Sometimes you find out who’s behind a newly-announced game and you know you’ll be in good hands. Knights and Bikes developer Foam Sword consists of Moo Yu and Rex Crowle, both ex-Media Molecule staff with experience on titles such as LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. Who better to make a game about two girls who explore the nooks and crannies of a small Cornish island in search of a mythical treasure?
Welcome to Penfurzy Island, the place you’re going to spend the next six in-game days on, taking control of the red-haired Demelza and her new friend Nessa. Knights and Bikes has been designed very much a co-op experience, either locally or online, and while you can play it just fine by yourself, there is no better way to emulate two kids having an adventure together than by playing it with a friend. Right from the beginning, the story captures the spirit of Enid Blyton’s timeless Famous Five series of books, or an Astrid Lindgren novel (there is also a two-part Knights and Bikes novel by Gabrielle Kent that makes for a perfect accompaniment).
On Day 1, Nessa lands on Penfurzy Island all alone, looking for a place to stay. Demelza, who has just lost her mother and who has to spend a lot of time by herself since her father now is mostly busy working on the island’s caravan park, makes her a simple offer – Nessa can stay in her caravan, but she has to be Demelza’s friend. For kids, it’s often that easy, and so the two immediately start scouring the island together. While on the golf course that tells the story of Penfurzy Island’s long-lost treasure, the two of them release a curse by accident. Suddenly the adventure they have created in their minds until then is real – Demelza and Nessa not only need to find a way to stop the curse from wreaking havoc, but also begin looking for the treasure in order to use its riches to save Demelza’s beloved home.
