Info about Shady Knight: Official game description: Shady Knight is a pure skill-based experience. There are no locked abilities to hold you back, the only thing that matters is how well you can master the power you’ve been given. _Prove yourself worthy and break the cursed path of trials or lose yourself to the abyss of obsession._ **Unique Melee Action that mixes Parkour and Combat** ----------------------------------------------------- Your weapons react to your state, charging a strike from a slide or in the air leads to different moves. Even more interesting combinations appear once you discover that you can jump off enemies' heads or wall-kick to trigger more powerful abilities. Even a simplest thing such as a barrel can be used for both parkour and combat. **The Kick and The Chained Dagger** ----------------------------------- These two are always at your side making you deadly as hell even when unarmed, and nothing stops you from combining many of their abilities with other weapons for even crazier combos. **Fluid Platforming** --------------------- Learning your movement allows you to become truly intangible in combat. Master slide jumping and learn the trickiest wall-kicking techniques to reach your goal with the flow. **Style Ranking that reflects Your Mastery** -------------------------------------------- There are always multiple things you can do at each given moment: switch weapons, combine different moves, discover all contextual abilities and use the environment to reach the highest ranks. The style system isn't there to tell you how to play, it's a reflection of your skills and knowledge. **Face the Towers** ------------------- Even with all of your skills, there are still knights out there waiting to take you to the limit. Four main hubs full of highly replayable towers packed with challenging combat scenarios, platforming bits and opportunities for creative environmental kills. _I will see you on the other side, Knight_ ------------------------------------------ Release date: Oct 9, 2024 Categories: Action, Precision Platformer, Parkour Gameplay, Combat, Skill-Based Mastery, Movement-based Combat, Score Attack, First-Person Perspective - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00 - Reasoning: The majority of the reviews indicate that the game is worth its price, especially when purchased at a discount. The evidence suggests that while the game is valued, many users find it more reasonable to buy it at a reduced price, such as 15% off or 75% off. This indicates that the fair price range is likely below the current base price but still reflects the game's perceived value. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 4.1h - Story completion: 4.1h - Session length: N/A - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct statements about the time it took players to complete the game. The quotes indicate varying playtimes for game completion, ranging from less than two hours to five hours. These quotes are used to estimate the typical playtime for completing the game and the main story/campaign. There is no strong evidence provided for session length or endgame playtime, so those fields are marked as null. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game has an initial learning curve and repetitive environments that may hinder early fun, but it becomes rewarding and enjoyable once players master the mechanics and get into a flow state. - Stance: Clicks after - Anchor: Mastering movement and combat mechanics - Time to anchor: 1h 0m - Friction: Weak tutorials; Repetitive environments; Significant learning curve - Unlock drivers: Mastering movement; Achieving a flow state; Becoming better at the game - Conditions: Practicing combos in the practice menu; Exploring different weapons and their unique attributes; Ignoring some enemies to maintain fun combat - Player Archetypes: - Mastery Seeker (buy) - Motivation: Achieving high scores and mastering the game mechanics. - Playstyle: Focused on perfecting levels and achieving top scores. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: challenge seeker; completionist - Reference games: Devil May Cry; Ultrakill - Action Enthusiast (sale) - Motivation: Enjoying fast-paced combat and action. - Playstyle: Enjoys the game for its action and combat, without focusing on mastery. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: action lover; casual player - Reference games: DOOM; Ultrakill; Devil May Cry - Value Critic (deep sale) - Motivation: Seeking value for money and substantial content. - Playstyle: Critical of the game's value and content, prefers to wait for sales. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: deep sale - Labels: value seeker; critical player - Reference games: Ghostrunner; Cloudbuilt Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Highly enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.6): Players consistently describe the game as fun and enjoyable, highlighting its engaging nature and the excitement derived from its mechanics. - Snappy and rewarding combat (weight 0.5): The combat system is praised for being fast-paced, unique, and rewarding, with players appreciating the blend of mechanics and the stylish execution. - Stylish and fast-paced gameplay (weight 0.36): Players appreciate the game's fast-paced and stylish gameplay, which keeps them engaged and entertained. - Excellent soundtrack (weight 0.18): The game's soundtrack is noted for being well-done and beautiful, enhancing the overall gaming experience. - Interesting level design (weight 0.18): The level design is praised for being interesting and encouraging exploration and experimentation. - Best in its genre (weight 0.14): Many players consider this game to be the best in its genre, particularly in the hack n' slash category. - High replay value (weight 0.14): The game is noted for its replayability, offering players a reason to return and play again. - Understandable and varied mechanics (weight 0.14): The game's mechanics are appreciated for being taught in an understandable way and offering a variety of gameplay elements. - Satisfying weapon techniques (weight 0.14): The weapon techniques and animations are described as satisfying, adding to the overall enjoyment of the combat system. - Comparisons to Ultrakill (weight 0.13): The game is often compared to Ultrakill, with players drawing similarities and positive comparisons between the two. - Effective practice arenas (weight 0.13): The practice arenas are highlighted as effective tools for players to hone their skills. Common complaints: - Confusing and repetitive level design (weight 0.45): Many players found the level design to be confusing, unintuitive, and repetitive. The levels were often hard to read and too short, leading to a less engaging experience. - Limited and frustrating enemy variety (weight 0.31): The enemy variety was limited and often hard to distinguish, leading to balancing issues. This lack of variety and the presence of tanky enemies disrupted the game's pace and flow. - Inconsistent difficulty and frustration (weight 0.24): The game had inconsistent difficulty spikes and frustrating gameplay issues, leading to an uneven experience. - Short game length (weight 0.21): The game was criticized for being too short, which affected its overall value and replayability. - Unintuitive gimmicks and mechanics (weight 0.17): The game's gimmicks and mechanics were found to be unintuitive and hard to understand, making it difficult for players to learn from their failures. - Confusing and lackluster ending (weight 0.17): The ending was criticized for being cheap, boring, confusing, and lackluster, leaving players unsatisfied. - Poor air combat and controls (weight 0.16): The lack of air control and poor air combat mechanics were criticized. Additionally, the controls were overwhelming at the start and took time to get used to. - Poor platforming mechanics (weight 0.16): The platforming mechanics were criticized for being confusing and not meshing well with the first-person view, leading to difficult navigation. - Lack of music and visual variety (weight 0.15): The game was criticized for its lack of music and visual variety, making the experience less engaging. - Lack of replay value (weight 0.14): Players felt that the game lacked replay value, making it less engaging over time. - Overpriced for content (weight 0.1): Players felt that the game was overpriced for the amount of content it offered, affecting its overall value. - Tedious and punishing levels (weight 0.09): Some levels were found to be too tedious and punishing, leading to a less enjoyable experience. - Final boss fight issues (weight 0.09): The final boss fight was criticized for being too easy and anti-climactic, leaving players unsatisfied. - Lack of ambition and direction (weight 0.09): The game was criticized for lacking ambition and having no clear direction, which affected the overall experience. Gameplay feedback: - Challenging and fast-paced combat (weight 0.72): The game features a challenging and fast-paced combat system that combines hack and slash mechanics with dynamic platforming. Players appreciate the difficulty curve and the variety of combat techniques available. - Smooth movement and combat mechanics (weight 0.62): The game is praised for its smooth movement and combat mechanics, which include a variety of moves and techniques such as wall kicking, parrying, and weapon switching. The momentum-based movement system enhances the overall gameplay experience. - Similarities to other popular games (weight 0.32): The game draws comparisons to popular titles like Ultrakill, Doom Eternal, and Dark Messiah due to its fast-paced, first-person melee combat and movement mechanics. These similarities are noted in both gameplay style and specific mechanics. - Creative level design (weight 0.31): The game offers creative and well-designed levels with vertical structures and parkour sections. Players enjoy the variety in level design and the challenges presented by different enemy types and behaviors. - Boss fights and replayability (weight 0.2): While the game features a notable final boss battle, some players express a desire for more boss fights. The game's replayability is enhanced by its challenging gameplay and the variety of combat techniques and strategies available. - Scoring and ranking system (weight 0.15): The game includes a scoring system similar to Devil May Cry, with an SSS ranking system that adds a layer of challenge and achievement for players. This system encourages players to master the game's mechanics and strive for high scores. - Upcoming level editor (weight 0.1): Players are looking forward to the upcoming level editor, which is expected to add more content and creativity to the game. This feature is anticipated to enhance the game's replayability and community engagement. - Weapon satisfaction and variety (weight 0.08): Players appreciate the variety of weapons available in the game, which adds to the satisfaction and depth of the combat system. The different weapons and combat techniques provide a range of strategies for players to utilize. Performance notes: - Smooth performance on multiple platforms (weight 0.19): The game runs smoothly across various platforms, including desktop PC and Steam Deck OLED. Players have reported a consistent and enjoyable gaming experience. - Presence of visual bugs (weight 0.14): Some players have encountered visual bugs, including weird physics and wall clips. These issues can detract from the overall gaming experience and may need attention. - Great battery life on Steam Deck OLED (weight 0.06): Players have noted that the game has excellent battery life when played on the Steam Deck OLED. This enhances the portability and playtime of the game on this device. Recommendations: - Highly recommended game (weight 0.37): The majority of players highly recommend this game, praising its overall quality and enjoyment factor. Many suggest it to others and express strong approval. - Suggested improvements and additions (weight 0.15): Players have suggested several improvements and additions, such as an endless mode, more content, and a speedrun mode. These suggestions indicate a desire for more gameplay variety and longevity. - Wait for sale (weight 0.1): Several reviews mention that the game is worth the price only if purchased at a significant discount, suggesting that potential buyers should wait for a sale. - Adjust heavy attack mechanics (weight 0.06): Some players have requested a change to the combat mechanics, specifically that jumping and attacking should not always result in a heavy attack unless the button is held down. - Read game description (weight 0.05): Players advise reading the game description before buying to ensure it meets expectations and preferences. - Hope for DLC or Level Editor (weight 0.05): Some players express hope for future DLC or a level editor, indicating a desire for expanded content and customization options. - Appeals to movement system enthusiasts (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for those who enjoy testing the limits of a movement system, suggesting it has a niche appeal to certain types of players. Other player notes: - Desire for map editor (weight 0.05): Players have expressed interest in having a map editor, suggesting they want more creative control or customization options. - Votes for game awards (weight 0.04): Players are encouraging others to vote for the game in external awards, indicating strong community support. Emotions: - Excitement (weight 0.26): Players are thrilled by the game's deep combat mechanics, unique sword mechanics, and fast-paced gameplay. The variety of tools, strategies, and the level editor also contribute to the excitement, along with the game's movement system and overall design. - Frustration (weight 0.18): Players experience frustration due to instant death mechanics, unclear tutorials, and platforming challenges. Additionally, combat mechanics, level design, and enemy behavior contribute to the frustration, along with bugs and inconsistencies in the game. - Disappointment (weight 0.13): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of replay value, minimal content, and short length. The art style, weak story, and lack of polish also contribute to the disappointment, along with unmet expectations and repetitive gameplay. - Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Players feel satisfied with the game's challenging and fun gameplay, diverse moveset, and fair difficulty. Mastering the game's mechanics and achieving high ranks also contribute to the satisfaction, along with the overall quality and controls. - Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Players enjoy the game's fun enemy types, smooth movement, and nice combat. The creative gameplay, rewarding gameplay, and variety of moves also contribute to the enjoyment, along with the high octane combat and replay value. - Excited (weight 0.05): Players are excited about the game's unique combat possibilities and the potential for it to become popular. The detailed combat sequences and the feeling of being in control of many cool things happening at once also contribute to the excitement. - Joy (weight 0.04): Players experience joy from the pure enjoyment of the game, including kicking people and using the chained dagger. The fun gameplay, level design, and combat mechanics also contribute to the joy, along with the smooth gameplay and impact feeling. - Frustrated (weight 0.03): Players feel frustrated due to difficulty with unlocking styles, parkour, and enemy mechanics. The enemies that are immune to anything but fire and the frequency of launching oneself off the map also contribute to the frustration. - Disappointed (weight 0.02): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of polish and unmet expectations. The repetitive and boring gameplay also contributes to the disappointment. - Hopeful (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful for new levels in the future and the potential for a level editor. This hope is driven by the desire for more content and creative possibilities. - Impressed (weight 0.01): Players are impressed by the overall quality and design of the game, particularly the quality of movement. The game's design and mechanics stand out as noteworthy. - Love (weight 0.01): Players express love for the game, stating that they think, dream, and live the game. The greatest first-person movement and overall experience contribute to this deep affection. - Amazed (weight 0.01): Players are amazed by the feeling of the game, which stands out as a unique and captivating experience. - Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the positive experience with gameplay and soundtrack. The combination of these elements creates a highly engaging and enjoyable experience. - Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game and consider it underrated, appreciating its unique qualities and potential. - Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players feel satisfied with the feeling of mastery and achievement in the game. This sense of accomplishment contributes to their overall satisfaction.}