Knytt Stories

Knytt Stories
Developer(s)Nifflas
Publisher(s)Nifflas
SeriesKnytt
EngineMultimedia Fusion
Platform(s)Windows
Release30 August 2007[1]
Genre(s)Adventure game, metroidvania
Mode(s)Single-player

Knytt Stories is a 2007 indie adventure video game and platformer developed and published by Swedish developer Nifflas. The sequel to Knytt and part of the Knytt trilogy, it was released for Windows in August 2007, and was ported to Nintendo DS by Rodrigo Roman in 2010 as the open source homebrew software Knytt Stories DS with the support of the original developer.[2][3] The game's initial scenario, "The Machine", follows the protagonist Juni as she attempts to stop a machine from sucking the life out of the world. An official expansion the same year added more sets of levels. It also contains a full level editor, allowing for fans to create and release their own downloadable levels. The game received widespread critical praise for its engaging gameplay and graphics. It received a sequel, Knytt Underground, in 2012.

Gameplay

Knytt Stories is a 2D platformer in which the players control Juni, a female human, as she traverses levels and gains new abilities that allow access to different areas, such as faster speed, a higher jump, and a double jump.[4] Juni is unable to attack, and must dodge to escape threats.

Development

Knytt Stories was created to be accessible even for non-gamers. It was designed without a typical HUD in order to enhance immersion and make it more similar to real life. Instead, difficulty is controlled by a switch within the game itself.[5]

Reception

John Walker of Rock Paper Shotgun described the game as "beautiful", calling its double jumps "satisfying" and its level design "spot-on". Saying that it was "enhanced considerably by superb aesthetics", he also called the music "wonderful".[4] He summed up the game as displaying "a sense of cuteness without cloy" and "careful simplicity".[6] Hardcore Gamer wrote that the game had "beautiful" landscapes and was "off to an excellent start", remarking positively on its non-violent gameplay.[7] Mike Rose wrote in 250 Indie Games You Must Play that the user-created stories were "excellent", recommending the game.[8]

Knytt Stories was named Edge's "Internet Game of the Month" in December 2007, the publication describing it as "finely tuned" and "reminiscent of the original Metroid games", further noting that the gameplay was accompanied by "beautiful ambient music".[9]

References

  1. ^ Bardinelli, John (18 July 2007). "Knytt Stories preview and screenshots". Engadget. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Knytt goes Underground, emerges on PS3, Vita, and more this year". Engadget. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Knytt Stories DS - Postmortem". rodrigoroman.com. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b Walker, John (18 September 2007). "Knytt Stories". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Knytt time at the end of the genre lifecycle". Lostgarden. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ Walker, John (15 December 2007). "RPS Advent Game-o-Calendar: December 15th". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  7. ^ "On the Download: Knytt Stories". Hardcore Gamer. 3 (5): 67. November 2007 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ Rose, Mike (2011). 250 Indie Games You Must Play. Internet Archive. Boca Raton, FL: A K Peters/CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4398-7574-2.
  9. ^ "Internet Game of the Month: Knytt Stories". Edge. December 2007. p. 26 – via Internet Archive.