Gryphon Knight Epic – What We think:

From the get-go, Gryphon Knight Epic made me realize two things: 1) Fairy tales don’t always have happy endings, and 2) Shoot ‘em up games stress me out.

Nonetheless, this medieval 2D experience starring a noble knight and his trusty gryphon had me on quite the emotional roller coaster, ranging from a gratifying “I’m enjoying this” to a disappointed “That’s it?”

Developed by Cyber Rhino Studios, Gryphon Knight Epic begins by introducing the backstory of Sir Oliver, who coincidentally has slayed a dragon, won the love of a beautiful princess, and saved the kingdom from its demise. It’s basically your typical fairy tale story in a nutshell…or is it?

Sir Oliver, The Downtrodden

Now that I’ve got you at the edge of your seat in suspense, allow me to assure you Sir Oliver’s story doesn’t end there. When the dragon was conquered, other heroes involved in its defeat acquired impressive weaponry and left Sir Oliver with nothing but what appeared to be a silly pendant.

Of course, nothing is ever what it seems; Sir Oliver becomes bored of his simple life and craves adventure, but who knew he’d approach danger on his way to purchase some goods? Well, OK, I kind of did, because the plot was a tad predictable.

Note: the following is a review of the PS4 Version.

The beginning level, also titled as the tutorial, put me face to face with what seemed to be my evil half, claiming my so-called silly pendant wasn’t as silly as I’d presumed. At first, evil Oliver annihilated me, but I had the choice to go back and replay any stage at any time, whether it was to attain more gold or challenge myself at a higher difficulty. In this case, I totally replayed the tutorial to show my evil self who the real man in charge was. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Double Trouble

Anyway, somehow a malicious Oliver was cloned in consequence of wearing said pendant and was off to take over the world. As I slowly rubbed my hands together in a conniving manner, I myself was off to attain assistance from the other heroes I had come across in the past.

Naturally, I came to discover that my supposed “friends” have simultaneously gone rogue. Recognizing this, Gryphon Knight Epic unveils eight stages that I’m required to complete.

One Knight in Bangkok

Each stage was designed uniquely, reflecting each hero’s persona. The gameplay mechanics brought me back to the days of the Sega Genesis and SNES, and it was divine. I battled through various enemies and, before actually facing my main foe of that stage, I’d have to talk down and fight a pre-boss boss.

Throughout the stage, coins would be collected to unlock feats in the Wizard Shop and upgrade my various weapons, which were pretty hardcore. Each weapon had its own distinctive attack, forcing me to use common sense whilst in combat.

Knight and Day

After dueling with each hero – who were each possessed by the weapon they had attained from the dragon – they’d return to their normal selves and graciously entrust me with their super cool weapons. Aw, you shouldn’t have.

However, I never really did discover why these weapons were causing so much havoc.

Gruffer Gryphon Knight

After earning the trust (and super gnarly weapons) of my fellow heroes, I came face to face with my evil self for the last time, who rambled on about some nonsense I didn’t really care about. I was there to put an end to this madness once and for all.

A few demises and curse words later, it was over. That’s all she wrote, the end. I kind of sat there in a dumbfounded manner, thinking “It’s over already?”

Now, I’ve experienced my share of video games that have lacked length, but have made up for in substance and content. In relation to my experience with Gryphon Knight Epic, I’ve got to admit that I was a little disappointed.

Sorta Kinda Epic

In a nutshell, Gryphon Knight Epic was enjoyable and presented challenging boss battles, but I wasn’t as enchanted as I’d hoped. It was fun, but it really wasn’t that epic.

I won’t spoil anything for those who are planning to play Gryphon Knight Epic, but the ending does lead to a possibility of a sequel. If that’s the case, I can only hope it will bring more content to the table.

Gryphon Knight Epic is available via Steam and the PlayStation Store.

[xrr rating=”3/5″]

Watch the trailer for Gryphon Knight Epic below: