The Epic Knight from the well-known dungeon defense game, Tiny Heroes, is back in the new running game, One Epic Knight. The tables have turned and now the Epic Knight is the one conquering the dungeon. Whether you’ve played the first game or not, what could be more exciting than a dungeon filled with loot, potions, trinkets and green jello cube monsters? Other than real treasure chests filled with loot, I can’t think of too much.
As a fan of the popular Temple Run, when I found out One Epic Knight was free I had to take it for a spin. So, how does it compare to other games in the running genre? Read on to find out!
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Let’s Get Running!
For anyone who hasn’t played a running game before, the objective is so simple, yet so fun. Collect the loot, run as far as possible and avoid the obstacles, pitfalls and monsters. The controls in One Epic Knight are just like most running games. There are three “lanes” that you can run in: left, right and center. Swipe left and right to switch lanes and turn, swipe up to jump, and down to slide.
You can defy the laws of physics by changing direction while you’re sliding and in mid-jump.
Avoiding traps isn’t always as easy as you think. You could turn into a sticky jello mess like I did.
It sounds like it would be a piece of cake, but just like some of the most basic games it can be quite challenging, and there are always twists and turns along the way. In addition to the gorks and other monsters, you’ll want to avoid the swinging pendulums, spikes and other numerous traps looking to turn you into one not-so-epic knight. I enjoyed the creative obstacles in this game. You have to watch out for spinning saw blades, dropping dungeon doors and tricky treasure chests that will devour you.
Look for small openings in the wall to slide under, or areas where it looks like walls have been reconstructed that you can break through to find hidden treasure rooms teeming with loot.
Powerups and Multipliers
One thing this game has that many running games don’t is the ability to pick up weapons such as swords and shields to give you more protection. Grab these items as you run to slay monsters or defend yourself against obstacles.
Also, look for hanging turkey legs (yum!) to activate your inner rampage and purple crystals named mana. The rampage powerup gives you the ability to run through all obstacles and critters without dying. Once you collect four mana crystals, the Epic Knight becomes invulnerable and speeds up, automatically collecting all loot and treasure chests as he wreaks havoc.
Combining the rampage and mana powerups turns you into an ultra-powerful, indestructible wrecking ball.
Collecting the rampage turkey legs and purple mana crystals will help you crush opponents and run through obstacles unharmed.
To further your abilities, each powerup and loot pickup can be upgraded up to six times in the store using the dough that you’ve acquired. Eventually, you can do things like smash through multiple objects with one shield or pick up loot from kills.
There are a number of various feats that you’ll be rewarded for accomplishing as you progress in the game.
To score more points you’ll want to increase the multiplier. This is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen and increases your overall score. The multiplier increases by breaking down obstacles or slaying creatures as you run through the dungeon.
Plenty of Variety
Unlike many running games that can quickly grow old due to repetition, One Epic Knight attempts to incorporate many different options to keep things fresh and exciting. In addition to the weapon upgrades, you can also cash in your loot for potions, trinkets and suits.
These fun additions spice the game up a little bit. For example, the potion of fireballs gives you three fireballs to throw at enemies, and the monkey paw trinket revives you after dying if you’ve made it to different checkpoints. Sometimes you even get free potions just for playing for the first time that day!
Purchasing potions will give you special abilities to help you defeat your enemies.
The further you get in the game, the more variety you see with traps as well. A couple of times I thought I had them all figured out, only to find myself getting mercilessly mashed into pieces after turning a corner unsuspectingly. As you play longer, you unlock more traps and monsters from the Tiny Heroes game as well.
Filled With Character
What I really enjoyed was the playfulness throughout this game. After finishing a run, you see a scroll giving you a summary of your score that round. Tap one of the social network critters (Facebook, Twitter and Game Center) to let your friends know how you did. If you choose, there are already entertaining preprogrammed phrases included to help you promote the game.
The Epic Knight has plenty of his own funny phrases that he yells that keep you laughing and endear you to his character. Be prepared to hear things like, “Wow, these sticks and stones really did break my bones” and “Oh, my pancreas!” I even found myself chuckling at the silly stretches he does while waiting to start the next run.
An Entertaining Running Game
I have to admit, this game was so fun that I wanted to play it instead of writing this article. I kept stepping away to do more “research.” However, just like any app, it has some areas that need work.
Swiping didn’t always respond well, and the game even lagged slightly from time to time. It definitely got frustrating if it happened in the middle of an important part of the game. I also found it took longer to learn how to time my jumps than most games I’ve played. I’m still not sure why that is, but for some reason it was giving me trouble.
Finally, it would be great if the game synced your scores, upgrades and achievements across the iPad and iPhone versions. Unfortunately, this feature isn’t included at this time. That being said, I found One Epic Knight to be pretty entertaining overall. It held my attention for quite awhile and is a quality addition to the running game genre.