Off the AppStore: Feeling sheepishly brave as the SheepKnight!

• Monsters are seeking out power, and only the knights can stop them
• Knights are in short supply, so lead a variety of villagers and scrappers against the waves
• Survive long enough to power up, gain more weapons, fight bigger foes, and recruit more knights

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, that while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone's browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game, though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

Thanks to the power of creativity and nerds with too much imagination, a knight can be pretty much anyone with a sense of justice and honour. Yacht Club Games really stepped things up when they made Shovel Knight and expanded on the definition of "knight," when anyone with a gimmick and cool helmet could wear the title proudly. No matter what a knight looks like, it all comes down to their actions and their skill. Now, you wouldn't think that someone who dedicates their life to tending to sheep could be a knight, but CosmoPark is setting out to prove that idea wrong with SheepKnight.

It's a fantasy world, and the monsters are on the rampage. Why? Well, the evil guys who wielded a lot of power and caused a bunch of problems lost the source of their powers, and now the monsters are in a frenzy to go after them. Of course, the helpless villages and villagers therein are caught in the path of their rampage, and there aren't as many valiant warriors and heroes to spare as there used to be. Now, anyone can be called up to take the mantle of a knight and defend the land with whatever skills and equipment they have.

You'll start off as an earnest sheep herder looking for adventure and taking his sheep with him into battle. As he patrols the lands, he'll face various beasts, monsters, and evil warriors who are looking to destroy anyone standing in the way. You can wield your sheep to deadly efficiency as you launch them at any target that approaches. The more targets you and your sheep defeat, the stronger you'll get and the more weapons you'll gain for your arsenal. This will let you fight the tougher enemies ahead and draw the attention of other heroes to your cause, which you can take into future battles.

SheepKnight is a 2D roguelike about knights of all shapes and sizes fighting against the wicked monsters of evil. You'll start with some peasants and novice fighters until you unlock the more dynamic and experienced knights. But the beauty is that even a sheep knight can become a force to be reckoned with as long as they put in the time and effort to become stronger and more skilled. If there's anyone who should be counting sheep, it's you counting on them to dish out justice!

SheepKnight is available to download and play from its itch.io and store page!