Puddle Knights

Genre: Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Puddle Knights is a character-based Puzzle game that has you maneuvering knights with trailing capes in order to cover puddles of mud so that a noble may pass through to an exit without sullying their feet. This game was released on PC in 2020 and brought to the Nintendo Switch later the same year.

The presentation here is fairly simple, but good. Everything is rendered in a slightly-cartoony 3D with some really cute character designs for the characters. The whimsical music and little vocal noises the characters make are all well-suited to the game, and give this game a lot of personality. While not technically impressive, the presentation is still appealing and does a great job presenting its unique concept.

What’s really surprising here is just how much this game does with so little when it comes to the gameplay. Players are only swapping between characters and moving them, but the unique movement rules make for some interesting situations. Knights cannot turn around, they can only move forward or turn to the side. What’s more, knights cannot move when a noble is stepping on their cape, and if another knight is stepping on their cape, it will tear, leaving behind the trailing portion of it (something you’ll need to do for some puzzles). Simple, straightforward rules like these combined with some clever puzzle elements make for a game that’s immediately understandable when you pick it up, yet offers some well-crafted and devious puzzles that actually make you think about how and where to move characters. The game also gives players quick “undo” and “reset” buttons that make it a breeze to rethink things when you’ve made a mistake.

For complaints… I don’t have many. Mostly it’s things I wish this game had that it doesn’t, rather than problems with the game itself. The main one is that this game seems like it would be perfect for a level editor, but players will have to be satisfied with the 100+ levels included in the game.

For fans of Puzzle games, Puddle Knights is one of the most delightful surprises I’ve had in 2020. It’s an unassuming little game that nevertheless presents some clever puzzles with a unique concept tying it all together. If you’re looking for a simple, fun challenge to puzzle through, you should definitely give this game a look.

tl;dr – Puddle Knights is a character-based Puzzle game that has you moving around knights so that nobles can step on their capes to avoid getting their feet dirty in puddles of mud. It’s a cute concept with an appealing presentation, and it makes for some really clever puzzles despite how simple it is to play and control. Puzzle fans, this is definitely a game you’ll want to take a look at.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Puzzle Game, Most Overlooked

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