Review for Portal Knights. Game for PlayStation Network, PC, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/02/2016 The version for PC came out on 31/12/2017 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 23/11/2017 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 31/12/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 31/12/2017
Talking about "Minecraft Killer" in 2017 is something that borders on ridicule, but when you are faced with titles like Portal Knights the temptation is great. Since that distant 2009, many cubed games have appeared on the market, but always in the shadow of the giant of Mojang. As we had already smelled from its early access version though Portal Knights it could be the first and only real competitor worthy of the name.
Born late, but born very well
Let's face it, while Minecraft is still going big among YouTube trends, the cube sandbox market has been settled for years. Although Portal Knights is clearly superior in every aspect to the Mojang title, it will never even touch the boom of the latter, but does not detract from the fact that it could give many joys to lovers of the genre.
What has impressed us since the beta in Portal Knights it is its completeness. Games of this genre always tend to focus on a single aspect, enhancing it and forgetting the rest (a lot of crafting but little action, many fights but little creation etc.), in Portal Knights instead we found everything.
The game immediately greets us with a dull but almost never present character creation in this genre of games. In this phase, in addition to the physical aspect, you can decide the class among the three available: warrior, archer and magician. The choice of the class compared to the beta, where only the automatic advancement of the statistics changed will profoundly change the gameplay. Each of the three has its own talent branch and unique equipment (armor and three types of weapons per class). As for the statistics, however, the title gives us complete freedom in the distribution of points acquired through level up.
Sword, bow or wand in hand, the title does not disappoint, offering a combat system as simple as it is satisfying. Picking up a bit broadly from the Souls, the combat feels very action-packed and fun, with one button to attack and another to dodge. Nothing incredibly deep or groundbreaking, but fun enough that you won't get bored every time you accidentally attract an enemy's attention.
But let's not forget about crafting
Although until now we have focused on the RPG component of the title and its combat, let's not forget that we are talking about a sanbox based on crafting. As we have already made clear Portal Knights is an extremely complete title and this feature shows its teeth even more in crafting and construction. Hundreds of objects, tools, weapons, blocks and much more can be manufactured from the various work tables, never leaving you without something to do.
The materials present are not many in relation to the enormous size of the world, but to the presence of many worlds. By building special portals, you can travel between various randomly generated islands. Perhaps here we find the first sore point of the title, having to travel frequently between the various flying islands you will often find yourself exploring the game menu, which is quite difficult with the PS4 pad (problem non-existent therefore on PC).
The content does not stop there, in addition to being able to create objects and build beautiful structures you will also have to explore several dungeons. In fact, scattered throughout the various game worlds there are many dungeons full of enemies, rare objects and even bosses. There are no loopholes, if you love survival then Portal Knights will fulfill your every wish.
Unfortunately, the title is not perfect. The major defects are felt in the technical sector, not very solid and with many small lacks and errors that will often undermine the gaming experience. Also in the sound there are some errors, such as the disappearance of ambient sounds in random moments of the adventure or the equally casual disappearance of music. Our testing took place before patch day one, so many of the game errors may have been fixed.
We expected a lot from Portal Knights and the guys at Keen Games didn't let us down. Free construction in a blocky world, important but simple and not bulky RPG components, dynamic and fun combat system, various worlds, enemies and dungeons always ready to surprise us, Portal Knights really has it all.
► Portal Knights is a game published by 505 Games for PlayStation Network, PC, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/02/2016 The version for PC came out on 31/12/2017 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 23/11/2017 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 31/12/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 31/12/2017
