Today, XBox Live Indie Games, got a real treat, Mamotte Knight or まもって騎士 for the Japanese inclined. Mamotte Knight is the first XBLIG title from Ancient Corp – best known for their work on the Beyond Oasis series for the Genesis & Saturn. Their experience shines in Mamotte Knight as this is one of the finest games to have been released on the XBLIG service.
Gameplay is like Gauntlet crossed with a simple tower defense game. As either a Knight, Ninja, Amazon, or Mage, you run around killing monsters, bolstering defenses, and otherwise protecting your princess. If the princess dies, it’s game over so her safety is the #1 priority. Between levels, you can use points gained to level up in 4 different abilities which vary from character to character. For example, the Amazon can increase her speed, gain a life draining ability, increase her attack power and combo potential, or improve her boomerang special attack with the ability to have multiple boomerangs out at one time and improved range.
Monsters start out simple, but as the levels progress, they get more advanced from ghosts that teleport around the stage to giant dragons & monster dumping airships. But don’t worry – an easy difficulty level, unlimited continues, and the potential to bring some friends along help keep the game manageable for the inexperienced. And if you want a challenge, the higher difficulty levels definitely provide just that.
The whole game is presented with an excellent 8-bit visual and audio presentation (albeit with drastically more happening on screen at once than any actual 8-bit game). The game is fun in one player and the different character classes provide a good amount of variety to the gameplay, however where the game really shines is in the multiplayer. Grab some friends, crank up the difficulty level, and prepare yourself for a multiplayer gaming experience rarely matched.
Really, the only major omission to the game is the lack of online multiplayer. Online multiplayer would have elevated Mamotte Knight from an excellent game to an “EVERYONE MUST BUY THIS NOW!!!!!” game. However, even without online multiplayer, Mamotte Knight is one of the finest XBox Live Indie Games out there. A great single player game and a fantastic multiplayer game, all for only 240 MS points. Well worth a purchase.
I can’t agree with you more Robert, the game is brilliant. I fell instantly in love with it during the trial game.