When Shovel Knight was first released, its impact was widespread on the indie gaming scene and even by large publishers, all taking notice of what Yacht Club Games had done. Many tried to recapture that feeling in their own games, but it just felt like trying to capture lightning in a bottle a second time. While most of these games fall short, one has emerged that has shown itself to be a worthy successor to Shovel Knight’s crown and that is Kraino Origins.
At first glance, Kraino Origins seems to be just another imitator of the well-known game, but as soon as you start playing, you immediately get a feeling that this game is different. Combat is fluid, and possibly even better handled than Shovel Knight, and just feels completely natural. This combat also allows striking in multiple directions, but there are also secrets to find to gain new means of attack.
There really is not much story to the game other than the protagonist Kraino, a skeleton figure with a scythe arriving to vanquish evil. And yet none feels needed at all, as the gameplay is the selling point. You will be journeying through eight main levels fighting zombies, ghosts, ghouls, and gargoyles, and avoiding hazards like fireballs, pits, spikes, swinging saws, and so on and this is what draws you in. In many ways, the horror dressing helps the game have its own identity and do things in ways Shovel Knight could only touch upon, such as certain enemy styles and level designs.
The levels are not super in-depth at first glance but there is more to it than just getting to the end to defeat the boss. The levels have hidden areas such as alternative routes through what seems to be a dead end but is really a breakable wall. Many of these contain either a blue soul to increase your magic meter or a green soul fragment, which there are three of in each level and finding each will increase your health meter. There are also hidden merchants in some of the levels that will sell magic attacks, axe throws or fireballs.
You will earn money by defeating enemies, but also through hidden chests and lamps in each level. Much like in Shovel Knight, getting killed will make you lose money, but you will be able to get it back if you get back to the point where you died. There are checkpoints at each level as well, so do not feel worried about the fact that you will die a lot.
One neat aspect of the game is how the levels and enemies all feel very interactive. Much like its inspiration let you jump on enemies in the style of a pogo stick, Kraino Origins allows you to bounce off of enemies to reach certain spots, and learning how to reach these areas can take time. You will want to replay the levels as often as you can to find a way to progress to each part of the level and you will often find ways to progress in a later level. No matter how short the game looks at first, there is a lot to keep doing, the longer you play.
There are also optional challenge levels between each stage that are shorter stages without checkpoints. These are often great practices for the longer stages and add a great amount of replay value to the game. You can return to these if you want at a later time, so do not feel like you need to do it all at once.
There is a good amount of challenge to each stage and while you will die a lot, you will want to keep going every time. The boss fights all feel unique and different, and each feels satisfying to face with battles that are well done. Some have puzzle-like aspects to them, but there is no set pattern for the bosses, which means you never feel like you are just going through the motions.
Kraino Origins is just a great game, with simple, smooth controls. Everything felt perfectly designed to keep you wanting more and wanting to keep finding more secrets along the way. With a great challenge in the levels and bosses and fun gameplay, this is one game that is very easy to recommend.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
