Knights in the Nightmare brings Halo’s 30 seconds of fun concept to the genre. Usually you wouldn’t say of a strategy role playing game that it "repeatedly immerse players in hectic battles that would last for half a minute – just long enough to create heart-thumping chaos and the risk of death", would you? And yet I couldn’t have described the battle system of Knights in the Nightmare better if I tried.
The game can legitimately be described as a cross between Disgaea and Ikaruga. And you’ll want to spend a good 45 minutes going through the 3 layers of tutorials provided in-game before starting the campaign. The game is complex but not complicated. Everything is right there on the screen. You just need to know how to interpret it and how to react to it. Once you do, the game is wicked fun.
I can’t say that I enjoy grinding in any game. But on days I don’t have the time to continue through the main campaign, I still manage to fit in a quick round or two in "leveling" mode which lets you replay previous battles without going through the storyline elements, in order to collect items and experience that you can then use to level up your characters and items in the main campaign. Plus it’s really convenient when you’re on the go, this is a DS game after all.
So yeah, I’ve been having a great time with the game. It’s one of those games that you keep thinking about when you’re not playing it. Devising new tactics and looking forward to your next playtime. A breath of fresh air for a classic genre.