Knights Contract

 Xbox 360
Metascore
49

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 41
  3. Negative: 14 out of 41
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  1. GameTrailers
    Mar 23, 2011
    49
    Knights Contract is far too rough around the edges to be worth its asking price. The needlessly frequent cutscenes interrupt the game's flow, combat against the majority of enemies requires little thought, and you'll be constantly fighting either the camera or the level design. The finishing blow is Gretchen's AI, which makes the boss fights annoying instead of exciting.
  2. GameFocus
    Mar 4, 2011
    48
    Hack n' Slash games are abundant and I wouldn't have any problems with Knights Contract if Game Republic took the time to design something clever and entertaining.
  3. Gaming Age
    Mar 10, 2011
    42
    The problem stems from the fact that you can be knocked off of the platform, and if that happens it's instant death, which means restarting the entire boss fight.
  5. XboxAddict
    Apr 25, 2011
    40
    Knights Contract has a cool premise by design but an abysmal AI completely defeats the purpose and chance at having any fun within.
  6. games(TM)
    Mar 23, 2011
    40
    A poor script and worse voice-acting. [Issue#107, p.94]
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  7. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    Mar 21, 2011
    40
    An engrossing quest sadly dumped on from great heights by a few unforgivable mistakes. [May 2011, p.100]
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  8. GamerNode
    Mar 16, 2011
    40
    Knights Contract can be enjoyable at times, but once players get into the thick of play, the questionable AI, level design, combat mechanics, and even visuals will make it more difficult to feel comfortable with.
  9. IGN
    Feb 25, 2011
    35
    A miserable game that I hope you do not have the misfortune to play.
  10. Joystiq
    Mar 1, 2011
    30
    From the awful AI to the jittery camera to the hazardous-to-controllers difficulty spikes, right down to the grammatically-challenged title, Knights Contract feels unfinished at best and lazy at worst.
  11. Gamekult
    Feb 28, 2011
    30
    Quotation forthcoming.
  12. Edge Magazine
    Feb 26, 2011
    30
    Given the state of Knights Contract, the famously hellish result of Dr Faust's own little deal seems comparatively sweet. [Mar 2011, p.101]
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  13. GameShark
    Mar 17, 2011
    25
    For the most part, Knights Contract is a monumental disappointment mainly because there are occasional glimpses at the fact that it could have been so much better. The frustrating combat, dull graphics, uneven acting, and insipid A.I. make it ultimately impossible to recommend even as a rental.
  14. Metro GameCentral
    Mar 7, 2011
    20
    A monument to not only everything that is wrong with escort missions but with bad action game design in general.
  15. The A.V. Club
    Mar 7, 2011
    16
    Technical excellence does not a great game make. By the same token, a game can be great in spite of mechanical and thematic problems. Games with broken parts can still succeed. Knights Contract does not.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 8 out of 22
  1. mbeacom
    Jan 24, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. In general, I think this game gets a bit of a bad rap. Is it a great game? Not really, but it's certainly not terrible. It's biggest problem is probably the swingy difficulty combined with some poorly implemented Quick Time Events. The combat system is actually pretty good and the magic system is downright fun. The story is good and keeps you interested. The graphics are hit or miss. Some of the cutscenes look pretty rough but the gameplay looks fine. I would like to respond to the reviewer names razil. He mentions the boss at the end of level 7 and he's right. It's really really REALLY hard and pretty cheap to boot. You're fighting this giant fiery sword carrying witch. You're standing on a large square platform. When you run around, the platform tilts. The fiery witch will occasionally jump away and then shoot arrows at you. If you get hit by an arrow it can throw you off the platform.Instakill. You MUST stay in the center of the platform when she shoots. Also, when she glows and is about to stab the ground, do NOT attack her or you will be thrown back and may fall off the platform, same for gretchen. Hold her in your arms when she is about to stab the ground. The burning craters always appear in a T formation under her body so you know where to stand. You have to attack the witch immediately and do as much damage as possible before she starts glowing. Then just avoid her attacks and stay near the middle when she shoots. Also, there is a quick time event after you kill her. If you fail, you'll have to kill her AGAIN! Every time you fail the QTE, its starts over, OMG its frustrating. I finally beat her. The game tells you how many restarts you have on a level. I had 44. Thats right it took me 44 tries to beat her. If you don't want to fight the same boss 44 times, I would not play this game. Otherwise, give it a try. It will challenge you!… Full Review »
  2. razil
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    Before I begin, full disclosure: There is a boss fight, Chapter 7, which is the cheapest fight I have ever encountered. I have not finishedBefore I begin, full disclosure: There is a boss fight, Chapter 7, which is the cheapest fight I have ever encountered. I have not finished the game, nor will I, as this boss is absurd. The basic idea of this game is actually not bad, and the story is unique at least. You play as Heinrich, an immortal executioner looking to be mortal, and protecting a witch named Gretchen. Heinrich is basically the ultimate warrior, heavy armor, uses a giant scythe. Gretchen is your typical caster, squishy, yet capable of screen filling attacks that simply shred enemies. While playing, you mix and match these abilities to decimate enemies. And when you are doing that, the game is quite fun. The difficulty is a little uneven, as some monsters are absolute pushovers while other (non-boss) monsters are actually tougher than bosses. The game's take on life and death is pretty unique as well. As stated above, Heinrich is an immortal and thus cannot die. He can, however, be horrifically dismembered. This then prompts the player to mash the A button to regenerate him. Alone, its a rather neat idea, but the problem comes in the form of Gretchen and her terrible AI. Yes, she can destroy enemies with ease... As long as Heinrich is alive and the player is babysitting her. As soon as Heinrich is down, Gretchen shuts down, her brain turns off and she becomes a damage sponge. So you better mash that A button as fast as humanly possible, because she'll just stand there, taking a beating. It also seems like she takes more damage when Heinrich is down. The healing mechanic is unique as well, as to heal Gretchen quickly, you must scoop her up and carry her. It works rather well, though it can be irritating to try to get her when the screen is filled with death.

    And here we come to the major issue this game faces: cheap, ridiculous difficulty and cheap deaths. I say this having played Bayonetta on the hardest setting, wearing out two controllers in the process. I've beaten Ninja Gaiden Black on Hard, and all the God of Wars on their hardest settings, and this is easily the second most cheaply frustrating game i have ever played. If you get hacked apart as Heinrich, expect Gretchen to die, which means you reload the checkpoint and have to face the same enemies, loosing any experience you may have gained so you can't power up your spells. So you die again... and again... and again. Or Gretchen, being the moron she is, stands in lava, or gets knocked off a cliff, or you get knocked off a cliff, ad nauseum. The entire game is filled with cheap deaths like these, highlighted by that boss fight i mentioned at the very beginning. You get surrounded by lava, the boss likes to charge across the arena, and likes to jump and create shockwaves that knock you over..And Gretchen into the lava where she is content to burn to death. After two hours of playing this one boss battle, I have thrown in the towel. Which is unfortunate, as the story had potential and the gameplay could be fun, the game just didn't receive the proper tuning.

    I can't honestly recommend this game unless you either like frustration or breezed through Ninja Gaiden 2 (which is the number one cheapest game) on the hardest setting. And I wish i could recommend the game, because does have those unique elements that made it worth looking into. Its just sad the developers couldn't make the unique aspects shine, instead contenting themselves with creating an unforgiving gauntlet of frustration.    … Full Review »
  3. DaneSaga
    Mar 8, 2011
    6
    First off if you have played and enjoyed the best Action titles available such as Bayonetta, the Devil May Cry series and Ninja Gaiden seriesFirst off if you have played and enjoyed the best Action titles available such as Bayonetta, the Devil May Cry series and Ninja Gaiden series then you should definitely lower your expectations, as Knights Contract is of a completely different calibre to those games.

    Knights Contract is mostly a linear adventure with past chapters opening once completed to go back to at any time for collecting items.
    Combat, while not containing a tremendous amount of depth is extremely fun when combining both Heinrichâ    … Full Review »
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