Knights of the Templar is based around the story of Paul a rookie Templar Knight as he uncovers a plot perpetrated by an evil Bishop who has gotten too powerful. The bishop then abuses this power as he feigns his own death and kidnaps Adelle a maiden who has awesome powers which she uses for good. The bottom line in this swords and shields action adventure set within middle ages Europe and the Middle East is one where its you verses them good verses evil. Bring it on as metal clashes against metal and blood pours from open wounds!

Gameplay:

Knights of the Templar is a 3D action adventure set with a 3rd person viewpoint. As Paul your journey starts in the monastery looking for the bishop. Using simple controls for movement is pretty fluid as you search for keys to unlock doors which block your path. Sometimes you will be faced with a simple puzzle to unlock certain areas. These are not particularly taxing as a hint is often nearby that even a monkey could decipher. The first thing you will notice when playing in the confines of the monastery is the forced perspective as seen in survival horror type games. This is a little confusing at first but becomes easier to navigate once you learn to base your movements around it.

The combat itself is very easy to master as in most cases it’s a situation of blocking attacks then countering. More moves are gained as you progress through the game including special moves such as guard breaks and stun strikes. Other abilities are gained as you progress which grant the player divine abilities for both defence and attack. However the main emphasis is clearly on the swordplay. Often you will become outnumbered and being attacked from all sides. This requires a little patience and timing to counter the multiple hits that you are blocking. Overall the combat is realised quite well although a little sluggish and repetitive, but enough to satiate hack and slash fans.

There are a number of weapons types to discover each displaying different speeds and damage. These range from shorts swords, broadswords, scimitars to axes etc. The enemies you will face are quite varied and display authentic looking armour and weapons. Starting off against the hooded monk type enemies at the games start, then moving on to heavily armoured knights and demonic type enemies offers a lot of variety as each has their own attack patterns and style. Moving on to the Middle East and you will also find authentic looking enemies here as well rather than rehashes from earlier levels. There are some 30 odd enemy types within the game across 25 levels.

Graphics:

Graphically Knights of the Templar looks very dated and compared to Starbreeze’s other game Enclave is definitely a step backwards on all fronts. The cut scenes look absolutely terrible as if the camera has been dragged through muddy streets after being on the stocks for a week complete with rotten tomatoes being thrown in for good measure. The overall look especially in the opening stages is very murky and dark. The character models also display a sign of being extremely dated looking which is shame.

The saving grace here if any is that the levels do offer a reasonable amount of interaction as you smash crates, barrels and a number of other objects that may block your path. Also the variations in levels are reasonable and offer something different each area as they are themed accordingly.

Sound:

Sound wise there is a reasonable amount of effort put in as some clichéd yet well performed voice acting is used both for Paul and the many enemies you encounter. The musical score is of an orchestral nature and fitting for every moment within the game. I especially liked the angelic piece that plays as Paul nears death. Other sound effects of swords clashing and flesh being sliced are all as you would expect them to sound although I’m sure many of us non butcher types don’t have much experience in what tearing flesh should sound like. Either way for me the sound is better presented than the graphics.

Longevity:

Knights is mostly a single player experience for the main game. However the Xbox version does have some Live support for those wishing to participate within the survival mode. Sadly there is no support for one console two player where you and a friend could have gone co-op on the missions. Although featuring 25 levels the single player game will be completed by most skilled players in no time. There are a number of difficulties to choose from so I suggest experienced players crank it up on their first play through. Saying that I’m not so sure if the game holds that much appeal to require more than one play through anyway.

Overall:

Knights of the Templar is an average hack and slash game that any 3rd person action fan will possibly enjoy or at least find easy to play. Again as stated in other reviews the competition in the 3D action adventure market is high. With not enough eye candy and diversity in the combat the overall game is rather wooden and mundane, especially when compared to faster paced similar games. With none of the features from Enclave being used refined or introduced into this game has turned Knights into a rental at best. If your heart is set on saving the world during the middle ages with swords rather than guns then go for it. This in my opinion is the only real appeal of the game.