Knights in THE Nightmare

[Cephius]

Has anyone played this for the DS yet? I'm liking it, but wow is there a lot going on. I'm a dirty pirate for now so I don't have the instruction booklet, and there don't seem to be any faqs on it... so a few questions if anyone has played it:

Can you really only turn your knights 90 degrees? Seems kind of limited.

Are the hermits and lancers the only ones who can move around on the grid? How do I get my warriors close enough to break the stuff on the screen for treasures?

Which class do you like the best? The mages are pretty interesting.

All in all I like the game for the originality. Starting to get the hang of the game the more I play it.

[MisterBob]

I played this for a few hours, was pretty mediocre.

[Ramor]

Looks pretty crazy, after having time to play it how did you end up liking it Cephius?

Was considering buying it but I can't seem to find it anywhere, and no one I know has really played it at all

[Cephius]

It's interesting. I like it. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it's a decent game. Not amazing, not great, but worth playing IMO. The story isn't bad, either.

[Maguspk]

I wasn't really playing the game until I hit the Werewolf boss, then after wiping twice to it I figured it out, and since then I've enjoyed it a ton more. The combat is really unique but I hate trying to angle stuff and waiting for stuff to get in range while I hold down my move. It also sucks when you pick bad units and you can't quite position an attack well. The item system is cool but I don't like how quickly stuff breaks, and when I get a cool +6 lance with 4 durability it's just a slap in the face really.

[Ishido]

Got to play it for about 3 hours during jury duty today, I'm liking it a lot. The lack of movement combined with aiming restrictions really makes you think about what you need to do before each turn. You can see the paths enemies will walk on during the setup phase, too. The bullet-hell-esque dynamic makes it so the game never really slows down too much.

Also instructions aren't needed at all, the tutorial is quite good and in-depth.

[Yuri-G]

I don't have an instruction booklet but I agree, I can't imagine even trying to learn from little diagrams and written explanations with a battle system this complex. using the tutorial is a must, it's very thorough and the guide always shows you what to do before she lets you do it on your own, just to make sure you've got it.

that said, there is still just way too much shit going on in this game for even a tutorial to cover very well. the amount of options you have is staggering, but as with most Atlus-published games, it seems to be a good idea to try and plow through it the best you can after you've picked up the basics, learning the ins and outs of the battle system on the way. the game seems to be very well-balanced in the fact that you can beat it without indulging in half of the more complicated setup-options like transoul and item upgrading, but is also even more rewarding if you do choose to invest some time in some of the more obscure features.

the only thing I don't like is accidentally highlighting a knight, that shit gets annoying when you're trying to dodge or select a new weapon or whatever. but I accept that as an inevitable "flaw" of a bullet-hell game like this.

I also feel like I'm going to miss a lot of the recruitable knights, especially since some recruitment key items only pop up after you destroy an object once and let it regenerate, but there are so many damn knights it doesn't really matter. if I want to run a perfect game and get all the knights after I beat it once, I'll use a guide the second time around.

also this is nitpicking but the game is called Knights in THE Nightmare, and this thread's title keeps bugging me every time I see it. just saying.

[Cephius]

I don't have an instruction booklet but I agree, I can't imagine even trying to learn from little diagrams and written explanations with a battle system this complex. using the tutorial is a must, it's very thorough and the guide always shows you what to do before she lets you do it on your own, just to make sure you've got it.

that said, there is still just way too much shit going on in this game for even a tutorial to cover very well. the amount of options you have is staggering, but as with most Atlus-published games, it seems to be a good idea to try and plow through it the best you can after you've picked up the basics, learning the ins and outs of the battle system on the way. the game seems to be very well-balanced in the fact that you can beat it without indulging in half of the more complicated setup-options like transoul and item upgrading, but is also even more rewarding if you do choose to invest some time in some of the more obscure features.

the only thing I don't like is accidentally highlighting a knight, that shit gets annoying when you're trying to dodge or select a new weapon or whatever. but I accept that as an inevitable "flaw" of a bullet-hell game like this.

I also feel like I'm going to miss a lot of the recruitable knights, especially since some recruitment key items only pop up after you destroy an object once and let it regenerate, but there are so many damn knights it doesn't really matter. if I want to run a perfect game and get all the knights after I beat it once, I'll use a guide the second time around.

also this is nitpicking but the game is called Knights in THE Nightmare, and this thread's title keeps bugging me every time I see it. just saying.

Changed the title, I hope you're happy!

And yeah, not being able to recruit every knight is only mildly annoying, there isnt really anything to seperate one guy from the other except their class and level. I don't like how guys just disappear when their VIT runs out

Fun game though, very flashy and the story is rather interesting.

[Yuri-G]

haha nice, that is much better

I haven't gotten far in the story yet (only on scene 3) but I like how the knights who you can recruit in one chapter show up as their living historic counterparts in the next scene. there are some really nice little touches, like how Bonn mentions how much he likes to drink when his recruitment item was a jug of liquor. it makes the characters feel a bit more solid and a bit less interchangeable (although they still are, for the most part).

[Yuri-G]

bump because more people need to play this shit. the learning curve is ridiculous but if you can just let go of the fact that you don't know what half the options do and learn the basic gameplay, you'll pick the rest up as you go, and it's absolutely worth it. it might not be for everyone, but if you can get into it I almost guarantee you'll love it.

if anyone needs tips, let me know. there are a few rather unintuitive key concepts that took me a while to figure out, and once I did the battles got a lot easier.

[Warudo Ecksu]

i'm on like scene 6 or something and getting pretty bored.

[Oravis]

Definetly loved this game. On my second playthrough on hard now. Took awhile to figure out everything but once you get the hang of it it is very fun. And some of the boss fights are pretty challenging.

[Yuri-G]

yeah I think the game has the single steepest learning curve I've ever encountered, especially if you're a perfectionist and want to play it "right" like me. but once you get ahold of things, it's unbelievably rewarding.

I recommend leveling mode to people who are just starting, it's a hassle-free way to kinda figure out the ins and outs of the battle system. although opening chests and barrels on leveling mode is a pain/impossible at times.

[Ramor]

Liking it so far, only about 4 or 5 scenes in though. Love the artwork though, it's gorgeous.

[Lebzile]

Takes forever to get used to, I ended up dropping it since it got really repetitive.

[Ramor]

I haven't had any trouble adjusting to it, seems (not simple) but easy to learn with all the tuts and everything. Although i will admit I'm still a bit foggy on the items, but everything else isn't really giving me any trouble