Knytt Underground

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Knytt Underground is the third game in the Knytt series. This is a Platformer released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012 and ported to PC and Wii U in 2013.

The game is split into three “chapters”, although this is highly misleading – the first chapter is mainly to get used to the mute, wall-climbing, magic-absorbing character Mi, and the second chapter is to get you used to playing as the bouncing electromagnetic ball that is Bob (also mute, but as he’s a ball, other characters seem to think this is probably appropriate. However, these two parts of the game are extremely short, and the real meat of the game and the overwhelming majority of its gameplay lies in its third chapter, which combines the two forms of both characters, allowing you to freely swap between them.

Know that it is in this third chapter (which is really just the main game), that the game really shines. Much of Knytt Underground’s challenge is in being able to skillfully make use of the two characters’ abilities in tandem. Getting to a platform might require bouncing up to a high place with Bob, swapping to Mi to grab on to the wall and climb up, swapping back to Bob to use an electromagnetic current to bungee across a chasm, and then swapping to Mi to grab some hazy magic out of the ait and use it to rocket the rest of the way past a gap.

Beyond just the cleverness of the character-swapping here, it’s really fun to move around and control the characters. Mi automatically clings to any wall she comes into contact with, which makes for slow and deliberate movement, up until she gets some of that magic dust and then she must scurry to put it to use before it dies out. Meanwhile, Bob moves quickly and can bounce super-high, but can get out-of-control, especially in tight, enclosed spaces. Neither form feels necessarily “better” than the other, and both offer something unique and valuable to the gameplay.

The other element here that I need to bring up is this game’s map design. Knytt Underground is designed as if it were a Metroidvania… except it isn’t. Players getting to new areas can open one-way doors making backtracking easier, and some areas are gated off by characters requiring you to complete a task or barter objects found in the environment, but unlike a Metroidvania, you’re not really getting new abilities that allow for greater exploration – theoretically nearly every part of the map is open to you, if you can finish the tasks needed to get there.

This makes the challenge of Knytt Underground a bit different than a Metroidvania, and different than a typical Platformer too – generally you’ll know where you need to get to, and you must explore and navigate a path to actually get there. And while you’re not opening up new abilities or power-ups through your exploration, seeing more of the vast underground world of the game is still quite rewarding.

This is because Kniff Underground is an absolutely gorgeous game. The environmental design here is really wonderful, featuring brilliantly colorful natural and artificial environments, all superbly well-animated, with actual platforms contrasted by being black. The end result is visually stunning, although there is one exception that brings down the presentation a bit – the characters themselves are ugly and amateurishly-drawn, and the menu design seems slapped-together. I really wish more attention had been given to these elements, because they look outright amateurish next to the sheer beauty of this game’s environments.

The sound here is really excellent too, with moody themes that mesh beautifully with the game’s lovely environments, and are further enhanced by some really excellent environmental sounds. Despite that this game is very clearly an indie work, it’s really wonderful how much art design has gone into most of the game, and it makes for a truly wonderful experience.

In terms of complaints, I’ll start by saying the game’s first two “chapters” give a very misleading idea of what the rest of the game is like, especially the scope. In addition, I would say the game’s nonlinear nature makes it easy to get lost, and when you miss a jump and fall a great distance it can be quite a setback because getting back to where you were can involve quite a lot of climbing and environment navigation. Also, the game’s story isn’t very compelling or easy to follow.

However, on the whole, Knytt Underground is one of the best obscure indie games on the Wii U. The combination of fun, original gameplay design, environmental exploration, and absolutely beautiful background design and moody sound design makes this a truly unique experience. And given that the PlayStation 3, Vita, and Wii U will all see their digital shops closing before too long, this is one digital-only game you’ll want to be absolutely sure to get your hands on now while you still can.

tl;dr – Knytt Underground is a Platformer that combines some really great character-swapping gameplay with wonderful exploration, with a truly beautiful presentation (if you ignore the terrible character designs), all resulting in one of the biggest hidden gems on the PlayStation 3, Vita, and Wii U’s digital storefronts. Be sure to grab it before those three storefronts get shut down.

Grade: B+

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