If you’ve ever played the original Super Mario Bros. (and really, who hasn’t?), then I’m sure you know the basic format. You start with World 1-1, then play through a few levels until you hit 1-4. And 1-4 is the famous Bowser’s Castle.
Here’s a refresher in case it’s been a while:
Every fourth level (2-4, 3-4, 4-4, etc.) is a fresh variation of the Bowser’s Castle theme, each one scaling up the difficulty a bit. As bright and cheery as each world might be up to that point, Bowser’s Castle will always be dark and full of fire.
Yes, Bowser’s Castle is known for its rotating beams of fire, it’s dreary brick aesthetic, and a whole bunch of lava and spikes. Bowser has very peculiar tastes when it comes to interior decorating.
If you’re a fan of Super Mario Bros. who’s tired of having to play through three levels of sunshiny brightness before delving into the flaming majesty of Bowser’s Castle, then boy howdy, do I have a game for you.
Horned Knight is a brutally tough platformer designed for folks who can’t get enough of Bowser’s Castle. In it, you play as a knight who must travel through lava-and-spike-filled castles, kill snakes and skeletons, and do a whole lot of jumping. it’s like Super Mario Bros. if you took out all the stuff that isn’t Bowser’s Castle.
Okay, so that’s not entirely true. Horned Knight has a lot of bells and whistles that are lacking from Nintendo’s 1985 masterpiece. You can wall hop, for example (well, to be completely fair, Mario can sort of wall hop in the original game). You also have a sword and an air dash maneuver.
Still, if you like the general tone of Bowser’s Castle, you’ll probably also enjoy the general tone of Horned Knight.
Horned Knight is currently available for PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. You can watch a trailer below if you want to know more.
