Gamertell

Title: Knights in the Nightmare
Price: $34.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Sting Entertainment)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Alcohol Reference, Tobacco Reference, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language and Suggestive Themes.
Pros: Unusual control interface and approach for a strategic RPG. Lots of character and character options. Interesting storyline. Fits well into the Dept. Heaven storyline.
Cons: So much is happening on screen at once that it can get confusing. Controls and gameplay take getting used to. Tutorials are practically mandatory.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of 5

When you think niche title, Knights in the Nightmare is the kind of game that comes to mind. There hasn’t been a game like it on the DS, or any other video game platform. In fact, it couldn’t work on any platform other than the DS. The required touch screen controls and somewhat complicated actions of the game could only be accomplished on the DS. This is a game that requires full attention, a DS with an immaculate touchscreen and the patience to navigate multiple tutorials.

Knights in the Nightmare is also a title that should look familiar to those who played Atlus’ Game Boy Advance and PSP games Riviera: The Promised Land and Yggdra Union. All three games are part of Sting’s Dept. Heaven series. While Knights in the Nightmare is the third game released, it is technically fourth in the series. Keep your eyes open for references to the earlier games.

Only a lost soul can save the world.

Knight in the Nightmare‘s story is filled with political intrigue, otherworldly influences, betrayal and strife. Plus, it has a wide assortment of characters, each with their own story and motivations. I’d almost suggest that the Tome of Lost Souls pre-order artbook, with descriptions of every knight unit, is required reading. (If you do read it, be forewarned that it’s filled with spoilers.

When Knights in the Nightmare begins, we see a female warrior named Maria sneaking past guards to reach a church. Once there, she unleashes something, then leaves to buy time so it can revive. We learn that she has unleashed the Wisp, the deceased soul of someone, that is an arbitraitor and has the ability to reanimate the souls of knights to destroy monsters. The Wisp escapes and makes its way towards Old Castle Aventheim, while Cardinal Capehorn’s forces search to capture it and Maria.

A real-time, strategic RPG, shooter and puzzle game.

If there was ever a genre breaking game, Knights in the Nightmare would be it. The wisp is the only thing that can take damage, though it doesn’t lose health if enemies hit it with their energy bullets, it loses time. Time that’s required to possess knights’ souls to make them attack the monsters and objects on the battle field to defeat them and earn new key items or weapons.

To make things even more complicated, there are Law and Chaos phases. Weapons each have a phase associated with them, and can only be used then. Since monsters can only be beaten by a weapon attack, you have to make sure it’s the correct phase.

On top of that, phases also effect the attack range of your knight units. Since the knights can’t move, you have to plan and pick out the correct weapons before you play.

By the way, you can only have four items/weapons in battle at a time. If two new knights are in battle, you’ll want to take their key items in so you can recruit them, leaving only two spaces for weapons.

That isn’t even getting into the character and weapon creation, fusion and expelling options that you can tweak between missions, or the extensive in-game tutorial.

All of these actions are performed with the touch screen. The bottom screen offers a bare-bones layout of the top screen, complete with monster HP. You have to guide the Wisp on the touch screen to trigger every top screen action. Thankfully, the touch screen controls are incredibly accurate and work perfectly.

Focus, drive and patience are all virtues needed to successfully play Knights in the Nightmare.

After playing only a few missions of Knights in the Nightmare, it is easy to see how it fits into the Dept. Heaven series and why it works as the series’ latest entry. It’s a cutting edge, boundry-defying game with an intense story that makes you think.

You’ll be tempted to launch off into an attacking frenzy when you first begin playing the game. It isn’t until you learn to step back and analyze every layout and character option, know the nuances and attack patterns of every class and find yourself about an hour into the story, that you’ll fall into your Knights in the Nightmare playing groove.

Also, if you have Yggdra Union for the Game Boy Advance, I recommend digging it out and plugging it into the GBA slot while playing Knights in the Nightmare. You’ll not only unlock Yggdra as your tutorials teacher, you’ll also unlock the hidden character Pamela.

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