It’s starting to feel increasingly likely that indie games will be driving the games industry forward in 2021 with more and more AAA delays.

With the Coronavirus pandemic raging on, indie studios, which were already set up to be flexible in their working arrangements, are able to seize the spotlight and dominate the headlines like never before.

There’s been a steady stream over the past few weeks, with one pixelated adventure really catching the eye – Sir Lovelot. It seems pretty clear at first where it’s drawn some of its inspiration. With its whirling blades and sharp spikes, you can’t help but think about Super Meat Boy when first booting up the game.

It’s definitely not as tough, though. And in fact, the game’s short length and relatively easy-going level design actually makes for a nice relaxing experience. The essence of the game certainly helps with that, too, as you collect a sparkly daffodil to present to a maiden at the top of the tower at the end of each level.

In true Rapunzel style, you’ll need to climb her braid for smooches and cuddles and then you move onto the next stage on a world map styled a bit like Super Mario World.

It’s genuinely as simple as that, except there’s optional coins and golden geese to find which can help with the replayability. But it’s a nice, light, easy to jump into game. Sure, there’s a few tough sections to wade through, but you’re never going to be overwhelmed by the difficulty.

The controls can be a little fiddly at times, especially when using an analog and there is an argument to be made that the game never really gets out of third gear and flows in cruise control from start to finish, but it fills that void you sometimes have between big gaming experiences and want to dip into something for a few minutes at a time.

One does wonder what happens after Lovelot meets a princess at the end of each level as presumably that relationship doesn’t work out and he’s quickly moving onto someone else. I guess you could almost liken Lovelot to Leisure Suit Larry in a suit of armor, minus all the sleaze and smut. You also have to wonder what a massive coincidence it is that each princess likes the same type of flower.

While he certainly lives up to his name, it’s probably best not to ask questions when it comes to the game, frankly. There’s much deeper experiences out there, no question, but if you’re looking for something low risk, easy going, with a cheap price point and lovely musical score, this might just be the perfect palette cleanser.