ampires have cloaked the Earth in perpetual night. Humans are kept as cattle in their undead overlords’ domains. If only there was some dude with a mysterious past and an enormous sword to rectify the situation. Of course, he would need a spunky kid to help him out and provide an enthusiastic counterpoint to his dark brooding.

Lunar Knights may have a setup that makes Scooby Doo look like a creative tour de force, but the gameplay it throws at you is no joke. We’ve had some mediocre efforts from Square Enix’s Mana series in recent years, but this successor to Boktai is a great way to remember what makes this style of gameplay fun.

Lunar Knights employs the same isometric hack n’ slash formula we’ve seen for years, but offers a level of polish that keeps it from getting old. The cool systems that are layered on top of it are what make it engrossing. Collecting items to power up your various weapons, managing recovery and boost items, and growing your two heroes’ skills through experience points are all deftly executed and very enjoyable. 

As entertaining as the core of Lunar Knights’ gameplay is, the game’s ancillary elements are less skillfully done. The story, as mentioned, is mediocre at best. Slogging through clumsy dialogue between dungeons is a chore, and the space flight minigame is a simplistic distraction that goes on for far too long. It’s good that all these things will only take up a fraction of your time here; the vast majority of the game is in the dungeons.

Sure, leveling up and collecting new items requires nothing more than going through the motions for seasoned gamers. But any title that can throw in as many new systems and nail the core gameplay as well as Lunar Knights does has a spot waiting for it in my library.