I’ve only owned a few action platformers, and almost no on my smartphone. However, a few days ago, I looked for new games to play and came across some games that fit my criteria. And luckily, Apple Knight was one of them.
So, in this review about Apple Knight, I want to show you what makes this game so interesting, challenging, and entertaining.
As there are a lot of action platformers available for your smartphone, there are also some games that compete with this game.
Watch the trailer:
How is the gameplay of Apple Knight?
Implementing controls into a mobile game and making sure everything works decently is not that easy as many people think. Especially with Apple Knight, as the game offers many controls like dashing to the side, jumping, attacking, walking/running, and activating a special ability.
Luckily, Limitless (developer of the game) figured out an excellent way to do that. However, if you have bigger hands like me, it also happens that you tap the wrong button by accident. This lead to many close situations or fails during my playtime.
However, a tutorial at the beginning of the game introduces you to the mechanics of the game. The level structure is pretty simple at the beginning of the game, but levels get more complex over time, which makes levels more challenging to clear.
Depending on which difficulty you choose before starting a level, it gets very hard.
| Story: | 2 checkpoints / unlimited lives / Bosses have 50% less health |
| Casual: | 2 checkpoints / 3 lives / Bosses have 20% less health |
| Hard: | No checkpoints / 1 live |
| Ultra Hard: | Hard with only one hearth / Not recommended |
After completing the small tutorial section, you get thrown into a new level immediately, and it’s your mission to reach the end of the level. During the level, you have to fight many different monsters or other enemies like bats, magic casters, or swordsmen.
Also, you can find destroyable objects like chests or jars that contain gold, emeralds or diamonds, and even rare chests. Diamonds or emeralds give you more gold as the regular coins that you can find.
Note: These coins can be used to buy new equipment for your character, like stronger swords, new armor, or abilities. Some chests in the levels can also contain new skills and weapons that give you multiple buffs and more attack power. Having a decent sword can be live-saving sometimes!
Finding a secret chest can sometimes be difficult, especially if there are a lot of enemies around you. Sometimes they even chase you around the level, until you defeat them. Flying magic casters are incredibly annoying (and sometimes hard to beat), as their attacks go literally through walls. Hearth pumping is guaranteed in this game.
Levels vary widely, and sometimes you can’t see what’s coming next, especially if you jump down a cliff. However, saving yourself from dying is not impossible, as you can also use wall jumps.
But chests and other destructible objects are not the only things that flow around in the levels, you can also find apples that allow you to use your special ability. Without “ammo,” you can’t use this skill.
From time to time, you will encounter situations that are challenging to go through without losing hearths, so having some apples is recommended.
When I first started the game, I didn’t expect it to be that complex. Overall, the gameplay is very well done. However, every time you touch an enemy even with a few pixels of yourself, you lose a hearth. There were some moments when I was very close to throwing my phone against the next wall. ?
Besides this, the game is very entertaining to play, as it offers good mechanics, different levels, and challenging moments (parkour is also present sometimes).
Graphics and details:
Apple Knight is a beautiful game in suited in a pixel style that gives the game a unique charm, like in Cube World. The main character, enemies, and the background looks perfect in the pixel style, and the (i think orchestra) background music rounds up the package.
Animation from drops, attacks, or ability effects look fantastic, without any lagging or bugs. However, as far as I played, the music doesn’t really change, so having more soundtracks would improve the overall gameplay experience even more.
Besides this small fact, there is nothing to complain about. The game looks outstanding.
How is Apple Knight monetized:
Limitless used some simple and pretty standard ways to make some money from the game. First, you can buy some cool skins which give different buffs and coins that can be used to purchase weapons or normal skins.
Second, after a few levels, or by interacting with special chests at a level, you can watch advertisements from other games or companies to get coins, hearths, and more. Luckily, the ads placed in the game aren’t annoying, so the gameplay experience is still perfect.
Is Apple Knight worth to spend money on?
In Apple Knight, you can buy multiple different skins that look very different and give you various buffs, like increased health, movement speed, weapon damage, and more.
These skins cost a few dollars, but there is also a special package, which includes all skins (+ future ones), removes ads entirely from the game, and gives you 5.000 coins.
Speaking of coins, you can also buy them separately with four different packages, which give you eighter 1.000, 5.500, 12.000, or 26.000 coins.
Honestly, I don’t see a good reason to buy coins for real money, since you can get almost everything for free. Paid skins give you some extra buffs, but the regular ones are entirely enough to have fun with the game.
However, if you want to support the developers, feel free to buy something in the shop, to support their work.
Does Apple Knight offer long term potential?
Currently, Apple Knight offers four different worlds. Each world contains 10 levels, so there are 40 levels to play for you. But thats not everything, since the game is still in development, so new levels and worlds could be added over the next few updates and patches.
However, as levels don’t take a tremendous amount of time to clear, the game has its limit. If you finished all levels, there is almost nothing more to do besides playing each level with higher difficulty.
This is probably the biggest weakness of the game, in its actual form. But if you play only a few levels every day, you can have some fun for some time. And when the game has 60 to 100 different levels, this game could be an excellent time cutter.
Last words of the review:
I have a good feeling that Apple Knight stays on my watchlist for the future, as the game is very well done and fun to play. But I have to say that it can’t compete with my favorite games over the years, One Piece Treasure Cruise, and Summoners War. But these games are in an entirely different league, as they got produced by big development teams.
Luckily, not every good game has to be made by a big publisher like Com2us, Supercell, or Bandai Namco. Limitless did an excellent job on this game, putting in a lot of love and hard work, which should be rewarded. So, I highly recommend giving this game a shot!
Or did you play Apple Knight previously? If yes, feel free to share your experience with us in the comments.
| ?? Pros of Apple Knight: | ?? Cons of Apple Knight: |
| Challenging | Needs more levels, weapons, and abilities |
| Controls on spot | |
| Fun to play | |
| Beautiful graphics | |
| No needs to spend money | |
| Ad placement very acceptable |
FAQs
Is Apple Knight free to play?
Many mobile games like Apple Knight are often free to download with optional in-app purchases.
How does the difficulty level affect the gameplay in Apple Knight?
The game offers different difficulty levels, each providing a unique gaming experience. The higher the difficulty, the more challenging the game becomes, testing your skills and strategy.
Can I customize my character in Apple Knight?
The game allows you to enhance your character by purchasing new equipment like stronger swords, new armor, or abilities using in-game currency. This adds an element of personalization and progression to the game.
What makes Apple Knight unique compared to other action platformer games?
Apple Knight stands out with its complex level design, variety of enemies, and the ability to upgrade your character. It also offers a unique pixel art style and engaging gameplay mechanics.
What are some tips for beginners starting out in Apple Knight?
Understanding the game’s controls, learning enemy patterns, and effectively using your character’s abilities are crucial for beginners. Also, exploring levels thoroughly can help you find valuable items and secrets that can aid your progress in the game.
