2006 saw, among such other major events as analogue TV being switched off in Luxembourg, the release of Knytt: a breezy freeware platformer in which you spend a nice couple of hours gathering up parts for your crashed spaceship. While not entirely devoid of light peril, so tranquil and airily atmospheric was Knytt’s run-and-jumpery that someone once asked, among these very pages, whether you could consider it a walking simulator.
Solo dev Nifflas has long since moved on, but Knytt itself has just been reborn as Knytt Classic: a “pixel-perfect port” for modern hardware, developed by Wolfhound makers Bit Kid and freshly launched on Steam. Still for free, of course, and with Nifflas’ blessing.
For the most part, this is Knytt as it was twenty years ago. Simple, responsive platforming, chilled-out synth soundtracks, and a rich sense of otherworldly place, despite the otherworld in question being composed almost entirely of coloured 2D squares. Bit Kid’s new additions seem mostly geared towards keen replayers: there’s optional time tracking for speedruns, and not one, but three new modes that crank up the (usually barely-there) difficulty. One of these, Knytt XH, is the work of Baba Is You developer Arvi “Hempuli” Teikari, in a nifty bit of indie supergroup-ing.
There’s also controller support and compatibility with handheld PCs, the Steam Deck included. Valve haven’t yet bestowed Knytt Classic with a Verified or Playable badge, but I’ve had a quick squizz round those blocky alienscapes on my Steam Deck OLED, and all seems well. Achievements and “hidden bonuses” round out the 2026 upgrades, the latter of which sound especially fitting. Knytt plays like a platformer but has the exploratory spirit of a Metroidvania, encouraging you to go poking around and enticing you towards uninvestigated passageways.
No complaints here, honestly. ‘Tis simply a good game, being made more widely playable, completely gratis. If you’re still sore about Luxembourg losing part of its televisual heritage, give this a whirl and be cheered up in minutes.
