Future Knight

Future Knight is a 2D action shoot ’em up with a visual style modelled on LCD handheld consoles and calculator displays. The story is set on 23 May 1993, when the leader of a pyramid scheme cult called the Present wipes the memories of all humanity. The player controls a robot assembled over thirty years from the remains of a 1990s soap opera actor, accompanied by Two More, a benign tumour that lives inside the robot and has a mind of its own. The pair travel back eight hours before the event, with each of the game’s eight levels, referred to as biomes, representing one hour of the cult leader’s day. Settings include a park, a construction site, an all-you-can-eat buffet and a sushi conveyor belt.

The core mechanic is switching between the two characters at any moment. Future Knight fires a plasma weapon called the Techno Blaster, bites enemies, rolls to dodge and uses heavy weaponry. Two More can be ejected to perform dashes, climb walls using its viscosity, fire at short range and pass through narrow gaps. Using Two More restores Future Knight’s health, while using Future Knight recharges Two More’s energy, so play involves alternating between the two. Levels switch between horizontal and vertical scrolling, and players collect triangular items linked to the cult that are needed to progress. Each biome concludes with a boss encounter.

The art direction, described by the developer as liquid crystal pixel art, uses hand-drawn animations intended to resemble moving ink blots, drawing on 1980s electronic handheld games and the work of Satoshi Kon. The narrative includes dark humour and social satire. The game has passed 100 user reviews on Steam.