Knight’s Try is an unexpected gem that I’d never heard of (& have barely seen mentioned anywhere else)

A little backstory: I got into a bit of an 'indie-N64-platformer-homage' kick a while back after discovering that that genre existed outside of Yooka-Laylee (a game that I do NOT recommend). I got a small amount of games in that genre and ended up having a lot of fun with some of them. I looked up the publisher for one on the eshop, which is how I ended up finding Knight's Try. It looked interesting at the time, but I'd already gotten three other games to quench my throwback cravings so i kind of dismissed it. I got the craving again the other day, and decided to get it (plus another game). Right off the bat, the game's graphics look to be right out of the 3D N64 platforming era. You're dropped into castle grounds that bear surprising similarities to the castle grounds of Super Mario 64. However, that is where the similarities to that era end.

The game is a gauntlet-style obstacle course where you will die. A lot. It is relentless in both its difficulty, as well as its hidden traps. To my knowledge, I cannot think of any games from that era that were quite like this. It's frustrating and difficult, but in a way that feels fair and rewarding when you figure it out. The controls for both movement and the camera feel smooth and precise, not at all mimicking the controls of the N64 days. When you die, it doesn't feel like the game's fault. There are checkpoints, which come with varying degrees of helpfulness depending on which difficulty you choose for your run.

Another thing about this game is that dying is kind of funny. The ragdoll physics that happen when you die can make for some unexpectedly hilarious deaths. My brother was trying it out today, and some of his deaths were so funny we ended up recording them. There's also a degree of absurdity when the game just kills you in some unexpected way when you thought there wasn't any danger, especially when you're playing with other people around.

All in all, this game has turned out to be an unexpected gem for me amongst my n64 throwbacks, despite fitting the bill the least. I went to search for it on Reddit earlier to see what other people had to say about it, but was surprised to find next-to-nothing about it. I wasn't expecting a megathread or anything, maybe one or two posts with a handful of comments. But the only post i could find was on a steam subreddit with 0 comments, which surprises me with a game this fun. I play a decent amount of indie games, and even the lesser-known ones usually have at least one thread with people talking about them. It's so strange to me that a game this good hasn't been mentioned more. I figured since I'm just lying in bed with this game buzzing in my mind, i might as well make one myself. It's only ten bucks, and if you like platformers and obstacle courses wrapped in N64 graphics, this game is for you.

P.S. If you end up playing, look around the castle grounds for a different camera POV that's most definitely NOT a bug.