Whenever there is choice in a video game, that is always a good thing. Now implementing choice in a video game that does not seem to be one sided, or is not simply about choosing a good or bad role can be tougher to produce, and my props go out to any developer who manages to accomplish this. Case in point: games like Deus Ex, with different endings that you were able to choose, and which really made you think about which ending is the best in your opinion. It was not the simple cliché good ending of everyone being happy and the world is saved.  It is not even the well known bad ending where your character is the ultimate bad ass which has risen to prominence and is simply some super tough guy or gal with so much power it would make any world leader cry with envy.

Now don’t worry, I’m going somewhere with this.  This leads me back to Chivalry Is Not Dead, a game where the choices you make will influence the different sorts of endings you receive. Now the concept itself in an adventure game is nothing new, but this time around you do not necessarily have to use all the dialogue options.  Some actions that you think you may get away with in other adventure games, may just happen. There is choice, and there are consequences to the choices you make, but there is much more variety in what you can do and say.  This makes you feel that you have more influence over what your main character can do. This ultimately shapes the adventure and the way it proceeds and gives you plenty of replay value to try the game once again.

Chivalry is Not Dead comes from Deirdra Kiai Productions, the same mind that brought you games such as The Game That Takes Place On A Cruise Ship and Cubert Badbone, P.I. If you have played either of these games before you will sort of know what to expect with this game, particularly in the writing and dialogue, which I always find to be quite strong.  The trend continues in Chivalry Is Not Dead. The dialogue and writing are witty, funny, and presents its own unique tone that is quite different from a lot of freeware adventure games. It does the whole poking fun at the adventure genre, with what is said, but in its own unique style which is not easy to do.  So props must go to the writing and dialogue of this game.  There are quite a few funny moments to see.

In Chivalry is Not Dead, you play the role of Phlegmwad, an assassin of the all powerful Lord Horrible. You have been summoned by Lord Horrible for your next mission.  This time around, it is, not surprisingly, to assassinate the Queen of Everything, ruler of the land. You soon head to her tower to do the deed, and this is where the adventure starts out. There is much more that can be said, but I will leave to you to find out what else lies in this particular story.

The thing I should stress about this game is the different story paths that can be taken, depending on your actions and what you say. For example, there is more than one way to get by the guard on the first screen of the game.  There is a simple and easy way, but there are also some more complex options that will require a bit of thinking, but are not too hard. There are other situations throughout the game, where you will be able to approach things differently than you might expect in a normal adventure game. It is no longer the case, where you can simply exhaust the dialogue tree and then move on without consequence. If you act harshly against some of the characters, they will also act harshly with what they say. This degree of choice that is available is a refreshing change from the norm, and with the different amount of paths that can be taken, depending on certain situations, it is quite impressive to look at in the context of the game.

As a result of the different scenarios and how you approach them, the game has multiple endings for you to encounter. There are a fair amount of them, and not all of them involve the ending scene. Some are actually fairly obvious when you see the situations in the game, and others are a bit more obscure.  This not only gives you another reason to play the game over, it really feels like you need to play again in order to get the full experience from the game. Should you approach a situation differently, or maybe try to see how the story goes?  I always like to see multiple endings in a game, and especially in adventure titles where it can be tough to have some sort of replay value when you beat the game the first time, so I’m all for multiple endings in this genre.  Needless to say, it is implemented nicely in this game.

Graphically, the game has a unique cartoonish style that looks pretty good. It may not be the most fancy graphics, but it does a nice job in conveying the story and events.  It does have that story book quality to it, and for this particular game, it fits perfectly.

In terms of music and sound in the game, both areas are done quite well. The music in the different areas is nice, and fit in with what is happening on screen, nothing too out of the ordinary, as the music fits the mood. The sound effects themselves are also done well, with some interesting choices, but overall it sounds fine all around.

The game may feel a bit short in terms of other adventure games out there, but keep in mind that with the amount of story branching and different paths you can choose, you can see why that is the case. I personally did not find this to be a detriment or anything bad.  Like I said, the amount of choice you have in the game easily trumps the length.

Chivalry Is Not Dead was a great adventure game to play through, and I am glad I did, as it excels in many areas. If you are looking for a different sort of adventure game, and I mean that with the different branching paths that make this game quite unique, you need to try this game out, you will not be disappointed.