Balancelot for Windows

Medieval-themed unicycling action game

Balancelot is a medieval-themed action game published by Jestercraft. Here, you will play a squire who wishes to conquer the kingdom's jousting tournament. The catch, he is so poor that he cannot afford a horse. He will join the competition riding his unicycle.

Balancelot comes with over 20 levels that you need to survive. However, like the ragdoll games, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy and QWOP, the controls in this title is intentionally awful. You will find yourself falling off your unicycle and dying. What hurts is that the checkpoints are too far apart, making progressing a hard task. 

Survive by balancing

Balancelot is a platforming game that features unicycling. As mentioned, you will play an aspiring knight on a quest to prove his skills and worth. Armed with his shield and lance, he will traverse the dangerous medieval world. However, without money for a horse, you will ride your unicycle instead. Along the way, you will meet opponents that you have to defeat while balancing on your trusty ride.

The gameplay is simple to understand but brutally difficult to practice. Using your keyboard or controller, you will move your character forwards and backward to maintain your balance atop the single wheel. Often, you would also need to jump over obstacles. All this while you parry with your enemies using your lance. Be careful not to fall and hit the ground, as doing so will end your life.

It takes a while to get used to shifting your character's weight from your precarious place. First-time players will likely die multiple times before getting the hang of it. Don't worry, though. You won't start from the beginning every time you die. There are various checkpoints to the game. However, they are so far apart that you will end up paying the same levels over and over. 

Frustratingly fun game

Balancelot is a game built around a fun premise. It has a solid aesthetic and a unique approach to gameplay. However, it easily falls flat due to its weird control, which is rather annoying than interesting. It also has awkward combat that will knock you off course even if you have the propensity for the unicycle. Overall, it is an enjoyable game that can turn frustrating after a while.