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. GamingXP
    Mar 14, 2011
    74
    Knights Contract is a Japanese interpretation of Goethe's Faust in hack'n'slay style. Apart from the funny, twisted story, the game lacks in pretty much every aspect: the boss fights are unfair and the AI is plainly stupid, to name but a few examples. Other games in this genre like Dantes Inferno are both better and cheaper.
  2. Digital Chumps
    Feb 24, 2011
    70
    Knights Contract should have been a better game, but several poor design choices really hurt the experience. Still, I found it rewarding enough to continue on and discovered that underneath some of the glaring issues, there is a solid game to be found.
  3. Game Informer
    Feb 22, 2011
    70
    Even when the game seems to be working against me at every inopportune time, the drive to see the fate of Heinrich and Gretchen made me push forward. I'm glad I did. I didn't see the ending coming, and I love how the story concludes.
  5. Gaming Nexus
    Apr 28, 2011
    67
    It's got an interesting story, a control setup that's not too hard to get used to (aside from the annoying lock-on mechanic), and the graphics and sound are nice, though the music can get repetitive after a while.
  6. Machinima
    Mar 23, 2011
    65
    Unforgiving quick-time events, unintelligent AI, frustrating cheap deaths, and confusing level design are just a few problems.
  7. Worth Playing
    Mar 12, 2011
    65
    Patient gamers will be able to find some fun in this game, especially when the higher difficulty levels open up, but for everyone else, Knights Contract makes for a good weekend rental.
  8. GameSpot
    Mar 1, 2011
    65
    Gratifying, gory combat contends with aggravating design flaws in this intriguing adventure.
  9. Vandal
    Mar 1, 2011
    65
    A sword combat game which is unbalanced in many aspects. Its difficulty curve is strange, being very easy until its difficulty suddenly leaps. Those who love the genre will like it, but the rest should consider more options.
  10. Extreme Gamer
    Mar 24, 2011
    60
    While not entirely bad, Knights Contract feels like another missed opportunity to capitalize on a good concept, something 'Game Republic' is sadly perfecting.
  11. Official Xbox Magazine
    Mar 2, 2011
    60
    You'll find some bloody good times scattered throughout the journey, but not nearly as many as we'd hoped. [April 2011, p.78]
  12. Cheat Code Central
    Mar 1, 2011
    60
    Unacceptably frustrating.
  13. GamesRadar+
    Feb 22, 2011
    60
    The combat, for the most part, is satisfying and visceral, and the story, at times, is genuinely compelling. A mostly entertaining experience, it's marred by some terrible flaws and a handful of moments of unadulterated rage; much, we'd expect, like actually selling one's soul.
  14. Game Chronicles
    Mar 28, 2011
    55
    Obviously, I cannot recommend Knights Contract unless you are looking for a game that will punish you non-stop with horrible companion AI and frustrating boss battles. While the game has some ambitious elements in story, gameplay, and visual design, it also suffers from inexplicable bad choices in those same areas and more.
  15. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 14, 2011
    55
    Almost nothing works in Knights Contract and it's strange since Game Republic have a name for interesting and well crafted games. It's too hard and not accessible enough.
  16. Game Over Online
    Mar 7, 2011
    55
    I have no idea how anyone could possibly think, after getting past the early design stages, that Knights' Contract was in any way a good idea.
  17. 3DJuegos
    Mar 4, 2011
    54
    Knight's Contract will test your patience and simply just doesn't match what the Hack and Slash market is offering today.
  18. Armchair Empire
    May 6, 2011
    50
    Okay combat, some neat spell effects, okay levels, a protection mechanic that works, upgradeable powers, spells and special items, and protracted cutscenes that revel in being overly dramatic (that's a positive in my book), make Knight's Contract utterly unremarkable.
  19. Gamer.no
    Apr 7, 2011
    50
    This massively unbalanced game manages to produce tears of joy and tears of pain pretty much all at the same time. An awesome combat system can't quite fight off the vast army of frustrating annoyances.
  20. Game Revolution
    Mar 17, 2011
    50
    But whatever "fun" might be experienced is abbreviated by a terrifyingly bad plot, and frustrating gameplay choices. While it's true that comparisons may be drawn to God of War, or Devil May Cry, they will always inevitably end with the statement: "Go play those instead."
  21. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Mar 3, 2011
    50
    Frustration and grind are the most prominent attributes. [Issue#69, p.84]
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  22. ZTGD
    Mar 3, 2011
    50
    A fantastic narrative wrapped in some decent combat and plagued by poor design decisions. This is actually more disappointing because there is something here you want to experience, but the shortcomings really keep you from doing so.
  23. GamePro
    Feb 28, 2011
    50
    I mostly enjoyed Knights Contract's blistering combat, absorbing story, and dark fantasy setting, which makes it all the more difficult to see it sullied so significantly by a single bad idea. But honestly, the buzz-killing boss battles made reaching the game's conclusion more frustrating than fun.
  24. MondoXbox
    Feb 27, 2011
    50
    Knights Contract revealed to be a quite dull game, bound to an outworn combat system and frustrating gameplay.
  25. Eurogamer Italy
    Feb 25, 2011
    50
    Knights Contracts has nice ideas and too many technical issues. With rivals like Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, God of War and Devil May cry, this Game Republic title has no chance to gain your attention.
  26. SpazioGames
    Feb 24, 2011
    50
    Even if it didn't want to become a new milestone in the action genre, Knights Contract had all the chances to be an entertaining game. Unfortunately many technical flaws kill the good gameplay and the enjoyable story.
  27. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Feb 20, 2011
    50
    Too punishing to recommend. [Mar 2011, p.100]
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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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