Sir Lovelot borrows from the school of Mario and Meat Boy, creating a moderately tight platformer that has ample charm but runs a bit too short, despite bite-sized levels packed with a number of secret objectives.
Sir Lovelot wears inspiration heavily on its sleeve.
In less that a few screens players may confuse the titular knight with Meat Boy or Mario. His goal, after all, is the same: find the princess. But Sir Lovelot may just be slightly less noble as his dangerous jaunts across the kingdom consist of bedding a revolving door of potential suitors. To be fair, though, he’s just trying to find true love.
There’s a certain charm to Sir Lovelot, guiding him safely across a deadly world so he can jump on to the long hair of a maiden at the top of a tower. This is a guy who doesn’t need to be told that his princess is in another castle. He’s not worried about a lady getting constantly whisked away by a dinosaur or fetus with a doctorate. It’s a game that doesn’t concern itself much with a story. Sir Lovelot needs love… a lot. The first level begins with him seeking out a gift to impress a lady and then clinging to her hair as the end goal, earning a big smooch and–I assume–a warm bed. The next stage begins with him leaving that tower and repeating the process. A few dozen gifts, a few dozen potential love interests.
The guy has some determination.
Sir Lovelot is not complicated in its goals, operating as an entry level hardcore platformer. For all its age, Super Meat Boy set a high standard for tight platforming that was difficult yet fair. There have been countless games following this mold and only a few have managed to reach such heights. Sir Lovelot is able to double jump, dash, and rapidly shoot a weapon to destroy enemies. That small box of tools is used to navigate buzzsaws and sharp objects, including the mouths of monsters.
The chunky, impressionistic-like pixel aesthetic works well for Sir Lovelot. It gives the game a distinct splash of color that makes backgrounds appear lovingly painted and all moving objects pop on the screen. The visual fluidity translates well in this medieval fantasy world, meaning that players are able to tell where danger lurks and how to easily identify obstacles when they appear in later levels. I found this cartoonish charm to be one of the highlights of my time in the game.
Platforming in Sir Lovelot is fairly strong. Players use the opening levels to gain a feel for how the knight controls, only being required to master how far and fast the knight and his double jump can take them. Monsters will block the path that can be taken down in a couple of seconds since the gun fires a rapid blast of bullets. Interestingly, Sir Lovelot doesn’t seem to be able to move while shooting from a stationary position but can fire while in mid-air. This makes timing shots during a fall or a jump important if players wish to speed through levels. The Sir can also cling from walls to time a jump better. A dash is useful to move in a short, straight horizontal line, however it can only be used before or after the first jump, not the second.
Learning these tricks and not forgetting them in the middle of the level will take a bit of time. I would frequently try to dash after a double jump to cover the maximum amount of distance but would instead fall completely short. Most of the time, the controls do not betray you. And in a game of this type, maintaining tight control is tantamount to a positive experience. There are moments when Sir Lovelot feels chunky in how he may cling to the edge of the surface or fall after a jump. He certainly controls as a heavier character with jumps not leaving him airborne for long. Mastering this concept and logic will undoubtedly take time for players who are more familiar or happier with floaty characters.
Sir Lovelot is a short game and I think that is where it falters most. Each level has a set of goals for “maximum completion” like finding all the hidden secrets and completing it within a specific death count. This turns what could be a one- to two-minute level into something slightly longer. But ultimately there are only a few dozen levels across four worlds and it’s all over quite fast. Sure, a hefty amount of levels are difficult to a near-maddening degree and I enjoyed practicing to better my time for a bit, but Sir Lovelot needed at least another couple worlds that added new obstacles to further expand on the existing roster of tricks.
Sir Lovelot is a satisfying game if you’re looking for a difficult platformer that will increasingly test your skills. It has a few rough edges and is too short for its own good, yet there is enough content there for speedrunners or those not wanting to commit to something too tedious. Aesthetically charming and never taking itself too seriously, Sir Lovelot might capture your heart, even if you move on as quickly as the lovelorn knight himself.
