Knight Saves Queen Review

Offering a fairly original riff on the components of Chess, as well as puzzle gaming, Knight Saves Queen might look a little rough but it's quite an intriguing mix.

Players take control of a Knight Chess piece as they attempt to liberate the Queen from the threat of enemy Chess pieces. There are restrictions, of course. The Knight can only move in a L-shape, just like in Chess, while enemy pieces also move in a corresponding manner to their type. Fortunately, they don't move at all times - only when there's the opportunity to grab the Knight.

Starting out, the Knight only has to fight it out against Rooks; meaning as long as he avoids being in a direct line with one, it's reasonably easy to take one out. Soon enough though, other pieces come along and things get trickier. On the plus side the player is also given more pieces to deal with, although the Knight is always the most important of the bunch. There are limited moves too, restricting what one can accomplish with fewer moves also meaning more chance of a gold star.

Those gold stars lead to the opening of golden gates and progressing to harder fare, so it's important to be accurate. It's a shame then that there's little indication as to what's needed to gain that all important star, though. There's also no sign of a hints system with a level skip available, but at the price of an in-app purchase for five. I'd have preferred some way to unlock a single hint rather than a complete solution.

Still, Knight Saves Queen is quite charming. It won't win any prizes for its looks, but it's an interesting amalgamation of puzzle elements. Being able to unlock new equipment later on is a fun touch, too. As something a little different from the crowd, it's worth checking out.