A good enough idea can be the tentpole for a whole game. The Knightling, an upcoming open-world game which seems directly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, is all about the shield. You can shield slide around just like Link does in the open-world Zelda duology, except it's even more important for getting around The Knightling's 3D platformer-style world, delightfully sculpted from ramps and speed boosts that all but scream "shield slide here." But your sentient shield is also your melee weapon, throwing weapon, glider, parry, slow-mo throw, and basically everything else.
We first spotted The Knightling last year, and as developer Twirlbound prepares the game for a PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam release, I was eager to give it a go in Steam Next Fest. Its demo is a condensed, slightly sparse, but instantly enjoyable romp around cute hillsides dotted with treasure, towns, collectibles, and NPCs to assist as our aspiring young knight.
