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The hack and slash is a genre that is really hard to develop for without being called a
clone of another game. It seems any game that tries to use the basic formula is accused
of being a God of War or Devil May Cry rip-off, but just how fair is that? There are lots
of different stories that may call for that style of gameplay, and while very few can
be compared in quality to the aforementioned series, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t
be worth checking out. Today, we have a game that aims to get your attention by putting
a unique twist on the hack and slash. This is Knights Contract for the Xbox 360.
Knights Contract features a plot focusing on the unjust execution of accused witches
during the black plague in Europe. Of course, as everyone was looking for a scapegoat, the
area believed that the witches were responsible for the massive loss of life, and took to
gathering those they suspected were witches to kill. As it turns out, although the women
executed were witches, they were not responsible for the black plague, but as your companion
Gretchen points out, they are now what everyone thought they were during the plague. Your
character Heinrich sets off with Gretchen to take care of the witches. Although the
game started off feeling very generic, the story actually has some very interesting elements
that put a nice twist on the traditional fantasy tale.
Combat in Knights Contract is very similar to the games I mentioned earlier, with one
main difference. First, I’ll talk about what’s the same. You use a few different
attacks with either weak or strong moves, enemies usually arrive in large numbers, and
you can use combos to unleash more damage. However, unlike games like God of War, your
witch companion can use different spells to trap enemies in place or deal them damage,
setting them up for finishing moves by you. Combat does actually work fairly well, although
the lock-on system the game suggests you use is pretty pointless, since just aiming your
character at an enemy and attacking works just fine.
That game is not without its problems, however. First, boss fights are just not any fun to
play through at all. They move at a pace that’s far too slow for the game, and they quickly
become repetitive, turning into a button-mashing contest. The game also uses a ridiculous number
of cutscenes and loading screens. Now, I was thinking that this wouldn’t be so bad if
it was an older 360 game, but this title was released last year. It’s not like the cutscenes
add anything to the experience, either. Almost all of them could’ve been presented to the
player during gameplay. It’s pretty frustrating to know you can’t walk into a new area without
having to watch one of these things.
Knights Contract is below average in its visuals as well. Faces look passable, but the hair
on witches looks so bad that I thought textures might not be loading. Environments are also
very generic looking, and enemies feel uninspired. Some of the special finishing moves do look
pretty cool, though.
Knights Contract is a very average game, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s
perfectly comfortable playing other hack and slash games, but if you’re looking for a
change, you may want to give this a try.