Knytt

I came across this game quite sometime ago, but for some reason I didn't end up playing it right away. Looking back, I wish I had though, since this game can really teach you a lot about game design. Simplicity is its biggest strength and it has certainly inspired me to start my own 2D project.

You play a small creature who, after being abducted by an alien in a spaceship, is forced to look for the pieces that will help repair the vessel after it was hit by a meteor.

The knytt (which apparently means something like "tiny creature" in Swedish) can jump, climb walls and has a sort of sixth sense that enables it to know exactly the direction where the closest piece might be. This works much like a compass in that it tells you your relative position to the nearest ship part. If you played Shadow of the Colossus you'll know that, despite being aware of where the next colossus is, you still have to explore the area in order to find it. The same goes for Knytt, and just like in SotC the world you traverse is both strange and beautiful.

The landscapes are varied and feature some non-playable characters that, while not very active, add to the atmosphere. There is also no dialogue in Knytt. Even so, sound ends up being one of the game’s most important aspects. The music always makes sure the mood is set appropriately and, along with the backgrounds, gives life to a world that in its simplicity manages to feel fresh and original.

 

Knytt is freeware and you can download it here. Unfortunately it’s only for Windows, but I still think every Mac/Linux user should give it a try.