Forest of Fallen Knights
Apr. 29th, 2026 07:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingForest of Fallen Knights (on Itch.io here) is a free-to-play Game Boy narrative adventure game that takes about 30-40 minutes to finish. Though the game is visually modeled after Link’s Awakening, its setting and story are a homage to Dark Souls.
You play as a nameless adventurer who’s found himself alone and unarmed at the bottom of a cave. After the ghost of a knight gives him a sword, the adventurer emerges into a dense forest dotted with ruined houses that were once inhabited by the knights who survived a devastating war. Though no longer alive, neither can the knights die. Your job, as the still-living adventurer, is to help them make peace with their regrets.
Admittedly, it’s unclear what purpose your good deeds will serve in the long run, given that the knights are eternally unable to pass on. Perhaps the adventurer should take care that their curse doesn’t pass to him as well...
Forest of Fallen Knights consists of about twenty overworld screens, as well as an additional dozen screens inside caves and houses. The gameplay involves walking around, talking to everyone, and doing simple fetch quests. There’s some (very) basic combat, as well as a small dungeon that requires a bit of pattern memorization and dexterity. If you happen to die, save crystals are generously scattered throughout the forest, so you don’t stand to lose much progress. For the most part, the swordplay serves to add texture to what is largely an exploration-based adventure.
The game’s writing is simple but effective. Now that everything they once fought for is gone, the undead knights are attempting to hold on to what was most important to them in life. Any one of their fetch quests might come off as sentimental on its own; but, in aggregate, the player gets a strong sense of how pathetic and regrettable their situation truly is.
There are a few secrets to find in the game, though they aren’t too terribly well-hidden. If the player is moderately observant, perhaps the nameless adventurer might reveal his reason for venturing into the forest, and perhaps he might even find a means to release the fallen knights from their curse. If not, the default ending is more than sufficiently satisfying.
As a fan of both Link’s Awakening and Dark Souls, I feel like Forest of Fallen Knights was made for me specifically, and the 40 minutes I spent with this game coalesced into a pocket of unadulterated joy. It’s therefore difficult for me to be objective, but I still think it’s fair to say that Forest of Fallen Knights is well-crafted, thoughtfully considered, and at the top of the pile of homebrew Game Boy adventure games.
Many kudos to the developer, NeroGames (who is on Bluesky here). I am always here for indie artists who use the retro gaming medium to tell strange and haunting short stories.
You play as a nameless adventurer who’s found himself alone and unarmed at the bottom of a cave. After the ghost of a knight gives him a sword, the adventurer emerges into a dense forest dotted with ruined houses that were once inhabited by the knights who survived a devastating war. Though no longer alive, neither can the knights die. Your job, as the still-living adventurer, is to help them make peace with their regrets.
Admittedly, it’s unclear what purpose your good deeds will serve in the long run, given that the knights are eternally unable to pass on. Perhaps the adventurer should take care that their curse doesn’t pass to him as well...
Forest of Fallen Knights consists of about twenty overworld screens, as well as an additional dozen screens inside caves and houses. The gameplay involves walking around, talking to everyone, and doing simple fetch quests. There’s some (very) basic combat, as well as a small dungeon that requires a bit of pattern memorization and dexterity. If you happen to die, save crystals are generously scattered throughout the forest, so you don’t stand to lose much progress. For the most part, the swordplay serves to add texture to what is largely an exploration-based adventure.
The game’s writing is simple but effective. Now that everything they once fought for is gone, the undead knights are attempting to hold on to what was most important to them in life. Any one of their fetch quests might come off as sentimental on its own; but, in aggregate, the player gets a strong sense of how pathetic and regrettable their situation truly is.
There are a few secrets to find in the game, though they aren’t too terribly well-hidden. If the player is moderately observant, perhaps the nameless adventurer might reveal his reason for venturing into the forest, and perhaps he might even find a means to release the fallen knights from their curse. If not, the default ending is more than sufficiently satisfying.
As a fan of both Link’s Awakening and Dark Souls, I feel like Forest of Fallen Knights was made for me specifically, and the 40 minutes I spent with this game coalesced into a pocket of unadulterated joy. It’s therefore difficult for me to be objective, but I still think it’s fair to say that Forest of Fallen Knights is well-crafted, thoughtfully considered, and at the top of the pile of homebrew Game Boy adventure games.
Many kudos to the developer, NeroGames (who is on Bluesky here). I am always here for indie artists who use the retro gaming medium to tell strange and haunting short stories.
