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Knightmare (1991 video game)
Encyclopedia
Knightmare is a computer game on the Amiga
and Atari ST
computer systems. It was released in 1991 by Mindscape International Ltd.
. The game was written by Tony Crowther
. It is based on the Anglia Television Ltd.
TV show Knightmare
.
TV show of the same name, where a group of 4 children attempt to complete a quest. The format of the game differs from the TV show in that the view is in first person
, in the TV show the main player had to wear a helmet
to blind them to their surroundings. Knightmare was written by Tony Crowther, who also created the game Captive. Knightmare uses the same game engine
as Captive and has some similarities. But unlike Captive where parts of the level were computer generated, all the dungeons in the game were designed by hand. Knightmare was published by Mindscape International Ltd. The player is required to complete four quests in order to gain the knowledge and ability to beat Lord Fear, the antagonist
in the game. When developing the game, the developers travelled to Anglia Television
studios to make use of the audio equipment when producing the sound for the game.
and CU Amiga scored the game 91% and 90%, but the game did not escape lower reviews, with Amiga Power
rating the Knightmare 75%. Critics drew attention to how similar Knightmare is to Captive. Amiga Action indicates that the quality of the game makes this less of an issue, while Amiga Power
said the Captive game engine does not look as good as the Beholder game engine that's used in Eye of the Beholder 2. The general gameplay was praised, with the CU Amiga saying it is a game difficult to put down. Also praised was the quality of the sound in the game. The high quality sound requires 1MB of memory to work at its full settings, and the review said it is worth the upgrade. Amiga Action called the game absorbing. Amiga Format
said the game starts out tough and only gets tougher. Amiga Power indicated that the game doesn't take any risks in the field of RPGs
and feels like "role-playing by numbers".
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
computer systems. It was released in 1991 by Mindscape International Ltd.
Mindscape Group
Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. They are now affiliated with EA . As of 2004, the group has offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. It has an annual turnover of €38 million and employs 150 people. Mindscape...
. The game was written by Tony Crowther
Antony Crowther
Antony 'Ratt' Crowther is a former designer, programmer and musician of Commodore 64 games. During the 1980s he worked for Alligata, Gremlin Graphics and later Crowther's own company, Wizard Development....
. It is based on the Anglia Television Ltd.
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
TV show Knightmare
Knightmare
Knightmare is an English television program for children, produced by Broadsword Productions for Anglia Television and was broadcast on ITV from 7 September 1987 to 11 November 1994...
.
Development
Knightmare is based on the CITVCITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
TV show of the same name, where a group of 4 children attempt to complete a quest. The format of the game differs from the TV show in that the view is in first person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
, in the TV show the main player had to wear a helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
to blind them to their surroundings. Knightmare was written by Tony Crowther, who also created the game Captive. Knightmare uses the same game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
as Captive and has some similarities. But unlike Captive where parts of the level were computer generated, all the dungeons in the game were designed by hand. Knightmare was published by Mindscape International Ltd. The player is required to complete four quests in order to gain the knowledge and ability to beat Lord Fear, the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
in the game. When developing the game, the developers travelled to Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
studios to make use of the audio equipment when producing the sound for the game.
Reception
Generally Knightmare was received well. Amiga ActionAmiga Action
Amiga Action was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Europress and ran for 89 full issues, from October 1989 to December 1996, making it the longest running UK Amiga games magazine. After its closure, it was merged into sister publication Amiga...
and CU Amiga scored the game 91% and 90%, but the game did not escape lower reviews, with Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
rating the Knightmare 75%. Critics drew attention to how similar Knightmare is to Captive. Amiga Action indicates that the quality of the game makes this less of an issue, while Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
said the Captive game engine does not look as good as the Beholder game engine that's used in Eye of the Beholder 2. The general gameplay was praised, with the CU Amiga saying it is a game difficult to put down. Also praised was the quality of the sound in the game. The high quality sound requires 1MB of memory to work at its full settings, and the review said it is worth the upgrade. Amiga Action called the game absorbing. Amiga Format
Amiga Format
Amiga Format was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ACE to EMAP, Future split the dual-format title ST/Amiga Format into two separate publications...
said the game starts out tough and only gets tougher. Amiga Power indicated that the game doesn't take any risks in the field of RPGs
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
and feels like "role-playing by numbers".