Nukezilla Review: Protect Me Knight (XBLIG-JPN)

I first heard about Protect Me Knight from Nukezilla’s favorite indie developer, Nathan Fouts at this year’s E3. He offered it up as his current indie addiction. I cataloged the title in the ol’ brain noodle and promptly forgot about it, but somewhere in the back of my mind I kept getting nagged by my subconscious to remember it. Now after having played through many sittings with Protect Me Knight, let me pass on the unrelenting nagging to you, kind reader.

You simply must buy this game. Developed by Ancient Corp, a small but prestigious Japanese developer, Protect Me Knight (aka Mamotte Knight) is going to be some of the most fun you will ever have on your Xbox 360. To get the most out of the experience, I recommend you bring three friends, as there is no online multiplayer (hey, if Scott Pilgrim can get away with it for $15, this game deserves to be canonized).

The game oozes charm from the get go. I won’t ruin some of the better gags since they are clever and delightful to experience fresh, but understand this: if you played games in the 8-bit era this game will sing to you. At it’s core this is a hybrid of tower defense, beat em’ up and action RPG game types. You can select from four unique classes, each offering similar basic attacks, but with very different special abilities. When played with a total of four players, these classes really start to show their usefulness which further heightens the joy of hacking through hordes of goblins, trolls, wizards and screen-filling dragons.

While you’re free to roam the landscape, your singular task is to protect a defenseless princess who is positioned in the center of the screen. You can move her around the campsite to help her avoid incoming attacks, but doing so won’t keep the creepers from laying waste to your weak defenses. Slaying foes and performing combos earns you Love Points which can be spent on stronger defenses including powerful catapults or leveling up your hero’s attack and defense attributes. With more players though, the game’s constant tug-of-war becomes much more enjoyable.

The artwork, sound and controls feel just right for this style of game. I kept feeling a false sense of nostalgia while playing this because it seems like a title I wish had been made when I was playing games on my NES connected to my TV via the aerial antenna screws. It’s fantastic to see a game with this much immediate appeal, approachability and local multiplayer mayhem. I’m sure this is the best $3 I’ve spent on the Xbox 360 this year and what it lacks in length, it makes up for in style and just plain fun.

This review is Day 20 of the December Review Nukestravaganza.