Developer: Ancient
Genre: Action & Adventure
Available On: XBLIG (local co-op only)
Co-Op Mode: Local (2 - 4 players)
Cost: 240 ($3)
Demo w/ Co-Op Available: Yes
From the 8-bit characters and soundtrack, to the intentionally (and amusingly) poor translations of instructions and character bios, Protect Me Knight is a delightful treat for those who long for the old NES days without the same level of frustration to which many of those games lead when played today. Each level, you must protect the princess from all types of foes, ranging from lowly goblins to demons and dragons, by attacking them directly and by using the towers surrounding the princess. These towers initially serve as a defensive mechanism, but after they have been upgraded a couple of times, they turn into catapults that launch boulders at the swarms of foes. As you defeat foes, you’ll earn “love points” that can be used in between levels to increase your character’s attack, defense, magic, and speed stats, so Protect Me Knight also has a few RPG elements tossed into the mix. If you aren’t convinced of this game’s fun already, then let me say that when playing with friends, the game becomes exponentially more satisfying. Simply put, Protect Me Knight is one of the best retro games I’ve played in a while and the inclusion of four player co-op completely throws me back to the days of gathering around an NES with my friends to play Contra, Battletoads, or Gauntlet.
Princess' thoughts moments ago: "The Knights of Love will protect- Oh... there's a dragon..."
Developer: OnlyLuck Interactive
Genre: Action & Adventure
Available On: XBLIG
Co-Op Mode: Local (2 – 4 players)
Price: 240 ($3)
Demo w/ Co-Op Available: Yes
Corrupted begins at a lovely wedding between Knight and Princess. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when the evil Hooded Figure shows up, eats the princess, and turns some of the attendees into his minions (that’s you). As a mere minion, your boss tasks you to travel across the land in search of additional princesses, to which you must fight your way, in order to feed them to Hooded Figure so that his powers may grow. The game plays a lot like Castle Crashers, with players hacking and slashing or firing arrows into groups of enemies that pour in from the edges of the screen. Using special “Corruption” powers that can freeze enemies or set them on fire, attacks can be boosted to add that extra little bit of death-dealing that’s needed when surrounded by a bunch of do-gooders. Additionally, each minion has a special power-up bar that fills as you kill foes (and fills faster the more foes you kill without being hit) and allows them to unleash a whirl of blades or a hail of arrows to make quick work of those that stand in your way. All of these abilities are upgradeable and the enhancements to those powers actually introduce some of the better co-op aspects of the game. By working with your partner to develop a good mix of up-close and ranged abilities, you'll be mowing down peasants and feeding your master's dark designs in no time!
These knights don't focus so much on the "protecting," as they do on the "hurting"