Black Knight Sword

Black Knight Sword is a little masterpiece by Grasshopper Manufacture.

For $10, Black Knight Sword delivers a mostly good and entirely creepy experience.

A few minor control issues aside, the gameplay is incredibly tight. It's not the most challenging platformer you'll ever play, but if you have any sense of curiosity, you'll want to keep playing just the see what the creative people at Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality have come up with next.

Black Knight Sword is quite an enjoyable and unique platformer that is worth a try - it's short but memorable.

Fans of action side-scrollers will get a kick out of BKS. I just wished the game felt more polished, especially with its controls, but even though the game isn't as memorable as some other side-scrolling classics such as Castlevania, I think it's definitely worth checking out if you have some extra money in your pockets.

A brutal platformer with old-school sensibilities that challenge your patience and capacity for the macabre.

Even with the difficulties that are present, the platforming is never really clunky, and the overall experience is clearly a product of Grasshopper Manufacture. It is a strange ride that can keep players involved for a few hours. Saving frequently and keeping an open mind is a must, but for only ten dollars, you can get some enjoyment out of Black Knight Sword.

Appropriately priced at $9.99, Black Knight Sword isn't a big threat to your wallet, but it's also not the easiest game to push on your friends. Regardless, this is another capable outing from two great studios that just happen to think alike.

Black Knight Sword is a memorable game – but not because of its gameplay. Its art style and incredibly creepy atmosphere elevate it above mediocrity, even though its difficulty and awkward controls are certain to frustrate. Overcoming the title's trials and tribulations makes for a satisfying experience, but don't expect your dreams to ever be the same again.

All things considered, Black Knight Sword is truly a one-of-a-kind experience thanks to its imaginative art direction, soundtrack, narrative and overall concept. For $9.99, those qualities might be enough to warrant a purchase.

Despite the mechanical and control issues, the apparent cheapness of some of the many deaths, and a few poor decisions, the game does have at least some appeal.

It's deliciously weird from start to finish, but that weirdness only partially distracts from the repetitious, uninspiring gameplay and brutal difficulty.

Shortcomings aside the unique visual experience that Black Knight Sword offers up is well worth a few hours of your time. At a price tag of $9.99 you certainly can't go wrong; however, just do not expect an experience you will come back to after you have put the game through its paces.

There's not much to Black Knight Sword. It's a platformer, it's kind of weird, and it doesn't really do anything new.

Fans of Suda 51′s work may be able to look past the numerous flaws present here, but ten dollars is a lot of money to spend on frustration and the desire to play something, anything else.

Black Knight Sword world is unique, aesthetically, and that's an accomplishment in itself. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn't as mesmerizing as the visuals ; it's but a poor restitution of old mechanics from 8 and 16bit platformers, without the level design genius of those times.

Black Knight Sword seems unwilling to fully commit to making something fun to play above all else. The unforgiving difficulty will likely appeal to some, but for everyone else, take my word for it: You're missing a lot less than you think.

Gamers looking for an art-house experience would do well to spend a couple of hours soaking in what Suda 51 has served up. Those more concerned with gameplay they can chew on might want to think twice.

It's a good-looking game with a unique style that screams Goichi Suda's name, but the gameplay is rarely rewarding. So much is working against you that you feel like the only reason you're making any progress at all is because of pure luck rather than skill.

It's a pretty well realized effect, and ends up being the sole, standout feature of the entire experience. A game with better, unique mechanics in this setting would have been great, but unfortunately Black Knight Sword's tepid hack and slash platforming brings down an otherwise decent downloadable title on PSN and XBLA.

The overall weirdness and distinctive art style keep Black Knight Sword from being another run-of-the-mill action game. Yet the five main levels can be completed within two hours, and while there is an option to continue playing on a more challenging difficulty setting as well as additional challenge-oriented modes, the level design doesn't encourage exploration and there's little interactivity aside from slashing at enemies.

It's not flat-out bad, but it is frustrating, questionably designed, and more than a little boring.

Black Knight Sword isn't particularly good at anything it sets out to do. Moments of gorgeous art design are offset by shamelessly cloned enemies and pointlessly confusing dialogue. The game is clearly doing everything it can to be different, but it appears more time was spent making the game weird than making it a cohesive experience.

If you adore Suda 51's design sensibilities or appreciate games that punish players, then Black Knight Sword might offer enough for you to enjoy your time with it. For everyone else, far too many other games are more worthy of your time and money.