Monte Boyd, the indie developer behind the fast-paced arcade game Finger Smash, is currently working on a new game titled Knights & Slimes. From what we have seen so far, this upcoming game looks really cool. It is an action platformer, but one that strays from the traditional path. Like its name suggests, in this game you will take on the role of a knight who is on a quest to rid the world of slimes of all sizes and colors. We all know that slimes have always been a nuisance in fantasy games, but they are even more annoying here as when you slice one, it will split into two. Yes, it’s precisely how it works in Knights & Slimes. As annoying as that sounds, this actually opens up a pretty interesting and satisfying mechanic: Since a slime bursts into 2 smaller slimes when you attack it, you can try to slice those two smaller slimes before they hit the ground to create a combo chain. Check out the trailer below to see what it’s like in action:
As mentioned, Knights & Slimes is not an action platformer in the traditional sense. The stages are relatively short, normally you’d only need to go a couple of screens before you reach the end. The layouts and enemies are procedurally generated, so every time you play it’s going to be different. That said, K&S isn’t an endless game. It actually has a level-like structure. Basically, you must kill all the slimes in a level to be able to advance to the next one. After every 10 levels is a boss battle that you have to overcome in order to unlock the next area. The game features 5 different areas in total, meaning there are 50 levels and 5 unique bosses waiting for you. Needless to say, the challenges will increase in difficulty when you progress. Every 5 levels will add a brand new slime type. Yes, there are multiple types of slimes here, each behaves in different ways. To beat them, you need to learn their patterns.
Attacking is done simply by charging straight at a slime with your weapon. This is pretty similar to the classic Slayin, only this time you actually have full controls over your movements and jumps.
The setup of Knights & Slimes is very fitting for a platformer on mobile: Levels are challenging enough to keep you interested but are not too long, so you can just wipe it out and play whenever you have even just a little bit of free time. The game also includes a large collection of over 20 Knights that you can unlock using in-game coins, which can be randomly collected throughout levels. Alternatively, successfully executing a combo where you kill smaller slime bits before they reach the ground will also drop coins. Another way to get coins if you don’t want to grind is buying them through IAPs, which come in 2 packs: One costs 99¢ (Rs 70) and the other $1.99 (Rs 140). The cool thing is, these packs will grant you additional lives as well. By default, you only have one life, so if you die during a level you will have to retry it from the beginning. However, the 99¢ pack will give you an extra life, and the $1.99 grants you 2. Note that these are permanent upgrades to the number of lives you have. If you don’t mind, there are also video ads that you can watch to earn extra coins as well.
All in all, Knights & Slimes is checking all the boxes of a cool platformer on mobile. The game is planned to come out in April, although no specific date is stated yet, so keep your eye out for more updates.