Magic, swamps, more magic, and more swamps, the dauntless Hundred Knight abides.

The Witch and the Hundred Knight, published by NIS america, is one of those rare games that has a little something for everyone. It has the feel of a Brothers Grimm fairytale set to a dungeon crawling adventure. Which is full of charming, boisterous, and vulnerable characters. But don’t be fooled despite the fairy tale look, this game definitely has some spice to go with its sugary exterior.

You play as The Hundred Knight who is summoned by the Swamp Witch Metallia (a young looking girl with a foul mouth only a mother could love); you along with a haunted cyborg butler help the Metallia to fulfill her lifelong dream. You can be as much of a hero as you want in The Witch and the Hundred Knight. Either running around attacking villages, raiding their houses, slapping villagers around, sleeping in their beds and all types of nefariousness; or you can simply slink by and leave the pillaging to the next guy.

But the main story line is quite simply, very good. I felt conflicted as I was progressing through the story. But I guess moral ambiguity and challenging the viewer is the mark of good storytelling. Without divulging any spoilers, expect revenge, furries, magic, and a lot of humor (both crude and highbrow).

The core of the gameplay is combat in my opinion. In this game, you are animated by Metallia’s power. You require “Gigacals” (units of magic similar to T-Energy in Lost Planet) to go forth and mow down baddies.

Now, combat at first seems like, just mash square until you kill the thing or your stamina bar drains. But, in fact the depth in combat comes from you might not be explicitly told (play around and you’ll be surprised what happens in combat). And you will need all the tricks you can muster because at times combat can get pretty tough! But, when  things get intense I kind of wish the stamina bar was in a slightly different location (it’s a minor quibble).

The Witch and the Hundred Knight is one of those games that is all about loot. You will be picking up weapons and accessories left and right, trying to find the right arrangements to maximize your damage output. It’s all great fun, trekking around beating things, eating things, and making villagers tremble (or not).

The leveling mechanic is also particularly cool, where you are rewarded for skilled play with grade points which you can use to boost your stats while you are grinding. So you don’t have to fumble about waiting to level up to get that attack or defense boost you pine for.

But after a solid grind, you can reap the reward of your loot, and apply your collected exp once you return to Metallia’s swamp. Which can lead to some frantic moments when your Gigacals are running low. As you scurry to the nearest pillar so you don’t lose that amazing hammer you just looted.

Although it’s not perfect, it’s not the most graphically impressive game on the PS3. I think that if there was a vita port, it would be stunning. Once you get into combat it becomes less of an issue though. But in my opinion it makes up for it with a clever and unique art design paired with a quirky soundtrack that I found myself enjoying more than I expected.

The Witch and the Hundred Knight is a charming, funny, intense, and at times emotionally conflicting. It borrows some memorable cues from games like Bayonetta, Fable, and Lost Planet but creates a very unique experience. If you enjoy action RPGs and want a quirky story that isn’t afraid to make you hate some characters and question your own actions in the game. Then give this one a go!