Knytt Stories

Yes, Nifflas has done it again, the author of Within a Deep Forest and Knytt has just released a new game, Knytt Stories and boy, is it ever a game and a half.

Firstly the game seems muddier than the original – a bit slower, then the reason becomes clear. As opposed to Knytt, with its hero who could just climb walls, no questions asked, this version is about a girl (well, the default level is) and she can’t climb walls, or jump high or run… until she collects the required powerup.

The story of Knytt Stories is that a horrible machine somewhere is sucking the life out of the once beautiful home land of these creatures. Somehow, the girl character has to shut it off and restore beauty to the gloomy, overridden land. Such a task is not a simple one and it will take patience, diligence, a keen eye and a whole lot of exploring to accomplish.

Clocking in at around two or three hours, the game itself does not last an overly long time, but the thing is, it doesn’t need to. Included with the game is a massively customizable level editor which gives you free reign over every aspect of a level you can create. The size of it, the look of it, the music and ambient sounds are all changeable and manageable to just how you see fit. Then, of course, share your levels with the world. Some are available already from Nifflas’ official site.

For dial-up users, yes, it’s a pretty hefty download, but what you get is a completely immersive world in which you are the controller. The game has literally boundless capabilities and levels will no doubt continue to be made for a long time by the communities around, which extends the game play immeasurably. For the rest of us who can download it in a snap – don’t hesitate to do so, for exactly the same reasons as posted above. Knytt Stories is a fantastic game and is not one to hesitate downloading.

The game is quite linear and easy, if not too easy. The plot is mediocre, and the ending is quite boring, but it was a decent hour of play time. The game deserves an 85, but the level editor boosts that up to maybe a 93. I don't regret playing it, but it wasn't nearly as good as some others like Cave Story, which was much more intricate.

And, um, its not extremely short - its actually an infinite amount of gaming. Because this game is almost completely based on the level editor (for other peoples levels go to the Knytt forum).

Although everything is small, the sound, graphics, and character were very interesting and well developed in my opinion. I enjoyed playing this game.