Future Knight Review
Studio Koba’s sidescrolling action platformer Future Knight recreates the look of vintage LCD handhelds.
Future Knight. Credit: Studio Koba / Aeternum Game Studios
Future Knight is another banger from Studio Koba. Following the excellent Haneda Girl, the studio is proving itself a master of sidescrolling platformers.
You play as the title character, a robot built from the remains of a ’90s TV action star and modeled after his most famous role. Your creator is Professor Nakamura, returning from Haneda Girl, who sends you back in time with eight hours to stop the Lady of the Past from wiping humanity’s minds and starting her pyramid-based cult. Nakamura didn’t just revive you. He also brought to life Two More, the tumor that killed you, as your sidekick.
Haneda Girl had you fighting in and out of your mech, and Future Knight takes a similar approach. You mostly play as Future Knight, but you’ll occasionally eject the highly vulnerable Two More to use his unique abilities. Playing as one restores the other’s life or energy. Dashing back into Future Knight as Two More can also trigger devastating attacks that add a lot to the rhythm of combat. The combat and platforming both feel great.
Future Knight. Credit: Studio Koba / Aeternum Game Studios
The game becomes more challenging at the halfway point. That isn’t to say the first half is boring by any means. Every level is a joy, with new gimmicks and enemies introduced gradually to spice things up, including a biome that dips into another genre of game entirely. I felt compelled to explore each level to its fullest to find all three optional triangle collectibles. The bosses at the end of each biome are all memorable, though not especially challenging.
The first thing I noticed about the game are its striking visuals. The game looks like a handheld LCD game from the ’80s or ’90s, like a Game & Watch or a classic Tiger Electronics game. It faithfully recreates the look while giving the sprites actual animations and fluid movement to avoid the stiffness of those old games. The backgrounds even hint at which enemies could appear through baked-in outlines, just like those old displays did. The character and enemy designs are also fantastic, showcasing the studio’s unique sense of humor.
I usually don’t talk about music in games, but I need to highlight Future Knight’s soundtrack. I absolutely loved the game’s “electro a cappella” score by Salvinsky. It’s distinctive and a total bop.
Steam lists Aeternum Game Studios as a co-developer, but Future Knight looks and feels 100% like a Studio Koba joint. I can’t wait to see what Studio Koba does next. I don’t just love their latest two games. I love the loose universe they’ve created for their stories and I want to spend more time there.
Future Knight
Future Knight is another Studio Koba banger, with fluid combat and platforming, a brilliantly executed LCD aesthetic, and a soundtrack I absolutely loved.
Studio Koba’s sidescrolling action platformer Future Knight recreates the look of vintage LCD handhelds.