KnightBound beginner's guide - 6 tips for achieved medieval mastery
- The passion project of KnightBound continues its journey
- Enter a fantasy world as a newly knighted hero looking to make their mark
- Explore, fight, loot, and might your spacing as you try to get stronger
If you've lost faith in the idea that there are still creative people out there, I urge you to take a look at KnightBound. The introduction aims to assure you that it is a passion project by a solo developer who has been working on it and continues to do so. Of course, it has a free version, and it includes additional bells and whistles if you're willing to share some currency to support an indie creator. The goal is to create a retro-style first-person RPG dungeon-crawler and open-world experience for modern devices such as tablets and smartphones. It's already got a lot going for it, so there's plenty of adventure for you to find.
That being said, it also brings along some of the harshness of traditional games, specifically their difficulty. Whether you grew up with such games or are currently playing them now, KnightBound will be sure to test your skills as you try to get your bearings. The free version has you starting off as a young squire with little experience and some of the lowest-quality gear. All you can rely on is your own personal strength and skill. If you're still not feeling confident enough, here are some tips to help you out.
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Tip #1: Remember where you are
Like many old-school games, you didn't always have a mini-map or a compass to show you the way. No, you had to rely on whatever information was given to you within the world and your own navigational skills. KnightBound will start you off in your room in town, and from there, you can head out and start wandering at your own pace. Once you leave the village, you'll have to depend on landmarks and geographical elements to find your way around. Before you start heading into the wilderness, stick to the path, find some signs, and make sure you can always find your way back. Many a squire has fallen to a hungry monster preying on the lost.
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Tip #2: Spacing is everything
Since this is a first-person experience, it can be tricky to get used to your sense of position and distance, especially in combat. When you have a ranged weapon its more manageable, but most classes rely on melee weapons like swords and maces. Because of that, you need to worry about the timing between swings as well as your reach. Both large and small enemies are vulnerable as long as you swing at them, but they still need to be within range. Practice by fighting weaker enemies to get a sense of your attack speed and range, so you know exactly when to strike and knock your enemies back consistently.
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Tip #3: Fight smart, not hard
Whether you're a veteran knight or just a squire, you have the capability to slay even the greatest of foes. The only thing that's holding you back is how you approach your opponents in the field. While walking around, you can sometimes glimpse enemies in the distance, and sometimes they can catch a glimpse of you from offscreen. Each enemy has a certain aggro range, immediately becoming hostile and heading to your location once triggered. The problem is that unless you're skilled or strong enough, it is a real danger to trigger more than one enemy, especially if a mixed group of fast, strong, and ranged attackers. Keep your wits about you as you explore, trying to always get the drop on enemies first and luring them out one at a time.
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Tip #4: Explore and discover
One of the great things about KnightBound is its sense of freedom and the confidence it places in us to play however we want within its world. After going through the prologue and tutorial, you're then welcome to roam the world as you please, looking for your own sense of enjoyment and challenge. There's no overall goal to complete or story to follow; you're already a knight, so it's time to make a name for yourself. This means you're gonna spend a lot of time roaming around the realm to discover everything that you can. Draw a map, take notes, and seek out anything that looks remotely interesting. The more you do, the more chances you'll find something interesting or exciting or maybe just some well-hidden and well-deserved treasure.
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Tip #5: Take every quest that you can
Among all the buildings and structures in the village, arguably the most important is the quest board. It's located in the main area of town, right beside the road leading out. The quest board has wanted posters naming various monsters and villains that have been harassing the local populace. Many of them ask you to slay enemies that you'll likely run into by accident, so you may as well get a reward out of it. There's no limit ot how many quests you can take, including duplicates, so take as many as you can. Then, when you're out wandering and slaying, you'll know that you're always working toward some kind of reward.
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Tip #6: Tolerate the technical
Since KnightBound is a passion project carried out by one person in their spare time, it's not perfect. Like a project car, there may come a time when everything is perfectly tweaked and refined, with all the content in place and everything functioning beautifully. But until that time arrives, we've got some rough seas ahead. It isn't super demanding, but it is currently limited to iOS. Most iOS devices can run it, but there's always a chance that the game will freeze, lag, or load improperly. When that happens, you just need to reset, and thankfully, startup is fast enough that you can jump right back into your adventure.
