This is a funny little game - a rare example of a decent Hack n' Slash Adventure game, that while not doing anything special, manages to stand out in a way that is more unique than it has a right to have.
It released in Europe on the Gamecube, and sadly the US never saw a release, which is a shame because this looks like a perfect little game that I could've played on the OG xbox if I got the chance (with the added bonus of "Don't worry mom. You play as a good guy" on top of that, so no worries of getting into trouble for a "violent video game" for when looking for something to do after completing your 5th grade homework on a February evening).
Software-wise, it doesn't do anything new.
It's camera mechanics are a fixed point that you can manipulate. Enemies spawn in via triggers placed on the level, and you could describe this as nothing more than a Resident Evil hack-n-slash with railroaded level design, where everything starts somewhat grounded and normal, then slowly escalates.
Narrative structure, it goes for a Half Life style where one level leads into the next almost organically. After you complete a string of levels, a nice cutscene plays that gives you just enough exposition to explain why your next string of levels are in a different location.
The cutscenes are also viewable in the Extras menu after you unlock them so you can re-watch them or play them in case you decide to skip the cutscene (which I don't recommend because they're decently animated considering this is a solid B+ game, made in 2004).
Anywhere there's an alternate path to follow, there's a reward. Plus, the level design is already claustrophobic so there's no reason to be lost on how to proceed (with that one exception to THAT ONE DARN SEWER LEVEL!!!!).
Exploring rewards you with better versions of the weapons you have (which you get from going off the beaten path anyway), and the levels are claustrophobic, so there's no reason to not explore the levels whenever an opportunity presents itself.
Speaking of Game Design - the first level is brilliant because you will discover within the first 5 seconds whether or not you do or don't like the game, and as someone who's been screwed over by not knowing whether or not I like a game after the steam refund time expires, I deeply appreciate such level design from over 2 decades ago, where back then I could sell my game for the same amount I bought it at my local pawn shop if I realized that it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The game itself is nothing special from a software perspective, but for a game from 2004, I'd say its a solid B+, and it's good for what it is - a rare case of a Hack n' Slash Adventure game.
If you can snatch this game when it's on sale, fine. You can do that if you don't think you'd like it. But at the same time, it's $10 USD. It's not like you're forfeiting a coffee just to play a 7/10 game.
Anyways, yes, this is my surface level "tl/dr" of why I recommend Knights of the Temple.
It's a fine relic of older, simpler times and a way to reintroduce your older self to how video games were back in the late 90's to early 2000's before the Xbox 360 and "new gen" showed up with more impressive hardware.
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And now I get to explain why I love this weird oddball of a game.
SPOILERS GALORE.
The real meat and potatoes of the game comes from it's absurdly unique narrative (that SHOULDN'T BE unique, mind you).
You play the game, starting as a Templar Squire named "Paul". 2 things the game's already done to separate itself from everything else:
1, you start the game playing an equivalent of a low tier unit from a Medieval 2: Total War game, and I love starting the game as a nobody, then earning your respect as an in-game character as the game continues and the narrative unfolds
2, you play as a Templar. NEVER in any video game media I've played do you play as a Templar (screw off Assassins Creed Black Flag and Rogue - you don't count!)
The only other game that has the player character be a Templar (Not even that - a CRUSADER in this case) is [b]Vampire: the Masquerade - Redemption[/b] with Christoph! (which I think came out the same time, if I'm not mistaken???)
Paul falls under the archetype of the "goodie two-shoes" type of character, as most Chivalrous lawful good types of characters usually fall under.
Now it's important that I point out how unique this SHOULD NOT EVER have become, which is how despite Paul being a carboard cutout of a character, I ended up liking him so much, because... I'm not sure if anybody noticed, but lawful good tends to be written off as something that has been mocked for a while...?
Over the course of the mid-2000's, through the 2010's, and even now entering the 2020's, media somehow ended up drowning in protagonists all trying to copy Kratos and complaining [i]"Oo0oOo0h! Look at how edgy I am! I listen to Linkin Park and complain about how bad humanity is! Oo0oOoh!"[/i] Like they've been written by the guys who wrote Crossed and try to be
the Punisher without ever actually understanding how the character works! And somehow if they weren't that, they were a character from the 2024 Borderlands movie (Not in the literal sense, but you know what I mean).
[b]LITERAL. DECADES[/b] of a specific character type being used over and over again, has led to this scenario where some dude with a sword going "I'm here to praise God, kill demons, and volunteer at my local charity, and you demons just burnt down my local charity!" becoming refreshing, because it's DIFFERENT than what is normally seen.
tl;dr we have entered an age in media and games where [i]the stereotypical good guy[/i] has become refreshing.
And that's why I appreciate Paul as a character, even though we don't see a lot under his helmet (for good reason).
And THAT is what makes Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade so absurdly unique - it's narrative is great, and simply something that I haven't seen in a very long time, if at all!
