Sting’s Department Heaven series is one of the most unique compilations of titles out there, spanning three games (currently) and changing the way people think about RPGs.  Atlus has brought over part four in the series: Knights in the Nightmare, a game which appears quite different from its sister titles.

When I returned from E3, jet-lagged and behind on work, a review copy of Knights in the Nightmare awaited me in my stack of mail.  The game taunted me, saying “finish your work so we can play!”  When I finally got to the game, it was everything I had been longing for in a video game since 2009 began.

Learning Curve – Take a Seat, You’ll be here for a While

Since I wanted to be thoroughly educated on the game’s complex battle system, I decided I would play through all the tutorials Knights in the Nightmare had to offer.  Sadly, I made this decision before I looked at how many tutorials there are.  I spent over an hour working my way through them, but as the game doesn’t really provide a tutorial in story mode, this is a must!  There is a bit of repetition, but you can probably tell when you know everything you need to.  It will be when you say to yourself, “Holy crap, I wanna battle NAO!”

Battle System – Ethereal Grid Based Renaissance

The battle system in Knights in the Nightmare takes up more than half of what the game is, since the story progresses automatically between battles.  The player will be given a grid-based map with certain locations where allies  can be placed.  In addition to allies, up to 4 key items or weapons can be brought each turn.  You have the ability to change allies and items at the end of each turn.

Turns last for one minute of “battle” time.  Basically, performing actions deducts from this available time.  When the wisp, which is controlled by your stylus, is hit by an enemy projectile, a set amount of time is also lost.  The turn ends when you run out of time, destroy all enemies, or clear your kill reel (more on that later).

Part one of Atlus’s tutorial videos on YouTube

Everything is controlled with the wisp/stylus, which means dexterity and your ability to multi-task are of the utmost importance.  If you want some practice and own an iPhone, I found this app pretty helpful for working on your dodging skill!  The main action you will be performing with the wisp is giving your allies weapons and telling them which direction to attack, but there is a lot more you can do which I won’t even try to explain now…

Victory is based on a reel at the bottom of the battle screen which is associated with the enemies you have killed.  Killing an enemy in a certain location will earn you a KILL marker.  You need to line up these markers across the reel in the given number of turns or else it is game over.  For boss battles, you just need to make the boss not live anymore, which sounds easy, but bosses in this game provide a heaping portion of challenge.

The reel system between turns for a standard battle (left) and a boss (right)

If you want more details on the battle system, I highly recommend checking out the rest of Atlus’s tutorial videos on YouTube.

Appearance – Medieval Film Noir

Part of what attracted me to Knights in the Nightmare over a year ago was its distinctly darker appearance which really accents the story.  Since the designer who worked on the other two Dept. Heaven titles also worked on Knights in the Nightmare, visually there is a comfortable cohesion with the other games.  I do feel that the style was altered just enough so that the game really stands out still.  Props to the designer JaJa for somehow creating this careful balance of familiarity and distinction.

My review copy of the game included a detailed art book (still available through Amazon) which I spent a good deal of time flipping through.  You can check out a little sample of the art book here.  I was immediately shocked at how many knights were in the book and assumed they were NPCs or something…  While some of them are NPCs, many of them you can battle with and most of them you can recruit.  I swear there must be around 100 unique characters – all beautifully designed.

Story – Before the Chicken was the Egg, Beneath the Chicken was a Nest, Above the Egg was a Chicken

The story flies at the player in an occasionally confusing array of past and present from varying points of view.  At times it is difficult to really feel grounded in the goings-on.  I found that this problem was less severe as I became familiar with the game, but early on I had no clue what was going on.  It’s important to note that those who played the previous titles in the Department Heaven series will probably feel equally lost.

A knight’s past (left) showing her demise and her spirit being recruited in the present (right)

What does stick to my brain I like.  I know that the wisp is the ghost of a great king trying to make his way back to his castle where a horrible massacre of his retainers occurred long ago.  Along the way, he recruits the fallen spirits of those knights to fight a series of monsters and demons.  His goal is to return to the castle and learn what happened to cause the massacre.  Is that not bad-ass?

My favorite part of the game is that recruiting knights permanently (rather than just for one battle) requires that you find an artifact from the knight’s life they have a connection to.  I will give you an example:  I recruited a Warrior who was a bit of a drinker when he was alive.  I showed him his ol’ drinkin’ cup and he fondly remembered his life.  The bond he had to drinking apparently gave him a strong enough connection to the present for him to fight alongside the wisp.  There are tons of these artifacts to be found throughout the game, some are harder to acquire than others.

Final Thoughts

The last time I remember playing a game as mind-blowingly unique as Knights in the Nightmare was The World Ends With You.  I suppose you could say that the game is this year’s breakthrough title in terms of originality.

On a more personal note, I can say without a doubt this is my favorite title of 2009.  On every level, Knights in the Nightmare brings something new and amazing to the table.  The initial learning process and slight confusion concerning the story is the only hurdle to overcome.  After that you will find yourself falling in a love with an extremely unique and fun game.

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