Knights of Valour | I.G.S
KNIGHTS OF VALOUR
Arcade Beat-em Up Never Dies!
by Felipe Parada
I've always been a fan of 2D beat-em up style games. There's nothing like putting a lot of characters on a screen and watching the combo meter run in the hundreds. Going back as far as the glorious "Double Dragon" days, there is a simplicity in the mechanics of a 2D beat-em up. You have one object and one alone, beat everyone up until you get to the boss. Sadly you don't see that in games anymore, its all about complexity and checking all standard boxes of mediocrity.
Knights of Valour follows in its 2D beat-em up style roots. Developed as a free-to-play game by I.G.S (International Game System), the game follows closely the characters from the well-known "Three Kingdoms" period. Anyone who has played the Dynasty Warriors Series will know these characters very well. But Knights of Valor switches things up a bit by adding a little bit of RPG elements into the mix.
From the start of the game you have the choice of selecting only 2 characters, Guan Yu or Diao Chan but with enough Goshki Stones you can unlock more characters. You obtain Goshki Stones by playing the game, completing challenges, logging in and by spending real-life currency. I have yet to find a game where I voluntarily spend my hard earned cash for any type of in-game currency.
Where Knights of Valour shines is in its game-play. The game is reminiscent of games like Streets of Rage, Double Dragon and Final Fight. Once the stage starts, you know exactly what to do and this game is no different. You face off against varying amounts of enemies and enemy types but most of the enemies at the start of the game are your basic infantry or archers. It starts to get drastically tougher during the end game.
Knights of Valour | I.G.S
You can also pick up a large variety of items that you can use in battle. These items can be carried over from mission to mission, so you don't have to worry about losing any strong items. There are also treasure chest scattered all along the mission map that hopefully contains some decent gear and items. So there are reasons to fully explore the mission maps because you don't want to accidentally miss out on any materials or gear that may be lying around.
The mission structure is pretty straight forward, the battles are broken down into different stages, about four stages per battle. You push through waves and waves of enemies as you move across multiple screens in the map. This structure of game-play also gives you the chance to stumble across ‘secret’ areas that offer special items. You don't have to worry about getting lost because there are more than enough visual indicators letting you know which way to go. If you are not familiar with old school beat-em up then it usually consists of you moving left to right the entire game.
After you've reached the end of the map you end off the stage with a boss or a big battle. Each boss has your standard set of predictable moves, so you should be able to dispatch them with relative ease. Once the boss has been dispatched you are awarded a golden chest which usually holds at least one equipment box item and some materials for crafting. You then head back to the character menu screen and sift through your spoils of the battle where you can equip new items and learn new skills to level up your character.
It might have to grind a bit to get enough currency to craft new items and gear but that's to be expected from a free-to-play game. Once you have enough money in the bank you can look to buy some new gear to further increase character stats. You'll end up having to re-play a lot of previous maps in order to be strong enough to solo some of the later stages but the good thing is that co-op makes the affair less of a grind and a rather enjoyable experience.
And this is what I was able to take away from the game, it is an "enjoyable experience". This game really isn't meant to be played for hours on end, although I have put in quite a bit of time with Knights of Valour. It's a game designed to be picked up and played for a quick ten minutes to 15 minutes while another game is downloading the the background. But that isn't a bad thing. Sometimes I want to play a quick match without having to sit through hours of dialogue and cut-scenes, just get me straight into the action.
Although Knights of Valour is a good and easy game to pick up and play, I know this game really isn't for everyone. It does s serviceable job with music and offering a vast array of characters for purchase. You might have to really put in some time to unlock them all but at least the option is there. The game does have some dated graphics and lack of depth when it comes to content but for a free-to-play game you really cant complain.
RATING:
I'm having a nice time playing Knights of Valour...in short bursts. I will say that this game wont be for everyone because of the slow grind. I am used to the grind so it doesn't bother me, but that doesn't mean that it wont bother others. I would definitely recommend you TRY this game and let it grow on you. It is free-to-play so what will it hurt?
Did you guys try Knights of Valour? Let us know in the comments below.
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