Skautfold: Moonless Knight arrives on PS5 looking like it’s got something interesting to say. Dark atmosphere, moody art style, talk of cults and political drama – all very serious, all very important. The trouble is, after the opening hour you’ll still be sat there wondering what on earth is actually going on. It spends ages throwing the story at you, then somehow forgets to explain the part about the game.
Gaming Heaven
To be fair, it does at least look distinctive. There’s a gloomy style to it, and you can tell the developers have put some effort into making it stand out visually. The world has a grim, slightly odd feel that works quite well, even if you’re mostly wandering through it wondering whether you’ve accidentally skipped a cutscene.
There are moments where you can see what they were aiming for with the combat too. It clearly wants to be one of those careful, methodical action games where every dodge and block matters. In theory, that sounds lovely. In practice, it’s a bit like trying to fence while wearing oven gloves.
Gaming Hell
The biggest problem is that the game does absolutely nothing to help you understand how it wants to be played. Controls are awkward, button layouts feel backwards, and the game barely bothers explaining any of it. You’re just sort of shoved in and expected to get on with it, which is a bold strategy. Not necessarily a good one, mind.
Combat never feels satisfying either. Blocking is fiddly, attacking feels stiff, and the easiest tactic is usually to shuffle about until an enemy has a little swing, then poke them once like you’re trying not to wake the neighbours. It’s hardly thrilling stuff.
The story doesn’t help matters. It drones on at the start, yet somehow remains completely forgettable. There’s talk of cults, diplomacy and dark secrets, but it all washes over you after a while. It’s difficult to care when the game itself seems so unsure of what it’s trying to do.
Final Judgement
There’s a decent idea buried somewhere inside Skautfold: Moonless Knight, but you’ll need a shovel and a lot of patience to find it. Awkward, clunky and oddly uninterested in helping the player, this is one of those games that mistakes being difficult to understand for being clever. It isn’t.
