KnightShift

450 MHz CPU (1.5+ GHz CPU recommended)
Graphics card with Transform and Lighting support (Shader1 graphics card recommended)
128 MB RAM (256 MB RAM recommended)

medium

2 CD-ROM

language

German

Age rating

USK

KnightShift (Polish original title: Polanie II ) is a computer game by the Polish studio Reality Pump from 2003. It is the official successor to Polanie , which was published in Germany by TopWare as Victory . It includes two modes with different game principles, computer role play and real-time strategy game , which are linked to one another via a frame narration. Was published KnightShift for Windows on 16 September 2003 on the Topware Nachfolgunternehmen Zuxxez Entertainment , which includes the development studio owned.

Gameplay

The game is a mix of real-time strategy and role play. While games such as Spellforce or Warcraft 3 combine both genres , Knightshift contains two separate game modes. In the initial Diablo-like role-playing mode, you control a character from a bird's eye view . You have to solve quests and improve your character. In the subsequent strategy mode, however, you first set up a base in which warriors and workers are recruited with the help of the only resource milk. The aim of the game is then to drive away the opponent and destroy his units and buildings. Both modes together form a continuous, consecutive single player campaign. There is also a battle mode against the computer and a multiplayer mode.

RPG mode

action

Prince Siegfried was thrown from the throne by the evil magician Boldwin and banished to a parallel dimension, the Nexus. The priest Thadeus tries to save the prince together with eight heroes. In the role-play mode (see above), the player takes control of one of the heroes and must defeat Syff, the queen of the underworld, to save Siegfried. The player crosses eight chapters and has to solve numerous side tasks.

Playable figures

Amazon: The Amazon is a scantily clad fighter who fights with magic wands, protects herself with magical rings, belts and amulets and can create a reflection of herself.
Barbarian: The barbarian can handle melee weapons such as swords, axes and clubs, but cannot wear armor, only a helmet and a shield.
Archer: The archer is the only one who can handle a bow and arrow and set traps. He also wears no armor, but protective amulets.
magician: The magician fights with wands and can set magical traps. He wears magical amulets, rings and belts for protection. As the only spellcaster in the game, he has the passive ability to reflect magical attacks
priestess: The priestess also fights with wands and protects herself with magical belts, amulets and rings. Her special ability is the magic shield.
Knight: The knight fights with swords, axes, clubs and similar weapons. He also wears a shield, armor and a helmet.
Javelin thrower: The javelin thrower fights with spears and similar weapons. He can use this in both close and long-range combat. He protects himself with a shield, a helmet and magical amulets.

Strategy mode

action

The campaign begins as soon as the role-play part mission has been successfully completed and the Prince of Thadeus has been brought back. The player now has control of Prince Siegfried and tries to free the land of Boldwin in the following missions:

The long way to the throne: Prince Siegfried is freed from Boldwin's captivity by Thadeus using teleportation. The prince now tries to free the country from Boldwin and his subjects with the help of the knight Lancelot and some followers.
The kidnapping of the princess: Princess Liza, Prince Siegfried's fiancee, is kidnapped by bandits. Siegfried sets out to save his beloved and has to fight skeletons and other monsters.
The Dragon: A village is attacked by a dragon and most of it is burned. The villagers call for help from the prince, who is supposed to take action against the dragon. Before that, however, he still has to find some objects of protection and attack. His soldiers support him in this.

Skirmish

In this mode the player can fight against the computer. First you choose a card, with each card having a certain number of players / opponents. A maximum of eight players (i.e. seven opponents and one player) can fight against each other.

Destroy buildings: You win when all opposing buildings are destroyed. There are different buildings that can be erected, and each has different construction costs, units, and unit capacities. You can upgrade all buildings, except the cow stalls, with better weapons and better magical abilities.

battle: You win when all opposing units are destroyed. You start with a building and cannot build any more, only produce units.

Playable figures

The Lumberjack: Construct buildings and can also go into battle. He lives in a wooden hut .
The cow: The cow is a very important figure, as it gives milk to the cow stalls and thus the opportunity to buy and build new things. She lives in the cowshed .
The shepherd boy: It makes cows graze faster, which means they produce more milk. The shepherd boy can also bring the enemy's cows to his side and tame wild animals. He lives in the cowshed.
The archer: The archer has the ability to sneak in order to spy on the enemy. He is defeated in close combat, but has the option of standing on a watchtower. He lives in a wooden hut.
The warrior: The warrior is a very strong hand-to-hand fighter. He carries a shield, helmet, armor and sword and lives in a barrack .
The javelin thrower: Javelin throwers have better chances than archers in close combat because they can stab with their spears and are better equipped than they with their helmets and shields. Like the warriors, they have barracks for housing.
The Knight: The knight lives in a courtyard and is one of the best fighters in the village and also increases the morale of his fellow combatants.
The mother in law: It is able to take over enemy buildings and makes lumberjacks work faster. Your dwelling is the wooden hut.
The priest: Can summon wild animals, teleport himself from one place to another and send out an explorer. He lives in the temple .
The witch: The witch is the only character who can fly. Your only danger is javelin throwers and archers. She also lives in the temple .
The priestess: She has the magical abilities to cause a storm, to convert some enemies on her side and to let a protective spell work for her. The priestess lives in the warlock's tower .
The sorcerer: The magician throws fireballs with his staff and can summon a hail of fire. He also turns opponents into cows. He also lives in the warlock's tower.

Multiplayer

In multiplayer mode, both RTS can and RPG games are played. It is possible to play on the Internet via the Earthnet . There are also chat rooms and various channels available.

Others

The game includes a map editor that can be used to create your own maps for role play and strategy modes. The game contains two graphics engines ; one supports graphics cards with T&L units, the other is designed for graphics cards with pixel shaders .

GameStar argument

The game magazine GameStar published a critical test on Knightshift in its 10/2003 issue , in which it denounced numerous bugs and gave it a fun rating of 69%. Zuxxez complained that GameStar only created its test on the basis of an incomplete development version, which explains the program errors found and verifiable misrepresentations in the test. The company therefore obtained an injunction against the magazine, which prohibited the distribution of the test. The GameStar rejected this representation. These are just minor errors that have no effect on the final grade. Nevertheless, according to Topware, the publisher signed a declaration of cease and desist and undertook to print a detailed counter-statement by Zuxxez in the following issue of GameStar.

successor

A sequel with the title Knightshift 2: Curse of Souls was announced, but after several postponements it was discontinued in favor of the role-playing game Two Worlds .

Web links

Official German homepage
KnightShift at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

[1] ygames.com

[2] .de

[3] .de

[4] swelt.de