A Massive Welcome To Knights Peak
In a year of what seems to be nothing but bad news stories for the industry, it is my absolute pleasure to let you all know about a good news one for a change. MY.GAMES, a publisher and developer out of Amsterdam that previously focused on mobile games has announced Knights Peak, their new PC and Console focused wing that aims to not only bring a diverse range of titles to all platforms but seemingly buck the industry trends of studios being shut down.
I was lucky enough to be able to sit in with a range of people from Knights Peak as they explained who they are and what their goals are and it was so wonderful to see the almost childlike joy that everyone who spoke showed about this new venture. What was even more heartening is that Knights Peak seems to be making sure those who have been part of recent layoffs have somewhere to go. Honestly, it was heartwarming to see these people land on their feet in a place that was exhibiting so much enthusiasm.
But all the good intentions in the world are for naught if you don’t have the games to back it up. Thankfully Knights Peak seems to be kicking things off in a grand way with a solid slate of new titles as well as taking on a couple of existing games and bringing them into the future. Perhaps the biggest title on their list of games is once I have been watching closely during its EA period and honestly, it now sounds like it is going to be an absolutely must-have when it hits version 1.0.
That game is Starship Troopers Extermination. Developed by Offworld Industries, the game is currently in early access on Steam but Knights Peak are bringing it to console as both a physical and digital release on October 11 this year. In the demo, I got to see there were a couple of big features that are coming to the game that, in my opinion at least, will tip this game into the must-play category. The first is the new persistent bodies tech that allows piles and piles of bugs to build up as you kill them. The big kicker is that players will be able to use these piles of bodies as barriers or climb to the top of them for a clear vantage point from which to attack. The other big feature is that the game will feature a full, 20-mission single-player campaign featuring none other than the original Roughneck himself, Casper van Dien, reprising his role of Johnny Rico from the movies. As a long-time Troopers fan, it was a buzz to see Casper introduce his role and then hear him throughout the demo.
The second game shown off was Nikoderiko: The Magical World. A platformer that features a pair of charming mongooses in the lead role. The game is being developed by VEA Games a team that is chock full of platform game talent that has worked on titles like Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze and Rayman. That history is immediately apparent because the gameplay for Nikoderiko immediately put me in the mind of Donkey Kong and I mean that in the best possible way. I honestly think there aren’t enough of these sorts of games outside of the Nintendo Switch so it is wonderful to see this one coming late this year on all consoles and PC.
The final game on Knights Peak’s new game list was Mandragora, a 2D sidescroller that takes elements from Souls games and is set in a gothic fantasy realm. Perhaps the closest game I can compare it to is Blasphemous. The art style here is the real highlight with some amazing enemy designs and stunning environments. This won’t be a game for everyone, but I can imagine that people it clicks with are going to love it. Mandragora is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series late this year.
Along with these three new titles, Knights Peak has also picked up both Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Blast Brigade as two existing titles that they will handle future content for. Both titles are available now and hopefully have a bright future ahead under their new guides.
So join me in welcoming Knights Peak to the industry. Their initial lineup is great and I can’t wait to see what is next from the publisher.
