Theme
The overall theme of Knight and Dei revolves around a young man named Dei, who has dreamt of knighthood his entire life. An epic war between good and evil is being waged in his home country of Lumiterra. Dei comes from a long line of the most skilled knights in his country’s history, and he intends to serve a purpose in this war.
One day while traveling with his father’s battalion, Dei and the others are ambushed by minions of the Dark Lord and taken to his fortress to be held captive. Now the player must help Dei escape the fortress using Dei’s own abilities along with some help from the legendary Black Knight.
Gameplay
The game can be described as a 2-D puzzle platformer, broken up into levels that vary in difficulty and the technique in which to complete them. The game differs from a traditional 2-D side-scroller in that the screen does not move. The entire level is contained with the boundaries of the screen, so the player’s start point and destination are visible from the outset of each level.
The player controls the main character, Dei, in an attempt to escape the fortress of the Dark Lord and turn the tide of the war. Once Dei discovers that his father’s sword is being held by the Dark Lord, he obtains it and the ability to transform into the legendary Black Knight of Lumiterra. Doing so introduces an entirely alternative approach to the way the game is played and opens the door to two distinctive ways of traversing the game’s levels.
Controls
A: Move Left
D: Move Right
W: Jump
S: Crouch/Block
E: Special
Right-Mouse: Shoot arrow/Melee as Knight
Mouse Movement: Aims angle of bow
The Knight vs. Dei Quandary
Throughout the game, the player will constantly be faced with the decision as to which character should be used for each situation that is presented. One of the key determining factors in making this decision is realizing that the same power that transforms Dei into Knight also transforms the Dark Lord’s minions into more powerful enemies.
For instance, the player might be controlling Dei and come across a block in a graveyard that is too heavy to move. Casually the player transforms into Knight, thinking that he will easily move the block and make his way through. However, during the transformation into Knight, the undead are awoken from their graves and begin to attack the player. It is this type of cause-effect relationship that will keep the player on his toes throughout the game. Every action has a reaction, and the struggle to complete the level in the most efficient way possible will play a big part in providing the game’s challenge.
Dei Specific Gameplay
The player begins the game playing as Dei. Dei’s key attributes consist of the following:
Advantages: Ranged attack (bow and arrow); Moves faster; Jumps higher; Can crouch; Faces generally weaker enemies
Disadvantages: No melee attack; Cannot block, push heavy blocks, break through barriers, or damage armored enemies
Knight Specific Gameplay
Once obtaining the sword of the Black Knight, Dei can transform into his alter ego at any time. Knight’s key attributes consist of the following:
Advantages: Strong melee attack; Block projectile attacks; Push heavier blocks; Destroy barriers; Damage armored enemies
Disadvantages: Faces stronger enemies; No ranged attack; Moves slower; Weak jump; Cannot crouch
Object Pushing
In several instances throughout the game, Dei will come across an obstacle that he physically cannot pass with some help from the environment. In these cases, pushing nearby crates or rocks can provide a height advantage or bridge a dangerous chasm that would otherwise be impassable. If an object is too heavy for Dei to move it, transforming into Knight will often take care of the problem, but with a price.
Springboard Arrows
Dei has the unique ability of using his arrows not only to attack enemies, but also to springboard to locations higher than he can jump. If he shoots an arrow into the wall, it will stick there, allowing for him to jump off of it like a trampoline, gaining an extra boost, and therefore allowing him to reach platforms previously out of reach.
However, there must be some way of determining if an arrow is a viable platform. Obviously an arrow pointing straight up should not act as a springboard. The check put into place requires the arrow to be within 10 degrees of rotation from its horizontal plane. Therefore only arrows that appear to be horizontal can be used as springboards, while other arrows will simply fall to the floor or break.
Environments
The fortress of the Dark Lord consists of several different areas of play, each of which has its own unique enemies and environmental dangers.
Dungeons
These levels are prevalent mostly in the beginning of the game because that is where Dei is escaping from. Dungeon guards are the main enemies present, but there are environmental dangers galore. Spike pits, trap doors, and crumbling platforms just to name a few. Also object-pushing will play a key role in traversing some of the more complicated dungeon passages.
Graveyards
The Dark Lord kills a lot of people, so he needs a lot of graveyards. Graveyards consist of puzzles similar to the dungeons, but are characterized by a unique enemy type—the undead. Transforming into Knight in these environments will awake the undead and turn them against you, at which point you will have to defeat them before moving on.
Characters
The fortress of the Dark Lord consists of several different areas of play, each of which has its own unique enemies and environmental dangers.
Dei
Dei is the protagonist of the story. His appearance is pure, and he carries his bow and arrow with him at all times. Dei is on a mission to save himself, his country, and prove once and for all that he belongs in the company of his ancestors.
Knight
The Black Knight is an ancient being brought forth by a sword passed down for generations by Dei’s family. He is clad in black armor, and wields a sword and shield. Legend has it that the Black Knight was the greatest warrior of all time. In the First War, he sacrificed himself for the people of Lumiterra by absorbing the darkness released by the Dark Lord in his death. Upon obtaining the sword of the Black Knight, Dei is able to summon forth the Black Knight’s powers and once again thwart evil.
Dungeon Guards
These are the grunts of the Dark Lord. They inhabit the darkest dungeons of the fortress, just waiting for a prisoner to step out of line. They wield spears and have decent range for a melee attack, but should be easily taken out from range with Dei’s bow.
The Undead
These enemies are brought forth from their graves through the power released by Dei’s transition into Knight. They are slow moving but often appear in large groups.