The Winter Knight

Winter Knight is a basic though fairly enjoyable RPG. Variety is found throughout every aspect of the game's design, from the mapping to the inventory to the battle system, so that, for it's short length, it never feels too repetitive and so is engaging enough to complete.

It has minimal focus on plot and character development, as stated by the dev on the main page - so whatever is lacking there is forgivable because these were intentionally light. That being said, the dialogue sometimes drifts into the juvenile, and the side-plot concerning the main hero and heroine feels unnecessary.

Visually, the game is quite pleasant. Maps look attractive, particularly those of the town, Whitehare. Its interiors are arranged well, so that none of the houses or shops look too large or empty. The dungeons look appropriate to what they are - forest, mountain path, etc. - with, as mentioned earlier, enough variation within each setting to keep interest for the hour or so playtime.

Combat was average, with some monsters having weaknesses to certain elements so that there was at least some framework for the player to use strategy, though it is possible to spam basic attacks to win battles - and as a lazy player I certainly did so. Being able to wipe out one monster out of three with an elemental spell was handy, however. Also appreciated was the fact that the poison cure spell used only a small amount of MP.

One thing I noticed is that there were simply too many skills. I found the basic elemental spells were good enough to kill monsters with a weakness to that particular element, so that the more powerful spells - and therefore those that used a greater amount of MP - were not really needed.

The most thoughtful thing about the game was the teleport mechanic. This made stocking up on new gear and items in Whitehare before heading into the final dungeon mercifully quick.

Speaking of gear, the game had a good variety of items to find in the dungeons and to buy in town. I had a not excessive amount of gold upon my return to the town, so items didn't feel too easily bought. There was effort put into the naming of everything, too, which was a nice touch.

An easter egg is even hinted at, with the player possibly being able to influence the story if they collect a certain number of hidden items (ten, I think). I didn't attempt to collect all of them, but it's another neat little addition to the game nevertheless.

I didn't encounter any bugs.

One very minor complaint is that the somewhat random pauses in the text were annoying.

Overall, Winter Knight is a decent game to kill some time. It's not particularly memorable, but it's certainly not bad.