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In Type Knight, you fight skeletons, bats, wraiths and more via the awesome power of your rapid (and hopefully accurate) typing.

Note: Key provided by the developer.

Released last month, Type Knight appears to be the first game by this developer and took around 18 months to deliver the final version on Steam after several demos on Itch.

As the titular "Type Knight", you automatically walk through the graveyard while enemies approach from the right of the screen with words above their heads - type that word and your character delivers an oddly satisfying swipe of his sword to decimate them.

The game is split into sections, starting with two waves of skeletons, but rapidly adding bats, wraiths and finally a boss fight.

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There are some really nice touches in this little gem. While retro, the graphics are quite pretty with parallax scrolling and some random weather effects. Animation is basic, but as I previously mentioned, also quite satisfying.

There are a few things I don't like, although at this price, that's to be expected. The game will only run in a window, and only in a 4:3 scale, which feels a little odd on today's widescreen monitors. I should also point out that while I've tagged it "educational", the game is quite unforgiving - I touch type at around 45 words per minute and I struggled to get past the first boss on the lowest skill level. The problem is that there's not much wiggle room for error. If you fail on a skeleton, you can become quickly mired by a second skeleton as you correct your first mistake. This is compounded by a lack of a "start word again" mechanic: you have to backspace your error as you would normally... meanwhile, bats might be swarming, and a wraith might also be asking for a defensive "red" word to be completed or you'll take even more damage!

Luckily, the game does offer one power up as you play - you get to assign a word to that power up and then you have three uses - type the word to defeat everything on the screen! Personally I'm fond of assigning "boom", but "help" works quite well, as does "wuss" and "argh". I'm reasonably certain that other four-letter words might also work pretty well!

The game also offers the ability to import your own word dictionary and play with that. You can even restrict certain characters from appearing at all. Finally, you can optionally play that new dictionary in classic mode, or in sequence.

This charming little game isn't going to change the world, but at £2.89/$3.99, Type Knight will while away an hour or two and who knows, maybe you'll become a faster typist as a result.

You can pick it up on Itch, or Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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I'm Neil, an avid Linux user since 2006 and a Linux-only gamer since 2013. I used to contribute to GOL's Funding Crowd articles, but now contribute the odd article directly, most recently the Play It Now series, and the IYL articles.

I also occasionally dabble a bit in Python, I do Internet Security for a living and finally, I'm a big fan of Neil Degrasse Tyson. And not just because he has a cool first name.
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13 comments
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dpanter Nov 24, 2019
"retro arade" huh? Clever girl...
Liam Dawe Nov 24, 2019
Quoting: dpanter"retro arade" huh? Clever girl...
Fixed.
Nezchan Nov 24, 2019
Quoting: Liam Dawe
Quoting: dpanter"retro arade" huh? Clever girl...
Fixed.

Too late, the zombie got you.
scaine Nov 24, 2019
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45 words per minute - but nearer 60 if you discount all those pesky spelling errors!
rawpotato Nov 25, 2019
QuoteThis is compounded by a lack of a "start word again" mechanic: you have to backspace your error as you would normally

If you go in Options -> Game, theres a setting "Keybinding "erase all"". I don't remember the default, I set mine to tab.
dpanter Nov 25, 2019
Quoting: Liam Dawe
Quoting: dpanter"retro arade" huh? Clever girl...
Fixed.
Aww you should have kept it, I didn't send a correction report as I wasn't sure if it was on purpose... but I thought it was a nice touch to have a typo in the headline for a spelling game regardless. :)
Maath Nov 25, 2019
It is interesting the report about this game being unforgiving even for an experienced touch typist. Generally in other genres, when someone has difficulties with the game, the retort is "git gud." But this precludes the fact that people have different reaction times or speeds with which they can mash buttons.

I could never finish Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy simply because I couldn't hit the buttons fast enough for their quick time events. This is unfortunate, because I liked the story line, and would have liked to know how it ended.

I don't think games need an "easy mode," but if I could just slow the game down a bit, then I could at least have some reasonable chance of completing it. I don't think that is too much to ask of developers.
scaine Nov 25, 2019
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I suppose you could make the game easier by including your own dictionary which has easier words in it? The default starts really easy, but by the time you're coming up on the boss battle, you're getting words like 'aurora', 'epiphet' or 'disentangled'... when you're trying to type three of those, while warding off the smaller three/four letter bats AND defending from the wraith, well, it can get pretty tough. You'll need your kill-all word a couple of times, I suspect.

Useful to know that there's a clear-all key bind. Dunno how I missed that!
Nezchan Nov 25, 2019
Quoting: MaathI don't think games need an "easy mode," but if I could just slow the game down a bit, then I could at least have some reasonable chance of completing it. I don't think that is too much to ask of developers.

I think developers need to consider more user control over things like speed of input, damage done/received, how long a QT event gives you, etc. so as to avoid the stigma that "easy mode" carries with it in the gaming community. Honestly, there shouldn't be any shame in making the game more accessible for people who need it, or simply want it to seem like fun rather than work. But here we are.

I think CrossCode handles this very well, with a set of sliders (labled "Assists") for damage, enemy attack frequency, and puzzle timing, that you could adjust at any time during the game. Even during a boss battle. This gives lots of freedom, increases accessibility, doesn't affect the enjoyment of someone who doesn't want to touch them, and neatly sidesteps the idea that "easy mode" is a bad thing for some reason. Win-win!
Maath Nov 26, 2019
Quoting: Nezchan
Quoting: MaathI don't think games need an "easy mode," but if I could just slow the game down a bit, then I could at least have some reasonable chance of completing it. I don't think that is too much to ask of developers.

I think developers need to consider more user control over things like speed of input, damage done/received, how long a QT event gives you, etc. so as to avoid the stigma that "easy mode" carries with it in the gaming community. Honestly, there shouldn't be any shame in making the game more accessible for people who need it, or simply want it to seem like fun rather than work. But here we are.

I think CrossCode handles this very well, with a set of sliders (labled "Assists") for damage, enemy attack frequency, and puzzle timing, that you could adjust at any time during the game. Even during a boss battle. This gives lots of freedom, increases accessibility, doesn't affect the enjoyment of someone who doesn't want to touch them, and neatly sidesteps the idea that "easy mode" is a bad thing for some reason. Win-win!

I'll have to give CrossCode a try, then. I like that idea. I play all games in their easiest difficulty setting at first. Games that I have enjoyed greatly, I have replayed at higher difficulties. It's just nice to have that option.
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