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Black Knight Sword

Black Knight Sword

A unique presentation starring puppets, monsters and knights as Grasshopper Manufacture goes side-scroller.

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Imagine you're attending a puppet performance. Now imagine that, if marionettes weren't scary enough as they are, the hidden handlers were none other than Suda 51 and his team from Grasshopper Manufacture. Imagine that music is performed by the ‘disturbing' Akira Yamaoka. And imagine that this knight and princess tale is not childish, but bloody.

Do you feel scared, or excited? Welcome to Black Knight Sword, a new play presented by Digital Reality.

The artistic choice for this new action platformer is, without a doubt, the biggest appeal at first glance. The marionette world is played out from the audience's perspective, backgrounds being manually built in a hurry to show the next scene without halting the action, and and stage shadows are projected over several elements. The motif is used throughout the game, embellishing menus and characters, and is so engaging you're playing as much to see what new flourish the creators will whip up next as to progress the story.

Black Knight Sword
Black Knight Sword is a new IP from GHM and its first downloadable game.
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Gameplay follows the rules of classic side-scrollers; jumps, pathways and monsters to carve with your sword. The studio's goal, Yamaoka admitted during the presentation, is to come up with a straightforward game based on an almost-forgotten genre, but with a remarkable accessibility so everyone can try. At the same time, the ‘Kamishibai drama' or pop-up book style, as they call it, looks to be "something original, never seen, something completely unique".

Games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Muramasa: The Demon Blade come to mind when watching. During the demo there's no enemy-heavy screens or obvious difficulty spikes, although the screen is repeatedly coated in blood and gore. Enjoyment, rather than hardship, seems the main focus here.

The story, teased by this trailer, leans towards the twisted grimness expected of the studio. The Black Knight must travel this world of monsters to find and defeat the beautiful, horrific and evil White Princess.

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Black Knight Sword
Akira Yamaoka presenting Black Knight Sword.

In addition to the intended accessibility and uniqueness, Yamaoka told us they were inspired by Eastern European animation. In fact, "we want this game to be like East meets West", explained the Japanese designer. It's a very fitting description when you talk about the publisher - Digital Reality- who comes from Budapest, one of the capitals that better represents the mixture between Eastern and Western worlds.

Yamaoka's presence here has us interested in his musical contribution, for without a doubt he's one of the most significant composers/sound designers in the industry.

He joined GHM after leaving Konami and the Silent Hill series, where he created and left a legacy of iconic tracks.

He's now with a group of talented people who "are really fun and very creative", and who often "can't really imagine what the users may think, so that is something I always have to remind them".

He's found a new freedom with the studio, being able to "create something completely over the top". If you're a Yamaoka fan, you can notice the composer has tried new things with Black Knight Sword, since he wants this to be also unique sound-wise. There's little to be heard of the industrial vibe that was his trademark previously. There's still a faster pace to the soundtrack, that worrying undercurrent that unconsciously propels the player forward - though this is the first time we can associate that with the accordion we hear filtering through the mix.

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We hope the artstyle and the promised accessibility don't set the gameplay aside.

Asked about the comparisons that came up in regards Shadows of the Damned - his first work with Suda-san- Yamaoka made it clear the development periods meant there was no chance to look at the 2D sections from the recently released EA title. "We were working pretty much at the same time but it was a different team," he explains.

So, ladies and gentlemen please take a seat, for the curtain is about to rise this year on PSN and XBLA. The names behind this latest creation means its a play we'll definitely be interested in watching, and playing, come launch.

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Black Knight Sword

Black Knight Sword

PREVIEW. Written by David Caballero

The studio's goal: a straightforward game based on an almost-forgotten genre, but with the look of "something original, never seen - something completely unique".



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