80s cult game show for kids is coming back with a free video game

Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (797006rv) 'Knightmare' TV Hugo Myatt [Sitting] ITV ARCHIVE Childrens game show series telling the adventures of teams set out for a quest in a "Dungeon and Dragons" settings. The three-level Dungeon is set in an electronic world where the person actually going into the Dungeon would have to wear a helmet and will have his three advisors telling him what to do. Generally the quest was for either the cup, the sword, the shield or the crown and helping them was Treguard, the Dungeon
For a game show made for kids, Knightmare was shockingly difficult to beat (ITV/Shutterstock)

A UK team is reviving Knightmare as a point ‘n’ click adventure game, with the original host set to reprise his role.

If you were a British kid growing up in the 80s or 90s, you’ve likely at least heard of Knightmare, a fantasy game show that used to air on ITV.

Strangely reminiscent of Dark Souls, when you look back at it in hindsight, it remains a cult favourite and saw a one-off special in 2013, and now it’s being revived as a video game for 2027.

This isn’t the first Knightmare video game as the show saw two adaptations for home computers back in the day – an adventure game in 1987 and a role-playing dungeon crawler in 1991.

The new one takes the form of a classic point ‘n’ click adventure game and, just like the show, has you guiding a visibility-challenged adventurer who’s donned the *Helmet of Justice*.

For those too young to know what we’re talking about, the premise of Knightmare saw a team of children working together to complete quests and win prizes.

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One kid would wear the Helmet of Justice, so they couldn’t see where they were going and had to be directed by the others, while they walked around a fantasy environment created using chroma-key effects.

Contestants had to fight monsters, solve puzzles, and make often random seeming decisions. The end result was that Knightmare was famously very difficult, as only eight teams ever managed to beat the game in the seven years it was on the air.

It doesn’t sound like the video game will be as unforgiving, as an FAQ page explains that dying won’t make you start from scratch and, unlike the original show, there’s no life meter to manage.

The announcement trailer not only boasts new hand-drawn artwork and animation (the website stresses no AI was used), but also promises full voice acting from the original Knightmare cast. That includes Hugo Myatt as host and dungeon master Treguard.

This isn’t Myatt’s first video game role, as he has also appeared in other fantasy games, including the original Fable and god game Black & White, both of which were developed by Peter Molyneux’s Lionhead Studios.

While the game lacks an exact release date, there’ll be no reason not to play it as it will be completely free and available to download on PC.

There’ll be no console version since, as the FAQ explains, this is a very small project and clearly one without a significant budget behind it. That’s also why the game will be quite short (only one to two hours to beat) and will not see a physical release.

Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (797006rt) 'Knightmare' TV General scene ITV ARCHIVE Childrens game show series telling the adventures of teams set out for a quest in a "Dungeon and Dragons" settings. The three-level Dungeon is set in an electronic world where the person actually going into the Dungeon would have to wear a helmet and will have his three advisors telling him what to do. Generally the quest was for either the cup, the sword, the shield or the crown and helping them was Treguard, the Dungeon
The Dark Souls of game shows (Credits: ITV/Shutterstock)

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