Bahnsen Knights

The third of LCB's weird narrative experiences is a reminder of what makes this series so special.

If you're intrigued by visual novels and their potential to delight, then the Pixel Pulps series is arguably the best possible place to start. Bahnsen Knights is the third entry and it's pretty damn wonderful. With its tighter emphasis on gameplay, it's arguably the best of the three, though that would be like choosing your favourite child. It's okay to love them all. Bahnsen Knights is an easy recommendation, and one which becomes even stronger if you're interested in horror and weird tales.

Bahnsen Knights does a great job at keeping fans of visual novel adventures involved. It's fun and unique story, visuals, and occasional minigames make it hard to put down, and it never feels repetitive or slow across the few hours it takes to complete it.

I would recommend Bahnsen Knights if you enjoyed the other entries in the trilogy. It features a more mature narrative that is a little too lean for its own good, but has just enough action and suspense to keep you engaged for its relatively short trip through Hell.

yet. I'll be keeping an eye on LCB Game Studios and Chorus Worldwide Games because Pixel Pulps is something I would be interested in, if fleshed out more. This just ain't it.

My trousers began to slowly unbuckle themselves in anticipation...

I love the Pixel Pulp series due to the storytelling and art. So I definitely like the visual novel part. But I get so very frustrated with most of the mini-games. I’m in this weird place where I have to juggle which is more important to me, narrative or gameplay. And honestly, narrative will win out every single time. Bahnsen Knights is a curious, creepy celebration of the pulp fiction genre. I have really enjoyed seeing the developer grow over the three games in the Pixel Pulp series, and I cannot wait to see what it does next. I bet nobody will see it coming.

I feel like this is a visual novel anyone, and I mean anyone, can get behind. It’s broken into bite-sized pieces with animations, game mechanics and QTEs that keep you from just clicking through. It’s almost more like a Lucasarts adventure title, if Bobbin Threadbare had to drink just enough to not expose himself as a narc. It’s compelling, it’s raw, and it plays itself as seriously as possible while still having some of the most maddening ideas for a storyline.

Another Pixel Pulp story is here, delivering very retro-styled graphics mixed with hardboiled narrative with some choices

You can finish the game in two to three hours, but it’s just the right length for this slice of suspense (and the game’s £8.49/$9.99 price tag). Engaging and shocking in equal measure, Bahnsen Knights is a wild ride you won’t regret taking.