After spending most of the last two weeks playing Knytt Stories (and going back and playing Knytt and Within A Deep Forest), I'm convinced that it should at least be a contender for best game of the year.

Why?

I think first and foremost, it shows that graphics absolutely do not make a game, a fact that seems to elude more and more people as video gaming becomes more and more popular. Too many people now are obsessed with what a game looks like, rather than how it plays, what the story/music is like, or just generally how fun it is. The Knytt games are all pixelated, 2D, and have pretty much nothing fancy at all going on in terms of the graphics department. Even then, the game looks fantastic, and I think it really lends a sense of immersion to the game that I feel has been lacking lately, even in games like Metroid and Bioshock. Oddly (or sadly) enough, I felt more immersed in the worlds of Knytt than I did in any game in recent memory, despite the fact that all newer games are far more realistic looking.

One thing that I think really helps with the immersion factor is the music. The soundtrack isn't big, sweeping, or professionally produced, but it's clear that a ton of thought went into every single track in the game, and they all FIT with the environments they play in. I don't even know how to describe it, but it's just flat out incredible how well the music meshes with the rest of the game.

I think the third major point is that a level editor is included with the game, and people are already churning out pretty incredible homemade levels; some are even completely redoing the artwork and music, and for the most part they've been pretty successful. A nice bonus too is that some of the fan-made levels are goddamn difficult (Not that the main game is a cakewalk, but some of the other levels are downright fiendish). It's been a long time since I've found as much challenge in a platformer as I have in some of the third-party levels, and it's the nice kind of challenge where it's actually fair and pretty much dependent on your skill rather than entirely on luck.

Finally, on a more personal level, Knytt reminds me of the platforming games that first got me into gaming when I was like 3 or 4. There hasn't been a decent platformer released in quite a while, and this game pretty much nails the platforming genre perfectly. There's no guns, no magic spells, just tons of well detailed worlds and a few critters that you have to run, jump, and climb your way around.

For those of you who've played the game, do you agree? Do you think there's another platformer out there that can best Knytt Stories?

And for those of you who haven't played the game, I pity you. Download it NOW. Actually, download all of his games; they're all fantastic.

Within a Deep Forest: http://www.ni2.se/files/games/withinadeepforest_114.zip
Knytt (The original; play first): http://jace.ath.cx/~knytt/Knytt.zip
Knytt Stories: http://lpchip.com/users/nifflas/KnyttStories/Install_KnyttStories_103.exe
The Official Expansion Level for Knytt Stories: http://www.ni2.se/files/games/AStrangeDream_102.exe
Official 3rd Party Pack: http://www.ni2.se/files/games/ThirdPartyPack1_102.exe
My Favorite 3rd Party Level (and as far as I know the most difficult currently available): http://nifflas.ni2.se/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=844.0;attach=1510