Knights Contract

Overview

Announced via Famitsu, Knights Contract is a third-person action game released in late February 2011. The game has been compared to other action titles such as Bayonetta and God of War. This was the last game to be developed by the now-defunct Japanese studio, Game Republic.

Gameplay

Knights Contract is divided up into 20 episodes. Players are ranked on each episode based on time, combos, finishers, deaths etc. Knights Contract's combat system uses a light and heavy attack system which can be chained together into a combo to deal more damage. Combos can also be chained together with Gretchen's magic attacks. To mix things up, Knights Contract includes platforming and puzzle-solving to advance through the game. Players will need to complete God of War-like quick-time events to defeat the larger bosses.

To aid players in the adventure is Gretchen the witch, who possesses both offensive and defensive magical abilities. Not only can she attack enemies but she can heal both Heinrich and herself when carried. Carrying her is vital as she needs to be fully protected by the player due to her limited health. Due to Heinrich's immortality, he himself cannot be killed in combat and is merely incapacitated once his health is depleted. Players can revive Heinrich through a sequence of button mashing. Game Over only occurs if Gretchen's health is reduced to zero.

Plot

Knights Contract takes place in the middle ages, more specifically, 17th century Europe. Witches are hated in this time due to the belief that it was they who brought about the plague which has gripped humanity, and as a result of which many of them have been captured and executed. Heinrich Hofmann is an expert witch-hunter plagued by a curse set on him by Gretchen; a witch who was executed by Heinrich on the orders of a man called Dr. Faust. The curse she put on him was the curse of immortality.

100 years following the executions and Heinrich's curse, hordes of monsters created by Dr. Faust have been set free in the world and the executed witches have been reincarnated to seek revenge on the humans that killed them. A reincarnated Gretchen hopes to put a stop to Dr. Faust and the other witches by joining forces with the man who executed her. Heinrich must now protect Gretchen while attempting to lift his own curse and defeat Dr. Faust.