Nightkeep Demo

As simple as they might appear to a modern gamer used to CryEngine or Unreal Engine 4, 2D platformers are anything but simple, especially when it comes to gameplay mechanics. Granted, some parts are easier to create when one dimension is missing entirely, but in order for a platformer to be fun and memorable, a lot of different elements must work together flawlessly.

Nightkeep is an upcoming action-platformer with fast-paced mechanics, an exploration element, as well as some RPG ingredients added for flavor. The result is a very potent mix that should make the fans of the genre happy, even in this early iteration of the project, which lacks certain features. The focus is on action and the story, so it’s not just a mindless drag through wave after wave of enemies.

The story is fairly interesting as well, albeit not that concentrated in the demo at hand. In essence, the plot revolves around two huntresses who are sent by their guild to the Nightkeep village in order to do some work. Naturally, the situation degenerates once they get there, so by the end the two girls are actually deciding the fate of an entire kingdom through their actions.

Nightkeep does not try to create everything from scratch, which is why many of the gameplay elements are just reincarnations of the ones you may be familiar with from older games. You can swing swords, shoot ranged projectiles, jump and dodge, but their functionality has been refined and extended somewhat. On top of that, there’s also the matter of magical artifacts that increase your power over time.

Thus, there’s a sense of progression as you go deeper into the story, given the fact that your characters acquire more knowledge and greater power. It should also be mentioned that the retro artwork is sublime, especially in terms of backgrounds, because for once they are not just random tiles repeated ad infinitum. The animations are not bad either, and the soundtrack is pretty much a work in progress at this point.

Seeing how many titles described as “retro” nowadays are just ugly games labeled as such in an attempt to explain the low pixel count, it’s refreshing to see something like Nightkeep out there. Hence, we can only hope that the developer keeps putting the same level of devotion into the game until a final version hits the shelves. Until then, however, you can show your support by participating in the game's IndieGoGo campaign.