Knights in the Nightmare isn't just a game, its a work of art that tells a deep and compelling storyline.
Any time Atlus publishes a videogame it always seems to grab my attention. Just about every great game that Atlus has published I've either heard about or own. But, there was one game that seemed to slip through my fingers on DS! The game had also been out since 2009 and I never heard of it! The game was called Knights in the Nightmare. Atlus published this game on DS and I can't believe that I missed out on it for almost 2 years! After reading some reviews and looking at videos of the game in action I HAD to own it! So the very next day I went to my GameStop; but they didn't have it in stock! No GameStop with in my area seemed to have the game for that matter. But, there was one GameStop that had 1 copy for $12.99! I quickly went and bought Knights in the Nightmare for my DS and I must say it's one of the best games I've ever played on my DS! It's also my new favorite DS game published by Atlus with the help of Sting's artwork that can actually blow Riviera the Promised Land out of the water! There is so much I want to talk about with this game and this review will express my thoughts on Knights in the Nightmare!
Storyline: The storyline of Knights in the Nightmare unfolds in Aventheim Castle when an evil plot to kill King Wilmgard goes all according to plan by the evil Capehorn. The evil Capehorn's ultimate goal was to then destroy the barriers between the worlds and remake the universe as he pleased! This evil scheme couldn't be achieved without first summoning the demon Zolgonark from the underworld for power which resulted in the kingdom of Aventheim being overrun with monsters! King Wilmgard along with many of his loyal knights died at the hands of Capehorn's evil plot. But King Wilmagard's soul which was in fact the Arbitrator wishes to undo the evil that has now infested his kingdom. Knights in the Nightmare starts off when a valkery by the name of Maria breaks into Aventheim Castle and steals the crucible containing King Wilmgard's soul that is now called Wisp. Wisp doesn't know who he is and why he was brought forth but he must fight in his search for his body. The story goes on and on and jumps back and forth from there. I really can't get into more details but the game tells you more parts of story as you progress through it.
Gameplay: At first glance Knights in the Nightmare may look too complex but it actually isn't. Once you get hang of playing the game you'll forget all about complexity. Each scene in the story is where your fights with the monsters take place. Using the stylus with the touch screen you will control the Wisp as it uses the souls of dead knights to fight evil. Battles play out with you touching and dragging weapons from the right hand of the bottom screen to the dead knights on the battlefield on the top screen and then charging for BREAK OUT! Once the monsters take damage Gems appear for you to rush and collect. Then, once all the monsters are defeated in a straight row you clear to the next level. If you lose then you play the slots for your next monster encounter until you clear. But the battles are about more than just that! Careful timing, the right weapon, the right element, and the right knight for the job all play into fashion here. Yes, the knights have different jobs that they are assigned to as well as different elements they use in battle. This can all be explained in the games tutorial. The tutorial is much recommended for first time players as you can learn alot more about the game play mechanics. Lastly, you can even fuse weapons to increase their durability! Over time the more you use a weapon the more the durability goes down. But when you fuse a weapon it increases the durability! But the weapon has to be the same element and same kind. I want to explain so much more about the game play but unfortunately you will have to see for yourself when you buy the game.
Graphics: I take my hat off to the development team. This game is just beautiful. Every scene is different and the water colors effects are just amazing! But what really grabs my attention is the enormous cast of characters! Every single character art work is different and that impresses me. All the knights have their own personality and play there parts in the storyline pretty well. The effects for the break out attacks are about as gorgeous as the games music! After careful observation I have concluded that none of the music tracks in Knight in the Nightmare are recycled! Every scene has its own battle theme as well as a boss theme to go with it which really floored me! I've finally found a hidden gem amongst the used games on DS! The graphics, the music, the characters, the story, and me in heaven. What else can I say? Knights in the Nightmare kick ass!
Value: Knights in the Nightmare is worth several playthroughs again in my opinion! I beat the game practically using nameless knights because I didn't know what the key items were supposed to be used for! Fun fact; they are for recruiting the dead knights that play roles in the story. I wanted to play through the game again anyway so I don't mind doing it all over again. This is another reason why you need to pay attention to the tutorial because you miss things like this for example!
Overall: My only complaints are the fact that the screen gets very cluttered sometimes with all the monsters attacking the wisp and there aren't any other files to save on which means there is only one file. Once you look passed that however Knights in the Nightmare is a stellar game! But, "Knights in the Nightmare isn't just a game, it's a work of art that tells a deep and compelling storyline". This game I recommend to anyone who is able to look past its complexity and see the hidden gem it really is! Good job Atlus & Sting developers! You made my day with this game!
Uh... Link will win. This review was brought to you by Wolflink001.