Fred's shield moves. Level designs draw from Mega Man, with primarily linear maps—both vertical and horizontal—with limited branching paths. Fred's progression through the world map reminded me of Darkwing Duck. Knights of the Road impressively mixes all of these inspirations into a coherent whole that feels singular despite the cribbing of game mechanics.
Knights of the Road. Credit: Shiny Byte Studios
Knights of the Road isn't perfect, but it's an excellent throwback to a bygone era of gaming that will provide a great experience to gamers—both those nostalgic for the NES and younger players. If you enjoy Shovel Knight and are looking for more, this is a good game to play next.
Knights of the Road is available now on PC (Steam).
Overall Score: 7/10
Played on: Steam Deck
