Summary
Silicon Knightswas a game studio that had a lot of potential but never quite achieved success. They certainly tasted parts of it, and some of their titles are pretty great, but it’s fair to say they never reached the heights of many other game developers. Outside developing games, Silicon Knights spent much of their time tangled in court discussions with other developers, which vastly tainted their fading reputation.
Silicon Knights today is mostly remembered for their early 1990s strategy games on PC, which were far ahead of their time upon release. It’s a shame to look back on what could have been, as many of the canceled Silicon Knights games sounded fascinating. However, whilst gamers will never know how those canceled titles might have turned out, they can still go ahead and play through these unique games.
X-Men: Destinyhad the recipe to be thebestX-Menvideo gameadaptation. Written by comic book legend Mike Carey, developed by Silicon Knights, officially licensed by Marvel, and published by Activision with releases on multiple platforms - it all sounds like this would combine to create something special. Unfortunately,X-Men: Destinyfell flat on its face.
This game is not exactly the pinnacle of fun due to hardware limitations, as the framerate makes for a less-than-stellar experience, no matter the platform. The visuals are not the best, and the combat is lackluster. It’s a shame that this game was the studio’s swansong.
It’s a shame thatToo Humancouldn’t meet its expectationsbecause this is actually an interesting game with a unique sci-fi premise. It’s the type of game that came out during the Xbox 360 console era that players don’t get to experience anymore, as some studios seem too afraid to explore new ideas and IPs.
Players who are looking to playToo Humanwill still have a decent experience, if not a little mediocre, but it’s worth trying just to experience the concept. This is a third-person action RPG that fuses sci-fi with Norse Mythology somewhat effectively. It’s quite clunky to play as the control scheme just feels off. Regardless, it’s worth giving a try, although it won’t be for everyone.
Dark Legionsalmost functions likea virtual board gameand players will see physical tile locations when they play. This is a decent title, and it was well-received at the time of release, however, it doesn’t hold up quite so well today. It features a great fantasy setting and the visuals still look fine, but it’s just not as exciting as it could have been.
This is no doubt partially due to the technical limitations of the time, but it could have featured deeper gameplay mechanics. Gamers can play against another opponent here, or choose to battle against the CPU, where the opposing team will target a player’s “Orb Keeper”. Whoever loses their “Orb Keeper” first loses the game. It’s almost like a fantasy-style, virtual chess game.
This title is a controversial one to include because Silicon Knights didn’t actually develop the original game. However, they did develop the Sega Saturn port ofThe Horde, and this version is largely considered the definitive edition. This is an innovative title that was one of the first of its kind on consoles, combining real-time strategy withhack ‘n slash action gameplay.
Players take control of Chauncey in the game, a young servant who gets given some land, and players have to then start building their city. The titular horde is a series of hungry, red monsters, which the player has to defend their town from.The Hordeis a fun title, and it’s easily one of the best strategy games on the Saturn.
Fantasy Empiresis a role-playing strategy wargame that was released for MS-DOS in 1993. It’s a great fantasy strategy game, and it’s made even better by being apart of theDungeons and Dragonsuniverse, set in the world of Mystara. With a great art style, and a seriously cool wizard character constantly peering down over the user’s screen,Fantasy Empiresis one of the most visually attractive strategy games of the early ’90s.
The gameplay itself is where the game is let down slightly. It’s a good role-playing wargame, and a lot of players will enjoy the whole experience, but it can also be quite boring… especially by today’s standards. However, overlooking the dated gameplay can give gamers a rewarding fantasy experience.
Silicon Knights took on the primary development of aMetal Gear Solidremake for the GameCube, and it’s safe to say that they did a pretty good job.Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakesis a fantastic recreation of an all-time classic, and it adds so many great features that make it a new way to play the originalMetal Gear Solid.
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With the assistance of Konami, Silicon Knights added new cutscenes which expanded the story, updated the voice acting, and improved essential gameplay mechanics. The change of gameplay took elements fromMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertyand added new life to the original game, which both gamers and critics received ecstatically.
AlthoughBlood Omen: Legacy of Kainis a fantastic game, it’s also unfortunately the title that started Silicon Knights’ decline after causing a conflict with the publishers, Crystal Dynamics. Putting game development drama to the side, however,Blood Omen: Legacy of Kainis a seriously great game that spawned an awesome franchise.
Players control a nobleman called Kain who has recently died andgets resurrected as a vampire. The story then proceeds as a brutal revenge tale where Kain traverses the landscape and hunts down the people who wronged him, who just so happen to be powerful, god-like sorcerers. Yeah, it’s weird but it packs a punch and it’s very fun.
After Nintendo was impressed with bothBlood Omen: Legacy of Kainand the development ofMetal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Silicon Knights was tasked with creating an original game that was going to be published by Nintendo on the GameCube. EnterEternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, an atmospheric action-adventure game that follows a story that takes place over 2 millennia.
It was an incredibly ambitious title, but it paid off as it’s often considered one of the best titles on the GameCube. There’s a unique gameplay system that introduced the sanity effect, a fourth-wall-breaking visual and audio effect that plagues the player on their travels. The story is too rich and complex to fully explain in a few short sentences, but it’s heavily inspired by archaeological discoveries and features an array of interesting historical locations such as forbidden cities. Whilst it’s not a survival horror game by definition, it clearly takes a lot of inspiration from the genre and morphs into its own identity.
Originally released in 1992,Cyber Empiresis one of the most influential strategy games of all time. This is a deeply rich and detailed wargame that provided a fine example of what video games, particularly strategy games, could achieve. Players have to gain land mass, often fighting enemies for control of it, and then take part in top-down, real-time combat.
Silicon Knights proved themselves far ahead of the industry with the development of this game as it’s one of the first to feature real-time, player-controlled (and not to mention fun) combat, in a strategy-based, wargame dynamic. It utilizesits cyberpunk influenceto a full extent and goes further into sci-fi territory with its vast selection of robots and androids. There’s fun to be had and land to capture, but players will rememberCyber Empiresas a strategy game with a deep legacy.
