The Hayseed Knight
The Hayseed Knight is an episodic Visual Novel developed by Sandra "Maxi" Molina under the studio name SandraMJdev. The first free demo showcasing chapter 1, v1.0, was released on itch.io on August 30th 2017. The first commercial version was launched on Steam on December 8th 2020, v1.4, which included up to chapter 3. Given the solo development nature of the project, the time transpired between chapters and versions ranges from months to years.
As of v1.7, four chapters out of a total of five planned chapters have been released. Even though the developer is Spanish, the game text is originally written in English, with full voice acting available in English exclusively. Chapters 1-3 have been translated to Spanish and French, and Chapters 1-2 are available in Japanese.
Synopsis
Join a ragtag band of misfits as they try to piece together the story of how Ader, a one-eyed farmboy with seemingly impossible dreams, becomes the most celebrated knight the kingdom of Acazhor has ever known.
Gameplay
As is generally the case for visual novels, The Hayseed Knight's main mechanic is its branching narrative dependent on player choices, with differing scenes and outcomes that vary from playthrough to playthrough. Character POV switches between chapters. Every chapter includes a unique gameplay "quirk", such as the fight scene in chapter 1, the Diary in chapter 3, and the point and click section in chapter 4.
The Hayseed Knight also includes an in-game encyclopaedia that is widely referenced throughout this wiki and updated from chapter to chapter.
Background
Drawing from Spanish XVIth century “Picaresque Novel”, the story plays as a satire on knightly and courtly tropes, with a twist; the heroic protagonist is exchanged for a go-getter that lies his way into legends, never telling a whole truth.
The story switches POVs every chapter, focusing on the misadventures of Ader’s friends as they deal with their own troubles and worries.
Just like Picaresque itself was greatly influenced by Arabic literature, the story is set in the fictional land of Acazhor, inspired by al-Andalus —the Muslim-ruled area of medieval Spain—, and it aims to reflect the historic relevance and richness of this period through the lens of the different species that inhabit the kingdom and a vast fantasy lore.
Development
Though much work went into writing and discarding versions of the script since 2016, development for The Hayseed Knight as a Visual Novel started in May 2017.
The estimated date of completion is Q3 2023.
Reception
As of 2023, the game has Very Positive reviews on Steam, and a 4.8 / 5 punctuation on itch.io
