Bahnsen Knights is the third entry in the Pixel Pulp series from LCB Game Studios. The two-person dev team from Argentina have wowed players with their series of engaging, albeit short, works of interactive fiction – revitalising the Choose Your Own Adventure genre. Each game has taken cues from literary tropes, putting a capital ‘P’ in pulp: from Mothmen 1996‘s almost mystical monster mash, Varney Lake’s coming-of-age story with a sinister twist, and now Bahnsen Knights being an exploration into the crime noir. All of which, sport an ’80s home computer pixel art style, making the series evocative and nostalgic.
Bahnsen Knights is arguably the darkest of the three and easily the most developed, in terms of its world-building, characterisations and overall story scope. This time, the multi-character third-person narrative is swapped out for a more personal first-person perspective, as the story follows its protagonist, Boulder. The rise of F5 tornadoes across the US has been attributed by the public to the end times, as homes, workplaces and whole towns have been flattened – creating uncertainty in people’s day-to-day life.
Bahnsen Knights leader Toni, however, believes it’s an opportunity for salvation and rallies the locals to get in their Ford Sierras to drive head-first into these apocalyptic storms; performing ‘exorcisms’, as they believe they can control the direction of the tornadoes. This is where Boulder comes in, he’s an undercover agent whose priority is to gather enough evidence to take the dangerous cult down, but on a more personal mission to find his partner Culpra – who was working the case prior. The scope of the story felt more ambitious than the prior Pixel Pulps and in a lot of ways it completely delivers.
The Horsepower Of Christ Compels You
The shift in perspective obviously takes away the ability to jump around in the story, but the singular lens adds scale to the characters you interact with. LCB Game Studio have a propensity to deliver vivid realisations with just a few words and their take on the noir genre is a perfect match. Boulder is troubled, paranoid and constantly on the verge of snapping. It gives this constant unease as you peel back the many layers of degeneracy within the cult. You have a mission, but at what cost? Will you fit into cover by corroborating in illegal acts, or stand your ground?
This adds a game mechanic where each character you face will have a bar of trust for you, underneath their character portrait. It has story relevance that I won’t get into, but it also adds a layer of player decision-making that’s outside of the usual immediate and varied way of dying often seen in the Pixel Pulp series. Bahnsen Knights feels vastly more layered in the choices you make, even if the story doesn’t veer off to the main narrative.
On the inverse of Boulder’s moralistic choices are the risky acts of gathering evidence. This also plays into the trust meter I mentioned, as acting too suspiciously to obtain information also creates distrust from fellow cult members. Your success will determine the game’s outcome, adding pressure to act vigilantly whilst taking every opportunity you can get. Some methods are less obvious than others, whilst some may just spell out death. Bahnsen Knights has a charitable retry function, so taking punts was never too much of a risk and overall felt less daunting to experiment.
God’s Plan
Whilst this is the grittiest, most bleak outing for the Pixel Pulp series, there’s still room for a handful of minigames to enjoy. This time around they feel more realised, with clearer instructions as well as looking fully formed. It feels like the devs have a better understanding of when to let the retro aesthetic go a little bit, in service of moments that require quick thinking and immediate action, which made these sequences fun to play. Whether I was performing an exorcism in my Ford Sierra (yes, literally) or lock-picking trunks of cars, it was all incredibly tense. As a respite, a version of Solitaire is back and just as addicting to play, on top of being thematically relevant.
Being a short couple of hours to beat, Bahnsen Knights suffers the same fate as the other Pixel Pulp games do. Just when the big reveal or the pivotal moment happens, giving you that a-ha moment, you’re swiftly met with the end of the game. It’s a blessing and a curse for the series. I could have easily lapped up hours more of this twisted unrighteous tale, but at the same time being left wanting more is an undeniable plus. I can try different avenues of decisions, unlock everything in the gallery by playing every possible scenario or flick through the rest of the series and theorise over the subtle throughline they all have.
Till The Bitter End
Bahnsen Knights delivers incredible writing that felt like an Ellroy, or more contemporarily, a Sallis novel. The painting of scenes delivered by a conflicted, potentially even unreliable narrator, showcases LCB Games Studio’s ability to not just mimic genres, but be a captivating part of them. This may not be the creepiest outing, but the unnerving tension and the introspective thoughts of Boulder are just as unsettling.
This is paired perfectly with the more morose colour palette of blood reds, hot pinks and almost leering purples. The retro PC-inspired pixel art is so brilliantly designed, with cinematic shots in every scene – I honestly couldn’t stop screenshotting. The use of silhouetting, framing of characters and overall direction facilitates the atmospheric tone. It’s a dingy, chaotic albeit swift visual novel and a great entry to the Pixel Pulp series.
Bahnsen Knights delivers on all fronts despite its brisk run time. Pitch-perfect writing, alluring hyper-stylised retro pixel art and multiple quality-of-life improvements make this title the best in the Pixel Pulp series. The ending is still questionable, but the journey is well worth taking as you wade through the filth of a religious cult.
Bahnsen Knights is out 18th January 2024 for PS5 (review platform), PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The game is out now for PC via Steam.
Developer: LCB Game Studio
Publisher: Chorus Worldwide
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.
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