Knights Contract is a third person action game in which a remarkably patient man is forced to carry a shamefully lazy woman from one end of the world to the other. To be fair, Heinrich probably owes Gretchen a favour, having lopped off her head during that whole ‘witch trials’ misunderstanding a few years back. While Gretchen is willing to let bygones be bygones, her sisters are apparently less forgiving, brushing aside any thought of mediation in favour of the wholesale slaughter of the human race. Some people just can’t let go.
For the majority of the quest, you’ll control the lumbering Heinrich, a battle scarred hulk boasting a decent range of accessible combos. He tends to absorb enormous amounts of punishment while gradually wearing down his opponents. He is, to be frank, a little dull. Blend his skills with those of his companion, however, and he becomes a whirling dervish of blood drenched destruction.
Despite her near constant presence, you’ll rarely have full control over Gertrude. However, if you ask nicely, she’ll subject your foes to a variety of withering mystical attacks. She may, for instance, ensnare opponents in a steel jawed trap that not only inflicts damage but also prevents them from evading Heinrich’s razor sharp scythe. If your timing is spot on, you’ll be rewarded with a brutal cooperative kill. You’ll have the opportunity to expand and upgrade Gertrude’s magical arsenal as you delve deeper into the campaign.
The importance of this lively and engaging double act becomes apparent during the handful of sequences in which Heinrich and Gretchen are separated. Neither character is mechanically sophisticated enough to warrant your full attention, which leaves you with more time to consider just how structurally repetitive Knights Contract can be. Enter a room. Watch as the doors are sealed. Plan your attack as three to five enemies materialise. Pound them into oblivion. Move on to the next room. When Gretchen expresses a desire to “get this over with”, you’ll probably be inclined to agree.
While Heinrich is ostensibly immortal, he can be dismembered by the various ghouls, ghosts and goblins that inhabit this grim medieval setting. When the big guy hits the ground, you’ll need to revive him by rapidly mashing a single button, which is about as much fun as you’d imagine. For the love of God, don’t allow Gretchen to perish before you have Heinrich back on his feet or the entire sequence will begin anew. If she does manage to survive, you’ll be able to restore her health by directing her to leap into Heinrich’s arms.
Attempts to diversify the experience are half-hearted at best and generally consist of pulling levers or scouring levels for a fallen comrades. At one point late in the game, your progress will be halted by a locked door. Hmmm. Where could the key be hidden? Oh, there it is. I wonder why they left it sitting in plain sight, not 30 feet from the door. The forces of evil clearly need to review their security procedures.
While murky textures and an uncooperative camera are the first aspects of the game to betray its budget origins, Game Republic’s half-baked approach will become even more apparent during the second half of your quest. Expect to be disappointed by recycled environments, reskinned enemies, inconsistent checkpointing and repetitive combat.
It gets worse. Gretchen’s most powerful attack involves growing to gargantuan size and crushing opponents beneath various parts of her anatomy. For reasons known only to the developer, she is all but naked during these scenes. The story is passable but the dialogue is frightfully banal and the villain can’t seem to make it through a cut scene without dissolving into maniacal laughter. If only he’d let us in on the joke.
It doesn’t boast the variety of Darksiders, the visual polish of God of War III or even the shock value of Dante’s Inferno. However, the dynamic pairing of Heinrich and Gretchen, along with a reasonably strong first five hours, make Knights Contract a decent option for less discerning fantasy action fans.
