A new action-adventure game, The Knightling, launches on August 28, 2025, and is already being compared to The Legend of Zelda series due to its cel-shaded graphics, open-world gameplay, and combat system. Twirlbound created the game, and Saber Interactive published it, and the game has a young knight who is looking for his missing mentor, a plot reminiscent of old-school heroic fantasy novels in Nintendo’s classic series.
In The Knightling, the characters begin with only a shield to parry, block, and counterattack against enemies in a frantic combat system that has some similarities with Breath of the Wild but also possesses its own rapid action. Players develop their knight’s equipment, fulfill quests to help citizens, and explore various environments filled with secrets, bandits, and monsters as they progress. The game’s off-kilter NPCs and open world also have their similarity to Zelda, as should be the case with Nintendo’s first series of nice but alien worlds.
Aside from combat and discovery, The Knightling also has a Zelda-esque artwork, most notable of which is its cel-shaded appearance on titles like Wind Waker and Tears of the Kingdom. It has a world full of colorful scenery, and because of that, the developers put in that players are going to be dealing with one-of-a-kind NPCs, which in most cases have their own personality and side quests.
Since The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom releases in September of 2024, The Knightling would be a solid appeal to the same audience seeking the same thing after the play of Nintendo’s latest title. It will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC so it will be accessible to as many individuals as possible.
To pre-empt the game ahead of release time, a Steam demo has been made available that informs the players about The Knightling gameplay and mechanics. Due to its interesting premise and clear Zelda influence, The Knightling can be an absolute must-play for action-adventure fans in 2025.
