In BattleKnight the player assumes the role of a young squire in the dark middle ages who is eager to learn the art of face-to-face combat. While doing so his actions will decide whether he will grow into a shiny valiant knight who is hunting down the forces of darkness, or a dreaded dark knight who will look for blood and gold.
The player’s alter ego starts out with nothing more than a few gold coins and a lousy knife. In order to change this awkward situation, the young squire has several options available that range from getting a job (good side) or participating in raids (bad side) to searching your luck in combat missions, or even duelling other knights. The crucial part of these actions is that they all take time, real world time. For instance, if the player sends his knight on a short combat mission, which always consists of only a single duel against a non-player character, the game will essentially lock up for ten minutes of real time after which the player can return to check the results of the mission. Sending his knight to work/raid will have the player choose the lock time which can be up to eight hours in the non-premium game. Doing missions and duels will, if won, grant experience points and money that can be invested in better equipment or character development. Working or raiding will grant not only money, but also good or bad karma that can be spent on supportive magic.
All the battles in the game are automatically calculated, with the outcome of the fights depending on the statistics of the opponents, their supportive factors like magic, and target zones. The player can assign a pattern of five target zones for offensive and defensive action, a pattern to be repeated in battle until the end. Exemplary, the first hit of the knight can be aimed for the opponent’s right shoulder, when the first defensive move shall cover the under-left area of the player’s avatar, and so forth. But beware, every target area has different bonuses and penalties assigned to it, so figuring out the best pattern is crucial. Later in the game the player can participate in tournaments, found or join an order, work as a mercenary, or take part in group missions.
As all these features don’t have any action to it, the actual game can be best described as a knight simulation or knight management game.
