Game: Sir Lovelot
Genre: Action, Arcade, Platformer
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam)
Developer|Publisher: pixel.lu | pixel games
Age Rating: EU 12+ | US Teen
Price: US $9.99 | UK £8.99 | EU €9,99
Release Date: March 3rd, 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to Keymailer
The Quest for Love
Sir Lovelot is a 2D platformer with cute as heck pixel graphics. Our hero is on one of the most difficult quests of his knight career. The quest for love! Set in the fairy tale land of Lululand, Sir Lovelot needs to traverse dangerous environments to find Rapunzel – I mean the damsel in the tower. Only she won’t let Sir Lovelot in for a coffee that easily. The toll for entry is an oversized flower found in the environment. It’s a silly premise which I can see some possibly rolling their eyes at. But I kinda dug it. It’s lighthearted pixelated humour that may give the odd giggle and who knows melt your heart.
Say it With Flowers
The simple aim of the game is to collect the flower in each level and reach the damsel in the tower. To achieve this you need to navigate intricate levels filled with hazards like spike pits and buzzsaws. What is it with platformers and buzzsaws? As well as this, there are a few enemies to dispatch and switches to activate locked doors. Each level feels like a little adventure across a fantasy terrain and it was impressive to see the amount of thought and detail put into the level design. A lot is crammed into a single screen yet somehow it doesn’t feel too bloated or overwhelming to follow.
It’s not just about getting the flower, there is plenty of optional extras to do. There are coins to collect and secret geese (with something golden) to find in hidden areas. As you progress further in the game you can grab more gifts for the damsel but the flower remains the only one you must collect to complete the level. All of this stuff is optional and the main appeal for me was to go through the game first, then replay and try to aim for 100%. The game tracks your scores and time from each level so there’s always a small incentive to replay and improve across over forty levels.
Tough but Fair
Sir Lovelot has a nice approach to difficulty. The checkpoints are regular and frequent and if you have taken out an enemy or flipped a switch that action remains constant even after you die. This makes Sir Lovelot a lot more accessible for people looking for a more manageable platform experience. Handy as levels often have multiple sections to explore. Overall the game will probably take a few hours to complete the first time through. For those looking for more of a challenge, there is always the incentive to try and complete the game as fast as possible with all the collectables, a feat that will certainly lengthen the experience.
Responsive Controls
The controls are good for a platformer, movement feels smooth and the jumping controls are responsive. Sir Lovelot can double jump, wall jump and shoot projectiles at enemies to dispatch them. This looks like some sort of retro blaster but hey, it is good at taking down the enemies. I probably shouldn’t think too much into it, this is a video game and I’m supposed to switch my brain off for a few minutes. Sir Lovelot will die instantly from a single hit and quite often but I never felt the controls were to blame for this more just another lesson to learn. The game performs fine in TV and handheld mode the latter being my preferred way to enjoy the experience.
Pixel Fantasy
The graphics are delightfully colourful. Even with a familiar pixel style the sprites and environments are incredibly detailed. Careful attention has been given to the foliage of Lululand with levels being set in cave ruins to graveyards to a delightful autumn-themed area near the end of the game. Character sprites are also just kinda cute. Sir Lovelot looks a bit like Bomberman from the old retro days with a little red cape and the enemies range from snakes, spiky fish to mutant monkeys. There’s also a boss battle to look forward to at the end of the game but I won’t spoil that here.
A Knight to Remember
Sir Lovelot is a nice little pixel platformer that I ended up enjoying a lot more than I expected. The silly premise, cute graphics and forgiving gameplay just won me over and I found it hard to put this game down at times.
It won’t suit everyone but for me, Sir Lovelot took a flower to my heart and I was sold.
Final Verdict: I Like It A lot 