Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade

Europe. 12th Century AD. The Dark Ages.

EU release: 19th March 2004
NA release: N/A
JP release: N/A
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Publisher: TDK
NGC Magazine: N/A
Mods Used: None

Knights of the Temple was a PAL-only hack-n-slash game. It was developed by Starbreeze, who would were also making The Chronicles of Riddick at the same time (which was a very good game). You play as Paul, a knight of the Templar during the times of the crusades, investigating the disappearance of a little girl at the hands of a Bishop that died six years earlier. It’s a typical hack-n-slash with not much in the way of variety, combined with very dull levels and not much excitement.

The most notable thing about the game is the camera, and it’s an incredibly nauseating one. It’s often stuck in the middle of the room and spins as you move around. It also seems to be set to a very wide angle, creating a fish eye effect. I could only make it through a few levels due to how dizzy it made me feel. Even ignoring the dizziness, you often fight behind pillars or content with enemies hidden by corners. On top of that, there’s only so many times you can put up with Paul being confused about finding a key.

Poor

But free of a remotely interesting story, characters you can feel an attachment to or any palpable sense of an atmosphere, you’re left with a shell of a game that feels tired before you’ve even begun, and does little to nothing afterwards to change your mind. Rarely, if ever, did the game feel anything more than a formulaic slog – and for a full-priced effort that’s patently not good enough.
Kristan Reed, Eurogamer

Remake or remaster?

Even if you sort the camera issues, it’s a tired hack-n-slash.

Official Ways to get the game

Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade is available on Steam.