The world of Knytt is an austere place. Graphically, this platformer is extremely basic, its environments are bare and the storyline’s a very simple thread. Yet there’s a definite playability and charm to this modest little offering, and these qualities are captured because Knytt Stories remembers one important rule: platforming should be fun, not frustrating.

There’s no losing your last life and chewing your leg off because you’ve got to repeat several hours of pinpoint jumping here. After a death, the game simply restarts at the last save checkpoint and there are unlimited lives. But don’t think there’s no challenge involved – getting across some screens requires some pretty nifty skills.

Jumps can be chained together in fancy combos, and it’s possible to bounce up walls and pull off some really funky stuff with the game’s power-ups. These include an umbrella that allows you to float across the screen, and a hologram device that distracts monsters (just like in good old Duke Nukem). The beasts that trundle along the platforms exhibit nicely varied behaviour, too; some shoot out spikes, others home in like heatseekers or directly mimic your actions.

Overall, the main adventure is enjoyable if on the concise side, although there are a couple of extra mission packs to download (including some much harder levels). On top of that, a level editor is provided so keen players can design their own masterpieces, and there’s a reasonably active community doing just that. As a piece of freeware, this is certainly a commendable effort.