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The Knightling is a classic platformer with a lot of heart

When the hero goes missing, the sidekick needs to step up.

Nick Tan

March 19, 2025 7:00 AM

Twirlbound

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The Knightling is what happens when the main hero disappears and the only person left to save the kingdom is the lowly squire. From developer Twirlbound, which some might recognize as the creators of the 2019 game Pine, The Knightling is a similarly designed action-adventure that is inspired by classic titles like Jak & Daxter, with a heavy nod to the shield-surfing from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I had the chance to try an alpha demo of the game and ask the developers a handful of questions at the Day of the Devs event in San Francisco during GDC 2025. And from what I played, The Knightling is much more expansive than I originally thought it was.

Knightmare scenario

Without warning, the great knight Sir Lionstone from the kingdom of Clesseia has unceremoniously failed to return from a quest. While some of the citizens aren’t terribly worried about it, his trusty squire knows that something is amiss. Fortunately, Sir Lionstone left behind his legendary shield, Magnustego, giving the knightling a means of defending the people from monstrous miscreants that are plaguing the land and perhaps finding out what happened to his master along the way. That said, he’ll need to prove that he’s worthy of being a hero in the knight’s absence.

The demo begins with the knightling being awoken by the sentient shield and diving straight into the action by double-jumping off a perch and using the shield to surf down the roof of a house. The opening zone features the rolling hills of the Outskirts, the pastoral lands along the borders of Clessia, which are full of curving roads perfect for shield-surfing, and numerous giant mushrooms the hero can bounce off of to reach higher platforms. The developer on site also pointed out wind currents that the knightling can use later in the game to glide across the environment, which makes traversal a literal breeze.

Infesting the area, though, are bandits and many black-blobbed miscreants, which sometimes hide under crates and barrels, that can quickly surround the knightling. Luckily, using a defensive strategy by blocking with the oversized shield and finding openings for a counter-attack is usually the right idea. In addition, successful attacks will build Callyrium energy in the shield, which when fully charged unleashes a high-damage burst attack. If the hero is damaged, it can be recovered outside of combat by consuming a portion of his food stores, which is easily refilled by pulling yams from the ground or finding meals from fallen enemies.

Knight after knight

Convincing the denizens of Clesseia that the unnamed knightling is a proper hero will be a difficult task, but all heroes have to begin somewhere. In one of the first side quests, the squire has to clear out a barn by flinging the shield at miscreants hidden in the rafters and then discover where the monsters are coming from. Completing these missions, along with finding shiny yellow pickups peppered about the environment, earns Knightling Praise that is used to learn new moves. This ranges from simple techniques like a dodge attack, to advanced upgrades that enhance parries, which require perfect blocks to execute.

Each of the four regions is teeming with opportunities to test the hero. Like the viewpoint towers in Assassin’s Creed, successfully climbing a cartographer’s lookout will give the player notable locations to explore and activities to complete. For difficult combat encounters, clearing out bandit camps will typically contain treasure chests with extra coin or metal scraps. Working out the puzzles in Earthborn Ruins and finishing shield-surfing races will provide additional resources as well. A visit to the blacksmith can then turn these materials into upgrades for the shield, along with powerful inscriptions that provide passive bonuses.

The Knightling is expected to release in 2025 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The developer on site said that the single-player adventure will last somewhere between 15 to 25 hours and that it is aiming for a $30 price point. No paid DLC is planned for the game after release.

This preview is based on a hands-on alpha demo provided by the publisher during the Day of the Devs event in San Francisco during GDC 2025. A demo for the game is available on Steam.

Nick Tan

Contributing Editor

Once upon a time, Nick's parents confiscated his Super Nintendo because he was "playing it too much." He has secretly sworn revenge ever since. Nick is now a freelance writer for various video game sites. Powered by iced green tea, he typically plays RPGs of all kinds like Shin Megami Tensei, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. In his spare time, he follows the latest season of Critical Role.