Name: Knights of Valour
Platform: PS4
Style: Beat ’em Up
Publisher(s): International Games System
Developer(s): Perfect World Games
Release Date: November 18, 2017
Date of Completion: September 30, 2018
This is a classic example of how microtransaction is not only unnecessary but, ultimately and sadly, destroys a potentially good game. Knights of Valour could have been a fantastic game if the developers weren’t so fucking greedy. To avoid going on a raging rant (not really my thing), allow me to be brief about what made this game “the best of the worst”.
Knights of Valour had a pretty standard story with a pretty standard formula of storytelling revolving around popular Chinese folklore, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: “defeat the henchmen of the Yan Emperor to keep an ancient evil from destroying the world”. Interesting enough, the playable characters you could find in the Dynasty Warrior franchise as pointed out by my cousin. The world and levels can be played and replayed as there’s a lot to explore in one level. Each character had their own complete movelist and combo listing making them approachable to all play style. With the added bonus of being multiplayer – both locally and online – this game looked to be fabulously fantastic. That is where the positive ends…
You only get two characters in the beginning and you work really REALLY hard to get the other characters. Not progression-wise, which I would have been okay with, but service-wise. For example, to unlock one character, you have to play the game for 21 days. Seems like an easy task but the game it doesn’t take long to beat the game and there’s not a lot of content outside of the storyline to keep you play for at the time frame. So, if a gaymer of little patience doesn’t want to do it one way…what other way is going to be presented to them You guessed it…microtransactions…bloody microtransaction.
Let me give you the full list of where the micro transaction was applied to this game:
- Character Unlocking
- Character Growth (Abilities, mostly)
- Weapon Growth (wasn’t needed but still)
- Money
- Armor Growth (wasn’t needed but still)
- Extra Life (Although lucky, you have to worry about that too since they are restored every thirty minutes of inactivity)
The list goes on and, while you don’t have to indulge in them (I sure as hell didn’t), I still stand by my original argument: it shouldn’t be in the first place. I firmly believe that microtransactions shouldn’t in video games as it’s exploitative and lazy in my eyes. It’s a gateway to unethical practices in the industry such as releasing incomplete games. Besides, it’s a reversal in process. Let the gamers play the game and decide from themselves if they want to continue THEN add more content for sale. I don’t mind buying DLC for a loved game but don’t put me in an ultimatum. You will lose every time.
I guess it where a mixed review comes into play but the story was great, the character (that I could play as) was great but the microtransactions just created a disconnect for me so I’m going to give it a 7 out of 10. Maybe a 6.
