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Knights of the Old Temple Review
Derek dela Fuente
15/03/2004
From the creators of Enclave comes an all-new hack 'n' slash from the Dark Ages...
The team behind the creation on this title, StarBreeze, has an excellent reputation and the interesting fact that this will appear on 4 formats means that TDK has great faith in this game.
Although you could easily believe this is a hack and slash offering, the central core of game play is to survive and destroy as many enemies as you can with your sword and trusty weapons in some well-detailed and destructible locations!
If you like your history then this has some added appeal. The game is set in the Dark Ages â“ Europe 12AD. It is an age of suffering and salvation and is the age of the Knights of the Temple and as Paul, a recently initiated Templar knight, you will embark on a mission to unravel a mystery connecting an evil Bishop and his unholy devices to unlock the Gateway to Hell.
Some background info for you bods who may want extra immersion in the game and understand where the team may be coming from is that the inspiration for the main character, as in many games, has to have a reason for his existence and grabs the attention of the player. The basic starting point was taken from The Knights Templar, who were a monastic military order formed at the end of the First Crusade with a duty to protect Christian Pilgrims on route to the Holy Land. This was the first time that a group of secular Knights had banded together and taken monastic vows. They fought alongside great historical figures, such as King Richard I, otherwise known as the Lion Hearted, and many other crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.
The in game spec lists is solid and includes encounters with up to 40 different enemies and allies, whilst exploring 14 levels ranging from the sombre gloom of European monasteries and villages to the colourful bazaars and powerful bastions of the crusader castles under the blazing sun in the Holy Land!
There are four levels of difficulty to choose from when you start, and after about 15 minutes of play you become accustomed to what you must do and the game has predictability that some might find boring. Essentially it is exploring, picking up useful objects, using them, fighting, gaining extra powers/moves, more fighting, exploring, searching and more fighting.
The monotony is broken up with the high expectation and sight of some weird and wonderful enemy cast that come in all forms but nearly all are aggressive. After 30 minutes, interest could start to wane but up pops a few surprises and focus is back on. The team has been clever in adding extra bits of motivation every so often, so just when you thought you could foresee events, a new direction is added!
Confrontation â“ the core feature of the game is one on one or one against a group and is a straightforward fight to the death. Kill or be killed. When the fighting begins your health bar and that of the oppenent appear and this will help you gauge how well you are faring.
An important factor as always the control and the combat system, it must be said,
is good!
Combat is executed by pressing A for normal attacks, B for heavy attacks and X for blocking. The left trigger may be used as a modifier, in which case A, B, X and Y are used to perform special attacks. There are other parameters but these are the essential presses and with a whole host of varying attacks, the changing of weapons, the movement of the camera the divine power mode and a few more goodies, it will take a little time to adjust to what you need to do, when and how.
The fighting system features an auto targeting mechanism that selects the most suitable enemy as its target, in case the player does not already have a target.
The auto targeting mechanism may also be overridden by an intuitive manual targeting mechanism, in cases where attacking a certain enemy gives the player a tactical advantage.
Depending on the situation, for instance the distance and direction to the playersâ current target, the game selects different suitable attacks that make the combat very dynamic and varied. The player may also add further variation and tactical fighting by performing heavy attacks and combos, which have different gameplay functionality, such as breaking enemiesâ shields or knocking them to the ground.
Furthermore the player may choose to perform a special attack that, for instance, may open up an enemyâs block or attack several surrounding enemies at once.
Depending on how an enemy is hit, by what attack, from which direction and so forth, it will get a suitable response. This makes the fighting look very natural, dynamic and varied.
A weakened enemy may be put out of balance or knocked to the ground, in which case different finishing off attacks may be performed. In some cases this must be done before the enemy recovers and rejoin the fighting.
There are different attack patterns per enemy type, per the amount of that type of enemy (group attack behaviours), and for commanders or soldiers.
This may essentially sound very complex - controls are easy to understand but further into the game, as the enemy become smarter, you feel that there could have been more movements and controls to add more sophistication to the game. As it stands, this is very much the old school of hack and slash rules and execution.
After the first 20 confrontations, it started to become a little flat but then a new element is added, and sometimes it may be a visual surprise and you will want to explore and fight on!
The levels of the game will see escapades in the town, the harbour, and ancient and Holy city with its own appeal.
The hands on combat, and this is what it is all about, is good, challenging but never totally captivating and possibly could had more variety and diversity.
In gameâs AI is well tailored but on many occasions the frenzied attacks are just not skilful enough to make you feel you are learning and becoming that much better â“ although more moves open up!
The locations are large and designed well enough and if you have ever been to the London Dungeons then the team has created the spirit of the Dark Ages well with a dark, grimy and sinister feel!
Knights of the Temple is a delightful game, offering both visual and audio delights. Graphically there should have been no reason for the surprising high quality of the graphics nor the fluidity of movement and execution of the cast, which was extensive and varied. Starbreeze, known for Enclave, is noted for its quality and attention to detail and this high standard continues here.
The sound and music are also superb and the soundtrack alone is worth listening to!
The real concerns are not the look, the character animation nor even the gameplay as it stands. What is on offer cannot be faulted but there just isnât enough spark â“ the magical factor that turns a good game into a great one â“ although it must be said this IS very good!
What we have is a visual treat and rock solid idea but is that enough?
