Sir Lovelot

For as long as I can remember, video game characters have always been in long-term, monogamous relationships. Just look at how Sir Arthur is yet again saving Prin-Prin in the newest Ghosts 'N Goblins game, Ken ended Street Fighter II by getting married to Eliza and, despite a few dalliances with Daisy and Pauline, Mario has been with Princess Peach since the Reagan administration. But what about all of those single heroes who aren't ready to settle down? Why don't we see more video game characters playing the field? That seems to be the premise of Sir Lovelot, a new throwback action game starring a knight who is always looking for his next conquest, if you know what I mean. But is this passionate platformer a frolicking good time? Or will it leave you unfulfilled? I spent a night with Sir Lovelot and this is what I found out.

Sir Lovelot is a simple man. He fights monsters, saves distressed damsels and then immediately breaks their hearts; a pattern he repeats countless times as he travels across the dangerous fantasy world. The levels may get tougher and the obstacles are definitely deadlier, but that's not going to stop him from his carnal desire to bed every woman with long, climbable hair. It's true love ... at least until the sun comes up and he leaves for his next adventure.

At its core, Sir Lovelot is a mix between Super Meat Boy and Mega Man. On one hand, it's a tough and elaborate 2D platformer where you'll need to double-jump and wall slide with pinpoint precision. On top of that, Sir Lovelot is also an exciting shooter, where we use our gun to take out the many monsters that get in the way of the one-night-stand. We'll need to use both the platforming and action elements to survive the increasingly difficult levels, pick up the all-important flowers and then woo the damsel in distress.

Obviously, this is not the first game to attempt this style of punishing 2D platformer, but Sir Lovelot does it better than most. A lot of this comes down to the level designs, which start out simple, but quickly ramp up to become devilishly difficult. Each of the more than 40 stages is spread across multiple screens and are filled with secret areas to explore. In fact, a big part of the game involves searching for invisible paths to geese with collectable golden eggs, an idea that the game keeps adding to the further in you get. By the end of the game, you'll not only need to find the flowers and eggs, but also coins, rings and rare gems. And if you really want to beat the stage in style, do all that before the sunsets, or else you won't get the time bonus.

It's not just the collectables that change and evolve over the course of the game, but also the obstacles. Sir Lovelot is split into four distinct parts of the map, with each introducing its own set of challenges and enemies. For example, one of the first new additions are swimming sections, which are later followed by levers and buttons you'll need to use to open gates and unlock floating platforms. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but the game adds just enough new from stage to stage to keep the momentum going for at least a few hours.

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This is also a great platformer for anybody who is normally scared off by the genre's punishing difficulty. Sir Lovelot is great about checkpoints, which is already a departure from a lot of the Super Meat Boy wannabes. And it goes beyond starting over on the screen where you died, because the game also remembers the enemies you killed, the items you picked up and more. Every level is doable, though it may take some gamers a bunch of tries to reach the damsel's long and surprisingly strong hair. For those looking for a much tougher experience, there's a lot of incentive to complete each stage without dying, something that gets a lot harder as we enter the second half of the adventure.

No matter how you play it, I think most people will agree that Sir Lovelot is a gorgeous game. I love the detailed pixel graphics and smooth animation. The first-time developer has found a way to make the normally boring caverns and castles burst with personality. It's in both the small and big touches, such as the subtle background changes and the memorable enemy designs. You are a tiny character in a giant world, which only adds to the epic feel of the adventure. That said, part of me wishes that the four worlds were a little more unique looking. Don't get me wrong, the stages look great, but they have a bad habit of blending together after a while. Sir Lovelot could have used a more extreme shift in color and tone from one area to the next.

My other big complaint about the game, believe it or not, involves the gameplay. This is a game that demands great control in order to pull off the many precise platforming puzzles. Sir Lovelot has tight gameplay that more than gets the job done, but there's a catch -- you can't use the D-pad. Normally speaking, I'm not a fan of using the analog sticks to control 2D platformers, but it's fine here. I got used to it, even if it's not ideal. What's puzzling is why they wouldn't give you the option, since the D-pad goes unused throughout the entire adventure. It's the one thing you want from this type of game, so I'm honestly a little shocked to see it missing. It's one of the very few things holding back what is otherwise a really great debut release from developer Pixel Games.