A good enough idea can be the tentpole for a whole game. The Knightling, an upcoming open-world game which seems directly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, is all about the shield.
You can shield slide around just like Link does in the open-world Zelda duology, except it's even more important for getting around The Knightling's 3D platformer-style world, delightfully sculpted from ramps and speed boosts that all but scream "shield slide here." But your sentient shield is also your melee weapon, throwing weapon, glider, parry, slow-mo throw, and basically everything else.
We first spotted The Knightling last year, and as developer Twirlbound prepares the game for a PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam release, I was eager to give it a go in Steam Next Fest.
Its demo is a condensed, slightly sparse, but instantly enjoyable romp around cute hillsides dotted with treasure, towns, collectibles, and NPCs to assist as our aspiring young knight.
The Knightling himself moves and controls pretty well, with a heavy shield attack combo, responsive double jump, and an especially satisfying parry and follow-up attack.