Toys in the attic
Location: at home
Date Played: July 2023
Team size: 1
Duration: 2-4 hours
Price: $9.99 on Steam and Quest
REA Reaction
In the developer’s own words, A Knight in the Attic is a “cozy and relaxing” game, and that is 100% true. Seated in a nice and comfy chair, I found myself playing through it in several long bursts. Having only 12 playable levels that took 10 to 15 minutes each, there weren’t many of these play sessions but they were all some of the most chill gaming time I’ve had in a while. The only major breaks in the relaxed vibe were the multiple times I attempted to manipulate an object only to accidentally grab my character which resulted in sending her back to the previous checkpoint.
A Knight in the Attic reimagines the legends of King Arthur, more specifically the legends around Guinevere, who was the playable character. In the game, all characters were seated atop marbles and rolled around the map. There were mazes to find my way through and environmental puzzles to solve, sometimes requiring the use of special objects I found along my journey. None of the puzzles were particularly difficult to complete, although I haven’t found each collectible yet after my playthrough so there may be some more depth to the challenges that I haven’t encountered yet.
I found myself appreciating how the whole game felt like a learning experience. Just about every map added a new element to master and overall A Knight in the Attic built up the progressive difficulty slowly and steadily. The puzzles won’t pose a big challenge to experienced solvers, but between the relaxing atmosphere, the unusual gameplay mechanic, and the twist on the familiar world of King Arthur, this is a game that can be enjoyed by anyone.
Who is this for?
- Dexterity puzzle lovers
- Fans of the Labyrinth marble game
- Players of any experience level, especially if they are new to VR
- Solo players
Why play?
- A novel gameplay mechanic that works very well in VR
Story
A Knight in the Attic is based in a world of Arthurian legends…that takes place in your attic. Guinevere awakens after being in a mysterious slumber, and your job is to roll her around the kingdom and find King Arthur.
Gameplay
Mighty Yell’s A Knight in the Attic was a VR play-at-home puzzle game with an easy-to-medium level of difficulty.
A Knight in the Attic is primarily a dexterity game based on the marble maze game Labyrinth with some added puzzle-solving elements. Players roll Guinevere around a series of maps, navigating obstacles and using special items to solve puzzles.
Analysis
➕ A Knight in the Attic is a relatively simple game to understand and get good at. It’s good for casual gamers and anyone new to VR.
➖ This is a game that is on the short side. It’s right for the price, but I’d love to see more maps to play, especially if the difficulty increases.
➕ Multiple inputs to control the tilt of the board means players can choose their preferred control style.
➖ I ran into some issues with grabbing small objects and occasionally grabbed my Guinevere piece by accident, which moves her back to the last checkpoint.
➕ It offered good use of progressive difficulty. Each level added new challenges to learn how to overcome.
➕ There is replayability in the form of collectibles that help to tell the full story of the game.
🐶🐱 This is the only game I have ever seen with a section in the credits to thank “Animal Friends.”
Tips For Players
- Space Requirements: A comfortable seat. This game can be played entirely in stationary VR mode.
- Required Gear: A VR headset.
Buy your copy of Mighty Yell’s A Knight in Attic, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Mighty Yell provided a comp’d play.
