The Great War: 1898

"It's hard to remember how life used to be before the world changed. They say this is the modern age. A blaze of ashes remains of a distant past, one without the chaos and violence we've found ourselves in now. Eras of interweaving houses by blood couldn't save us from this apocalypse. Our men will form the armies who will fight and die in name of the unworthy, getting no step closer to seeing the end. We can't stand by and let this war go on forever. The Knighthood will prevail. And I shall lead the way."

- James Grey in the "Balance of Power" Trailer

Knightfall is an Open World Action Role-playing Game developed by DECA UK and published by NINE100 Studios as an Anima 2 launch title. It showcases the next-generation capabilities by creating a massive open world sandbox and high graphical fidelity, utilizing the power of the Anima 2 in conjuction with the ICEngine.

Development
After the completion of Dark Half 2, the team at DECA UK went on to evaluate possibilities of another Dark Half game. Many ideas were put forward, but due to the departure of lead narrative designers, Christ Kent and Jake Moran, who went on to create Fanatik Games, the team decided that the ideas for another Dark Half game wouldn't fit the series.

At that time, the new ICEngine was in its final stages of development at DECA USA. DECA UK was planning on creating a tech demo for an open world game, rendering a large sandbox that utilized seamless rendering, which was promising regarding DECA UK's expertise with open world game design. The demo was put forward to NCS executives in 2018, who approached DECA UK with developing a game for the higher-powered upcoming console, which was in early development at that time. To succesfully realize the scale of the project, DECA UK provided feedback regarding the specs of the then in development Anima 2.

Premise
The story of Knightfall takes place in alternate timeline where Europe has advanced earlier into industrialization. The catalyst of this is an entity known as the artifact, an ambiguous object that has been said to help the Egyptians understand science and math and help with building the pyramids. Jesus of Nazareth rose to power through the use of the artifact, until he was taken down by the Jewish society before he could do more harm according to them.

After that, the artifact disappeared from the face of the world for centuries. However, during the Crusades the Knights Templar had alledgedly found the artifact and used it to strengthen their society, eventually conquering the entirety of Levant. Their prominence eventually caused the Templar Knighthood to slowly take over parts of europe, seizing control of reigning monarchs from the inside and bend them to the will of the Knights Templar.

Due to the advanced knowledge the Knights Templar possesed and through peacefull cooperation between all European houses, science and enlightenment flourished and caused prosperity throughout the entiry of Europe and Mesopotamia. Throughout the ages, each region slowly develops an own identity and Knighthoods combine to form larger societies, eventually forming 4 major Knighthoods, the British, French, Russian and Levantine Knighthood respectively, who went on to dictate the timeline.

Gameplay
Knightfall is an action role-playing game played from the third-person perspective.

Chapter I
The game starts with James Grey and his master, Sir Lewis Connery, waiting in an alleyway in the Whitechapel streets. They are waiting for the signal to commence the raid. Connery takes the time to comment on Grey's skills, saying he is starting to get more bold each day. Before Grey can respond to uphold his dignity, Griffin gives the signal for the 2 to enter the building. With a swing of a sword, they break down a door and step into the building, surprising a group of bomb makers and taking them down. However, after inspecting the bombs that are laying on the work benches, one maker who had feigned death jumps up, grabs a bomb prototype and jumps out of the window. Grey ignores the pleads of his master and goes after him.

He chases him down through the streets, avoiding obstacles and cutting through other buildings to catch up to him. After going upstairs a building, he corners him on the balcony. The bomb maker jumps down and Grey follows, jumping onto him and planting the knife of his gauntlet into the man's leg. After grabbing the bomb and trying to detain the man, he is surprised by an angry mob surrounding him. After they ignore his reasoning, he draws his sword and says he will fight them all. However, a few precision shots to the head takedown the mob. Grey looks up to the rooftops, where other British knights are casually overlooking the scene, while Griffin contacts Eagle's Nest that the cub has been found before he could start anymore trouble.

Back at the Castle, the Knight's headquarters in London, Grey is mocked by Royle, who goes by the fieldname of Griffin, for being reckless and having to fill in a report about his actions. Grey responds that he completed the mission by getting the last bomb from getting away. Connery asks Royle if he could take over Grey from him, telling him they have to talk privately. Royle assigns Grey to be dismissed and Grey follows Connery into his room. There, Connery tells him that he values Grey's vital spirit, having shown him that his ability to kill are better than his ability to learn. Therefor, Connery will retire and pass on his duties to Grey, finally granting him the rank of Knight. Grey falters a thank you, but he realizes that this means Connery will need to leave the Castle as Grey will take over his room. Connery assures Grey that as long as he does what he feels is right, everything will go right.

After a few weeks, Grey has a meeting with Royle, where they discuss the recent assassination of the Austrian-Hungarian archduke by the Russian Knighthood, which have heated the relations between the German Principalities and the allied Knighthoods. He wants Grey to visit Paris to discuss the situation with the French Knights as the British representative, as Grey is in an arranged marriage with the daughter of a significant French Elder Knight named Pierre Le Clerc, meaning he is always in good favor with them. Grey accepts the mission and travels to Paris, where he meets with Gignac, a French Apprentice and servant, who takes him to the Circle of Masters, who are planning negotiations with the German principalities.

As he waits before entering the room of the Circle, lady Emma Le Clerc steps out of the room to greet her future husband. They've known each other for long, mostly because Grey's father and Emma's father were associates of each other and met often. Emma explains that the Circle expects that Grey's meeting and exchange of information means that Grey will volunteer in the upcoming mission, if the British Knighthood were interrested in a good ending. Grey responds confidently that they insist on keeping the good cooperation with the French. After the Circle allows Grey to step into the circle, they tell him the plan to have a negotiation mission in the Ardennes with the German diplomats, but have an elite guard standby if things go south. Grey agrees to aid the Chaperonnes in escorting the Diplomats and he heads with them to the Ardennes.

The situation there immediately feels off, with German representatives being surrounded by soldiers. The negotiations start inside of a farmhouse to represent humility. Grey watches over it, hearing the German diplomats coming with harsh terms for the French to take responsibility for the Russian actions. The French try to reason with them, saying they will crush the Principalities if were to come to war, but suddenly another German convoy arrives. The guards go on high alert, but the leader of the Germans steps calmly out of the convoy. He enters the farmhouse and greets the main French diplomat, hugging him. After clearing the atmosphere from the intensity, he says that the negotiations are over with a laugh. He calmly tells that 'the Empire will know victory' and plants a knife into the diplomat.

Immediatly havoc breaks loose. The Germans and French escorts start fighting each other and Grey finds himself in the crossfire. He tries to get as much diplomats to safety as possible and take them to a safe place as German troops ravage the place. One of the diplomats near Grey is wounded and starts talking while in shock about the German Principalities forming an empire and that that could mean the defeat of France. Grey tries to shut him, but he keeps on murmuring. Eventually, a back-up division aid the Chaperones and take everyone away from the farmhouse. A French soldier starts talking in French to Grey, who admits to not be fluent in French. The soldier tells him again in English, that this is means that the war has started. Grey responds, saying they haven't seen any of it yet.

Chapter II
The Great War, as it is called, unleashes in the western part of Europe. German forces are attacking the borders of France in full force. Since Grey is already in France, he is assigned to aid the French army fend off the first strike of the Germans. The Battle unleashes and Grey and the French hold off the advancing germans long enough for the French to create defensive foxholes or trenches. As they are succesfull in halting the German advance, Grey returns to the backline to report about the mission. The French general comments that a new nation has formed, one that is ruled by no man. He calls it Trench Nation and asks Grey to assist him whenever possible in an effort to reclaim it.

With the siege in Trench Nation continuing, Grey is called back to Paris to atent a formality between leaders of the countries allied by the Knighthoods. The formality is about giving refuge to the civilians of Elzas-Lotharingen, who are now trapped between the waring sides. During the formal dinner, which serves as a hospitality effort, Grey sits with his in-law family. He and Emma have a discussion about the needs of such formalities, with Grey rather going back to the front, but Emma expresses her fear of him losing his life. An old man joins them as Pierre Le Clerc is called away, and the man starts talking to Grey in French. Grey admits that he can't follow him and the man responds, saying that Grey must be the british boy that brought his men home.

The man introduces himself as Henry Laville, commander of the French First Shock Division. Grey responds that it was him doing his part. Laville then tells him a story of him participating in the Austria-Hungary – Ottoman War, which took place decades before. Even though he was a knight, he was just a soldier like the others in it. However, with his skills he managed to not reduce himself to cannonfodder and instead work behind the lines wherever he could. Yet, the losses were to big and even the Knighthood wasn't prepared to deal with the rise of machinery. He concludes with telling Grey that even if they are the best soldiers out there, they can't dictate the ending of the war that is ahead of them. Grey appreciates the story, but dismisses that he can't do anything and offers his help to Laville, who gladly accepts the offer.

The formalities conclude with the Knighthoods agreeing upon rescuing the civilians from the German siege. However, a safe passage from Elzas-Lotharingen doesn't exist. The First Shock Division is tasked with creating an opening and Grey takes a role in the frontlline. The assault takes place from the side, thus they have an early surprise advantage over the Germans. Grey supports the French in diverging the Germans by assaulting select nests, so that eventually a safezone is set up. As they pass through the safezone with civilians, the troops fight off Germans who try to assault the convoy and eventually force them all to retreat away from the convoy. The mission is a success and a window to Elzas-Lotharingen has been created that the French can use to travel into German territory.

However, the victory proved to be a minor one, as the Germans are able to disperse their forces rapidly across the frontline. Grey is tasked with investigating their movement and finding how they are able to spread their forces that much quicker than the French. Grey and his squad of knights enter German territory covertly through Elzas-Lotharingen. They discover that massive train networks have been constructed that they use to move their troops. Grey enters deeper into German territory, keeping a low profile while identifying major keypoints of the train route across the frontline. Grey returns to England with the intelligence and shares it with Royle, who admires Grey's formidable work, mocking him about the fact this is the first time a stealth mission has gone nicely.

To diminish the pressure of the frontline, Grey asks the help of Laville to assault what the British believe to be the German's vital artery inside of the train network. During the morning, the First Shock Division assaults a German platoon behind Elzas-Lotharingen. Through this window, Grey sneaks into a station, where he assassinates most of the personnel. However, the assault proves to be more effective than intended, so Grey's focus shifts to capturing and preserving most of the trains stationed. Now in possession of trains themselves and a roadmap, the British find out they now have direct method of travelling to Russia, whom they were cut off from when the war started.

Chapter III
On its way to a meeting with the Russians, the train is halted by Russian Royal Kozaks, soldiers part of the elite guard of the tsar, mounting horses in a traditional manner. As Grey's handlers explain that they are coming for an audience with the tsar, the Kozaks explain that a Russian offensive is besieging the northern perimeter at the border, making it unable for the Kozaks and therefore the diplomats cannot reach Moscow. Grey joins the commander of the Kozaks, who explains to him that they are trying to stall out the Germans for as long as possible, trying to dry them out from their equipment.

Grey is taken to the frontline, where he witnesses a more mobile war in an open field instead of trench warfare. The commander explains that through the mobility that the Kozaks posses, they are able to outlfank the germans whenever they get a stationary position, but the Germans machinery proves to be too durable for them to set up proper defenses. However suddenly, the air raid starts roaring and the commander is told German Luftherrscher zeppelins are spotted in the distance. Grey volunteers to help the Kozaks repel the advancing force and is given a horse by the commander to make his way to the Russian forces, where he assists the Russians defending their perimeter.

While the initial assault is succesfully repelled, the Luftherrschers then drop of a new type of enemy: Todslaufers, heavily armored one-man-army units. The sheer durability and firepower of these units drive back Grey and his fellow soldiers. After extended combat, Grey is able to pierce through their armor and take them down. With ground control re-established, anti-air units can set up and fire back at the zeppelins, who are forced to retreat. The commander thanks Grey for the assistance, who replies telling him that with the help of the French and British, the Russian should be able to establish a stable and secure frontline, forcing the Germans to fight attritions wars on 2 fronts.

Back in England, Grey is hailed as a great exemplar by Royle, who explains that Grey is showing the royal family that the knights are still of great value for the nation. Grey responds bitterly, saying that he feels more like a soldier than a knight, and that the soldiers at the front are the ones making it happen. Royle agrees, saying that faith in the Knighthood is at its all time low, explaining that most of the people believe that they are the cause for the war in the first place. Grey recites the assassination of the Austria-Hungarian archduke as the reason for the war, but Royle explains that that attempt wasn't the Knighthood trying to direct the balance, it was too maintain the balance, as a war was coming eventually. They've taken the role as scapegoat, as nobody else was willing to take it.

General

 * Advanced industrialization due to an alternate timeline where an book artifact was given by Jesus of Nazareth and obtained by the Knights Templar during the Crusades and was used to seize control of the monarchs across Europe. The details of the artifact are classified, but its a sacred object in possession of the French Knighthood.
 * Third-Person Open World Action Role-Playing Game with melee- and shooter combat. Emphasis on large scale World War I trench warfare mixed with superior parkour movement of the character, Stealth in tighter perimeters and cities and exploration in far-away locations.
 * The giant overworld includes a large chunk of the middle of Europe, from the western front France over Germany to the eastern front in Russia and Austria-Hungary, the industrial hub of London and surrounding and the Coast of Syria. Major cities include London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow.
 * James Grey, birth name Gareth Holt, was a bastard son adopted by a wealthy and power significant knight and thus an illegitimate knight, due to him being not born from Knight blood.
 * Grey is an arranged marriage with Emma le Clerc, the daughter of a powerful french knight, to strenghten the bonds between the english and french knights. This bond is later used for Grey to obtain the location of ancestor and generally recognized as the best knight, Armand Moreau.
 * The German principalities were in history too minor to be controlled by the European Knighthood, but after the unification of these principalities into an empire, they oppose the other European nations that are controlled by the Knighthood. A war between the Knighthood controlled nations and the non-Knighthood controlled nations becomes the Great War of 1898.
 * Heavy armored paratroopers in the british army is the Deathstalker Battalion. A german counterpart also exists, who can soak up lots of damage in combat. Members of the unit are mostly highly trained commoners, rather than knights. Eventually, this leads to the revolt of the labourclass in London.
 * The tomb of Moreau is located beneath a french castle in Syria, which is guarded by hostile traditional knights. Moreau also has an ancient sword in his possession that Grey takes with him.
 * Weapons include traditional melee weapons for Knights, swords, knives, etc, who value traditional over modern weaponry, which include the (obligatory) tesla gun, noise suppressing rifle, standard automatic weaponry, old semi-automatic weaponry, bayonets and more.
 * Constant plot element is the struggle of Grey in that he is of false blood and that he is a pre-arranged marriage, while falling in love with another non-knight blood commoner woman, which would mean he will be excluded from the Knighthood. Another element is (in)equality, the superiority of the Knights in contrast to the "dirty" civil class.
 * Historical significant actions of the Knighthood, all slightly altered: French revolution (Armand Moreau), Reformation of the Catholic Church (Giullio Veneziano da Firenze), Assassination of Franz Ferdinand (Demyan Kuzman).
 * Father affair with commoner, Lady for now, who conceives son with another commoner, who is abusive of her and the son. Lady dies either due to injury or decease and then father beats commoner father to death or vice versa. Out of guilt, he adopts the infant, Gareth and accepts him into his bloodline.
 * Russian Knights are experimenting with Tesla-energy weaponized devices, bringing to security of the Knighthood to waver. Grey and his comrades are send to the location and bury it, causing a hastened Tunguska event.
 * The German empire houses an underground archive of research related to the artifact beneath Berlin. Its existence, whereabouts and uses are heavily researched. It's a downward spiral with branches housing libaries and labs.
 * The Russian revolution also ignites during the Great War, causing the Russian Knighthood to be severely unreliable and a liability for both the French and British Knighthoods. The British branch eventually decides to betray the Tsar and help the proletariate finish the revolution to reestablish a strong bond between the state and the Knighthood.
 * In London, the lower class' neighbourhood is a no-go zone unless suggestion of imminent threats lurking in there. Players can only enter with collected intel which points at criminal activity in the area. Penalties are in play once they enter the area without consent and stir up havoc unjustifly.
 * The artifact, while ambiguous, was used by the Egyptians to succesfully build the pyramids. The artifact fell into Roman hands, but eventually it had became unreadable for the romans, until Jesus reactivated the artifact which caused the people in power, the Romans, to fear an uprising with the help of the artifact. It is said to give luck, fortune and enlightment.
 * After his mission in Syria, Grey suspects that Moreau's idealogy is still alive and spreading in Europe, pointing at the Red Revolution in Moscow. Fearing that a similar event will happen in London, he speaks out his distrust of the French, who have ties with Moreau and posses the artifact which they, because Grey and his associate don't know what it is or does, might be using it at that very moment.
 * The end: The belligerents of the Central Powers are defeated, but the Knighthood is on the brink of extinction, with only certain individuals still standing and going into exile.
 * The Endgame of the story has the British Knighthood corrupted, as well as Paris in the hands of central powers. Grey stealthily infiltrates the city, finds Emma Le Clerc, who says the male knights are locked up in a big prison. He rescues them, except Papa Le Clerc who accepts defeat, and with them start a riot.
 * With clues from a french grandmaster, Grey goes looking for the artifact in the Parisian catacombs, the valley of the dead kings.There he encounters the remains of it and the Todslaufer leader.
 * Back in London, the Knighthood headquarters are ravaged by a bomb attack and an assassin stirs up terror in the city. Grey and the other knights hunt for the ones responsible, igniting civil unrest between the aristocrats and the lower class.
 * During the civil unrest, Grey becomes infatuated by a commoner lady named Lilian or Lily, who has ties to the bombers club. Grey becomes morally twisted during this part, descending into irrational behaviour, affecting his judgement in the war on the mainland.
 * A Knight becomes antagonistic towards the british knighthood, either due to sympathy towards the civil class, sympathy with the Russian revolution/Moreau or plain going insane, and goes rogue, assisting the bombers in executing an attack and assassinating major figures in London to weaken the knighthood.
 * Due to alternate course of events, America is never fully conquered and remains a trade post mostly, with the west being for fortune seekers. Pirate activity is still large in the Americas, organized crime in the cities and on the waters are running high-stake businesses. The Knighthood bleeds into the frontier after defeat in Europe (Knightfall: Bloodlines and Empire)
 * A underground bunker buster kills Laville in the later portion of the story and wounds Grey, who's brought to a makeshift civilian-to-soldier hospital. There, Germans besiege the building and executes medics, volunteers and patients, forcing Grey to flee while wounded. This leads to the Red Cross trials, where Grey serves as prime witness.
 * Grey becomes a public figure due to the trials and a close relative urges him to not go to the frontline and rather keep a low profile. While initially struggling against it, Grey is later targeted in London by German wehrwolf assassins, secret civilians blend into society, who kill a body double in an alley.
 * Wehrwolfs are assymetric assassination forces stationed in German-opposing nations. They have veiled themselves as normal civilians or some are English of Germanic descendance who started sympathising with the germans. There name is based of Werewolfs, creatures who appear in daylight, but ferocious beasts when the right time (full moon).
 * During the formalities in Paris, Grey sits at a table with Laville, who tells him about his history as a soldier in the Levantine – Austria-Hungary war, which marks that Knight empires aren't invincible, foreshadowing the demise of the Knighthood in Europe.
 * To help traversing large distances in the middle of the European map, Grey will receive a horse from the Order of the Russian Kozaks, infantry existing out of riders who operate in the eastern front, after he helps them out in a battle.
 * The player can upgrade his weaponry, like the bow to the crossbow, at one of 3 elite vendors, in London, Paris and Moscow respectively. Next to them exist other vendors who sell ammunition and upgrade materials.
 * Certain higher end upgrades require unique materials that can only be acquired by completing a side quest, story mission or buy it from a rare vendor who roam around/are in a certain place for a certain time.
 * There are certain status effects akin to RPG concepts, like the Bleed status which causes damage over time and slower reactions, the Burn status that causes DoT and inability to attack, or the Paralysis status which makes enemies immobile for a moment.
 * The syrian mission requires mostly melee combat, as there are no ammo drops from enemies. That combined with the fact that the player can't return to the mainland unless he has found the seal of the artifact, proving his quest wasn't a waste.
 * The story spans about 4 years, starting in 1897 and ending in 1901. The Great War officialy erupts in 1898, where the majority of the first act takes place. The endgame takes place in 1901, where the story also ends.
 * Variation of boss encounters, which war machines requiring different approaches to be taken down. Exemples of war machines are tanks, batteries or zeppelins. There are also high tiered/heavely armored persons being called boss characters, wielding unique offensive capabilities.
 * During the Red Day sequence, Demyan Kuzman sets up a Tsar loyalist splinter faction, operating from a remote base in Tunguska. They have developed more efficient arc technology, such as an arc module on the gauntlet.
 * Boss batle 1 versus 1 against Kuzman, who wields a sword and the arc module on the gauntlet. The blast need to be blocked with the sword, which serves as lightningrod and defuses the blast.
 * Kuzman is defeated as Grey redirects an arc blast onto him. He states that he has failed and betrayed what he swore to defend. Next up, he says Russia has fallen and that it will not be long until the other nations follow.
 * The reformation of the church by Giullio Veneziano da Firenze caused the Knighthood to be renamed from Knights Templar to the Agnostic Knighthood. The first part of the title later became obscure and was left out, in favor of geographical titles to divide the different Knighthoods.
 * Due to a more hygenic way of life, the original Black Death plague in the 13th century didn't occur. Instead, an Americapox plague called the Black Death swept in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. This explains why countries were hesitant to colonize the Americas alongside other reasons.
 * A Levantine Knight stole during the Black Death era the artifact and replaced it with a duplicate. He fled to the Americas where he lived in exile. The substitute was discovered when the artifact was forced to be transported from Levant to France in the late 18th century. Armand Moreau was send to find out who stole it and he travelled to Syria to find answers, where he eventually retired.
 * The artifact now supposedly is somehwere on the American continent, which gives another reason for Grey to go the Americas to reinstall the Knighthood.
 * In an expansion pack, Grey will start looking for clues of where the artifact was taken to. He stumbles upon clues in the Free Republic of the Netherlands, where he discovers that paintings throughout the years form the key to the supposed location of the artifact in the Americas.
 * The order of leadership in the Knighthood is: Grandmaster, Master, Elder Knight, Knight, Apprentice. Grandmaster are the leaders of a branch of the Knighthood, Masters are his right hand men. Elder Knights are the highest ranked field Knights and train Apprentices, while Knights are the first lone operators.
 * The father of Grey resigned his position as Master to let his son remain in the Knighthood, after pressure about Grey's heritage came up behind the scenes. His father vanished of the face of the earth, unbeknownst to Grey and everyone else where he went and if he's alive.
 * Due to the escalations after the Russians had assassinated the Austria-Hunagrian emperor, Grey is send with a security formation to escort the french and english diplomats to the Ardennes for treaty negotiations. The group is ambushed however and the Germans executed their first assault.
 * Snowy woods at night where a pack of wolves or bloodhounds attack Grey.
 * Public execution by the Prussian knights for attempting the assassination of the German Kaiser. As tradition, it involves beheading the man with his own sword and piercing the sword through the neck into the ground, displaying the slain man to the public.
 * After scouts report more and more German troops in the western front, Grey and his troops are send to see what is happening in the eastern front. It appears that the Russians are losing and Grey and his troops use a surprise attack to surround the germans and push them back for the time being.
 * After the Todslaufer attack, one body is scavenged to research, eventuelly leading to the formation of the Deathstalker battalion.
 * Surprised by the sheer power of the Big Bertha cannon, the Knighthood establishes contact with the Prussian knights to ask for intel, only to find out they have failed an assassination attempt are put on trial.
 * After executing the Tsar, the Royal Kozaks are hostile towards the Knights, Russian and English, and during a passby, they attack the formation of Grey, resulting in a chaotic horseback battle.
 * After the British left the front, the German advance and eventual conquering of France seemed inevitable and caused one Knight to become a traitor and help the Germans, eventually being assassinated by Grey inside the Knight's home.

Characters

 * James Grey
 * Papa Grey
 * Julia Grey
 * Grey's mentor a.k.a. Old Wolf
 * "Griffin" Royle
 * Eagle's Nest Communicator
 * British Knights
 * Army Chaps
 * Deathstalker leader
 * Emma le Clerc
 * Papa le Clerc
 * Henry Laville
 * Knight Gignac
 * French Knights
 * Chap who makes cool guns
 * Lilian Something
 * Armand Moreau (Phantom)
 * Ancient Order of Syria leader
 * Levantine Hustler
 * Demyan Kuzman
 * Kuzman's mentor
 * Russian Knights
 * The Russian Kozaks
 * Giullio Veneziano da Firenze (Phantom)
 * British prime minister
 * German chancellor
 * German scientist
 * German Todlaufer leader
 * Vendors in each city
 * Street rat rival
 * The Duke in Britain
 * Vincent "The Scarecrow" Rashford
 * Germain Aurélien

Factions

 * The Knights Templar
 * Anglican Knighthood
 * French Knighthood
 * Russian Knighthood
 * Levantine Knighthood
 * Prussian Knighthood (Exterminated)
 * The British Army
 * 22nd Regiment
 * Deathstalker Battalion
 * The French Army
 * First Shock Division
 * The Diplomatic Chaperones
 * The Russian Czar Army
 * The Royal Kozaks
 * The German Wehrmacht
 * Jäger Corps
 * Todslaufer Battalion
 * The Dutch Nightwatch
 * Batavian Movement
 * The United Trade Company

Locations
Lists major districts, not the travel zones.
 * London
 * Whitechapel and Westminster
 * Greater London
 * The Asylum
 * Paris
 * The Centre
 * Catacombs
 * Valley of the Dead Kings
 * Versailles
 * No Man's Land (Western Front)
 * Town district
 * Bombed out theatre
 * Street filled with upturned carriages and dead horse (Cover-based combat)
 * Mansion housing a secret of aristocracy
 * Mining facilities in Elzas-Lotharingen
 * Trench Nation
 * The plains (Todslaufer Landing)
 * Ardennes Countryside
 * The Countryside
 * The Railways
 * Berlin
 * The Heart
 * The Archive
 * No Man's Land (Eastern Front)
 * Moscow
 * Red Square
 * The Revolt
 * Syria
 * Qal'at Valley
 * Moreau's Castle
 * Tunguska


 * Amsterdam

Overview

 * Clearing out '87 Bombers lair in Whitechapel.
 * Grey's master retires from field duty and passes his duties on to Grey, who has shown his ability to "kill" are better than his ability to "learn".
 * Go to paris to evaluate the assassination of the Austria-Hungarian emperor.
 * Escort the French and English Diplomats on a negotiation mission in the Ardennes.
 * First strike and creation of Trench Nation. Save the french troops from imminent demise.
 * Formalities in Paris to discuss with Provinces to let in Elzas-Lotharingen refugees. Meet Laville, commander of the Shock Battalion and acquire an associate, as well as estranging the relationship.
 * Assault the frontline of Elzas-Lotharing to open a window for the refugees to flee during the german siege.
 * Investigate the train routes and learn how the germans are quickly dispersing their troops.
 * Capture a vital artery in the German train network and use it to travel to Moscow to discuss tactics with the Russians.
 * Assist the Royal Kozaks in fending of a German assault and survive an encounter with the Todslaufers.
 * Return to the western front after successfully establishing a second front.
 * Assassinate the German Sturmläufer commander during the rise and fall attacks.
 * Repel a Todslaufer attack and board and destroy a German Luftherrscher Zeppelin.
 * Skirmish in a massacred town, where Grey needs to stealthily eliminate a tank.
 * Destroy a Big Bertha cannon on it's way to the Western front in the Countryside.
 * Rescue Prussian Knights who are put on public trials after a failed attempt to assassinate the German kaiser.
 * Infiltrate the prison to get the location of the Eisen Festung.
 * Witness the public execution of these knights without raising suspicion.
 * Destroy the Eisen Festung (Iron Fortress), a German on rails fortress that is heading towards France.
 * Capture and/or rig the Elzas-Lotharingen refinery to stop the flow of resources for the Germans to prevent the build of other war machines.
 * Perform a Bullhorn formation from the backdoor in the Eastern front to aid the Russians.
 * Meet with a Russian knight explaining the civil unrest in Moscow, assuring they'll handle it.
 * Ground a Luftherrscher Zeppelin to prevent it deploying explosives or troops.
 * Red Day Revolution in Moscow. Protect the people from the violence.
 * Escort the Russian communist leader through the eastern front. He'll ask the British knights to assist him in the Revolution.
 * Assassinate the Russian Tsar protected by Russian Knights.
 * First use of the Deathstalkers and major victories in the west.
 * Investigate a series of murders and other oddities in Moscow.
 * Shut down the Tesla operations in Tunguska.
 * Survive being alone in the woods, while looking for the remaining outpost.
 * Eliminate Demyan Kuzman, who leads the Russian Loyalist Knights.
 * Assassination of the Prime Minister by a bombing causes the knights to be called back to London.
 * The knights begin to quarantine and chase down terrorists in Whitechapel. Grey meets Lily and lets her escape.
 * "The Scarecrow" steps forward as the perpetrator. Security in London is stepped up, while Grey must travel with a delegation to France to justify why they rapidly left the front.
 * Bargain for knowledge of Moreau from Le Clerc in Paris.
 * Finding Moreau's Legacy in Syria to see why the French act so suspicious.
 * The splintering of the Knights due to allegations from Grey due to the Moreau ideology being displayed in Russia.
 * Takedown "The Scarecrow" in the asylum.
 * Deathstalker Rebellion against the aristocrats in London.
 * Find Royle amidst the chaos.
 * Arrest the Deathstalker commanders and put an end to the assault.
 * Protect Laville's camp before the Bunker-buster hits them.
 * Survive the Red Cross massacre.
 * Survive the Wehrwolf assassination attempt in London.
 * Battle and imminent fall of Paris.
 * Find out who the traitor in the French knighthood is and assassinate him.
 * Cut through the advancing frontline to investigate the force behind the German assault.
 * Investigate the German castle-turned-weapon research station.
 * Advance into the last perimeter of defenses in Berlin.
 * Raiding the Goethe Archives and discover the Artifact research.
 * Fall of Paris and infiltrating of the city to find Emma Le Clerc.
 * Infiltrate the Bastille to rescue the french knights.
 * Spark up riots to escape with the knights to uptown.
 * Lone wolf mission to the Valley of the Dead Kings and discovery of the state of the artifact.


 * Investigate the connection between the paintings and the artifact.
 * Collect all paintings.
 * FInd the last painting in the Le Clerc residence in occupied France.
 * Battle Gignac to obtain all scrolls.
 * Survive the german patrol's onslaught and pursue Gignac.
 * Defeat Gignac in the burning ballroom hall from Chapter IV night scene.

Missions
Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XII Chapter XIII Chapter XIV Chapter XV Chapter XVI
 * The '87 Bombers
 * A Black Hand
 * Provocation
 * Trench Nation
 * Les Estates General
 * The Frontline
 * The Train Network
 * A Spanner in the Works
 * The Royal Kozaks
 * A Second Front
 * Stormwalkers
 * Total Sun Eclipse
 * Curtain Call
 * Madamme Bertha
 * A Prussian Mistake
 * Diamond in the Rough
 * Remembrance
 * The Iron Fortress
 * Flood the Industry
 * Horns of a Bull
 * Russian Sobriety
 * Imperial Smackdown
 * Red Day
 * The Grand Express
 * The Execution
 * Deathstalker Battalion
 * Letters to the Homefront
 * Where Loyalty Lies
 * White Masquarade
 * A Broken Alliance
 * Prey of Wolves
 * Duel of Knights
 * The Queen's Guard
 * Inequality
 * Essence Reaver
 * The Scarecrow
 * Croyez-moi
 * Men of Iron
 * The Seal of Moreau
 * Dire Times
 * Into the Madhouse
 * Deathstalker Rebellion
 * The Aristocracy
 * The Darkest Hour
 * Red Cross Massacre
 * Creatures of the Dark
 * The Battle of Paris
 * A Traitor Amongst Us
 * Phantom Dancer
 * Rising from Nothing
 * Gryphon Castle
 * A Knight's Blood
 * The Goethe Archives
 * Fall of Paris
 * Storm the Bastille
 * The Templar Revolt
 * Valley of the Dead Kings

Raids

 * The Jamaican Auction - With the abolition of slave trade, a black market auction is housing underground in Jamaica street. Infiltrate the auction and eliminate the auction leader.
 * The Fox Killers - A group of serial killer is targetting civilians in Westminster and going into hiding in Whitechapel. Find a Fox Killer and interrogate him to locate their base of operations and bring them to justice.
 * The Prizefighters Ring - An underground boxing tournament is suspected of forcing unwanting participants to fight to their deaths. Investigate the rumours and put an end to the savagery.
 * The Little Boys Brothel - Rich men are occassionally spotted around shabby houses in Whitechapel. Discover why the telegraph boys visit it and eliminate whoever runs the brothel business.
 * The Virtuous Blacksmith - Somewhere in Whitechapel, a genius blacksmith is modifying state weaponry into even more deadly equipment and supplying them to criminals. Find the blacksmith and destroy his stock.
 * The Taken Prince - One of the sons of the Queen is abducted and held hostage inside Whitechapel. Find him with urgency, enact force if necessary and bring him back, if he will follow you.
 * The Werewolf Society - The Wehrwolves are discussing new directives in a secret meeting. Find out who they are and where they're meeting, and get sweet revenge.

Equipment

 * Rifles
 * High Calibre Automatic
 * Allied Version.2
 * German Sturmgewehr
 * Low Calibre Automatic
 * Noise Cancelling Prototype
 * Bolt Action
 * Semi Automatic
 * Double Barrel
 * Heavy Machine Gun
 * Sidearms
 * Semi Automatic
 * Burst Fire
 * Automatic
 * Double Barrel
 * Revolver
 * Hand Cannon
 * Shotguns
 * Lever Action
 * Double Barrel
 * Semi Automatic
 * Turrets
 * Automatic
 * Sniper
 * Arc
 * Projectile
 * Long Bow
 * Compound Bow
 * Crossbow
 * Compact version
 * Electrified
 * Exotic
 * Arc Rifle
 * Pneumatic Rifle
 * Phosphorous Rifle
 * Vacuum Cannon
 * Cluster Charge


 * Swords
 * Long Sword
 * Duel Sword
 * Dual Swords
 * Machete
 * Curved Sword
 * Ancient Sword
 * CQB
 * Hatchet
 * Dagger
 * Bayonet
 * Gauntlet
 * Blade
 * Poison Tip
 * Electrified
 * Crossbow
 * Hookshot
 * Combat Shield


 * Grenades
 * Fragmentation
 * Gas Canister
 * Arc Caltrops
 * Incendiary
 * Other
 * Rope/Chain Dart
 * Throwing Knife

Status Effects

 * Burning - Damage over Time and inability to attack. Caused why fire and explosive based weapons.
 * Snarred - Slower movement and immobility. Caused by ARC attacks and shellshock.
 * Bleeding - Constant Damage over Time and slower perception and handling. Caused by critical ballistic weapons.
 * Grievous Wounds - Infinite Bleeding effect lasting until consuming medicine or death.
 * Poisoned - Exotic variable reactions like Damage over Time, loss of perception and lowered accuracy. Caused by gas and toxic upgraded weapons.
 * Malady - Healing naturally from poison status causes a stack of malady, increasing effects of next poison status effect. Can be cured by specific medicine.
 * Intimidate - Lower a duelists guard in a melee engagement. Caused by swordplay and -skills, like performing a sword trick or dealing a heavy blow to the defenses.

Talents
Talents are the way of upgrading your character. You level your character up, complete side missions or through story rewards, you earn specific tokens to upgrade abilities. Abilities have to be unlocked by training, which means performing a task which opens the ability to be unlocked with a token. You can train abilities in training sessions or in combat, which gives more experience per performance. Each ability has 5 levels, with each upgrade increasing the ability's effectiveness.

Besides abilities are masteries, which are unlocked the same way, but only have 1 level, meaning it can't be upgrade. Masteries are mostly more active abilities or permanent equipment unlocks instead of passive boosts. Masteries are outlined in Italic, while activation masteries are also Bold.
 * Ferocity - Symbol of the Soldier: Offensive abilities, enhanced combat handling and DPS upgrades.
 * Unyielding: Increased armor amount. Unlocked from the start.
 * Steadfast: Decreased gunfire kick.
 * Fury: Increased small arms handling.
 * Piercer: Negate a portion of heavy armor.
 * Vampirism: Dealing damage increases health.
 * Critical Blow: Increased chance of critical hit and causing a bleeding.
 * Stacked: Carry more ammunition for your loadout.
 * Determined: After losing all health have a second chance to revive instantly.
 * Reckoning: Used abilities recharge faster.
 * Focus: Slow down time to land precision shots in quick succession.
 * Elegance - Symbol of the Knight: Variety of offensive and defensive skills focusing on honor and tradition.
 * Wanderer: Increased movement speed. Unlocked from the start.
 * Swordsman: Increased melee damage.
 * Assassin: Close quarter executions are faster.
 * Bladecaster: Ability to draw and put away your melee weapon in swift intervals.
 * Veil: Increased unnoticability on the field.
 * Dodge: Ability to dodge attacks and bullets.
 * Artist: Higher chance of intimidating.
 * Punisher: Execute enemies after a deflect or parry.
 * Fervor: Increased offensive stats (weapon, melee) when outnumbered.
 * Champion: Faster and more effective chain of melee attacks.
 * Cunning - Symbol of the Inventor: Adaptive abilities, survivability and specialization with technological crafts.
 * Recovery: Recover health faster. Unlocked from the start.
 * Medical: Resolve status effects faster.
 * Looter: Enemy bodies are faster looted from ammunition and currency.
 * Insight: Weapon familiarity rate is increased.
 * Strategist: Allies will have better offenses near you.
 * Blacksmith: Rune forges have higher chance of succeeding.
 * Phantom: Increased invisibility while in stealth mode.
 * Adaptability: Improvise with enemy weapons during a chain attack.
 * Crippling: Status effects do increased effect for a longer duration.
 * Feign: Pretend to be dead to surprise enemies later.

Diaries of War
Knightfall: Diaries of War are a series of interactive collectables optimized for the Anima Iris VR headset. They are first-person perspectives from varying people in the war and serve as a cinematic and immersive experience with some minor gameplay-esque interactions and free-roaming. The goal of the diaries is to deliver an "unprecedented war experience no other medium has been able to deliver before" and to portray realistic fears and tenseness present in wars in general.
 * In the Trenches
 * Horseback Charge
 * Eyes in the Sky
 * Deathstalker Landing
 * Night Stroll

Editor's Note
Huge open world with high graphic fidelity and cinematic direction.

Randomly generated frontline influenced, not dictated, by player actions. Such actions include assassinations, defeating waves of enemies or capturing locations in both the western and eastern front.

Metroidvania cities with legendary items to find, unique characters to talk to, black markets to visit and/or breakdown and Whitechapel contracts and raids can be unlocked.

Reforging weapon stats with Runes that have to be bought at the Blacksmith and a chance based minigame akin feudalism.

The main HQ is in London. Grey also has a room with a weapon wall, where he can store his armory with upgraded and forged weapons. Weapons can be scavenged on the battle and taken home for his collection.

Knightfall: Bloodlines
Bloodlines is the main story-driven expansion to Knightfall. The expansion features a rich set of additions, as well as new use of established mechanics.
 * New major hub and area: Amsterdam.
 * Large delve into the lore and history of the world. The story covers the artifact, the new world, the 'escape' and the paintings painted with blood.
 * New mastery and weapon: Execution and Silenced Hand Cannon.
 * Post-events of the main game Paris is now fully occupied and requires a high-level of stealth to traverse through.
 * Deepest and most intense boss fight in the final sequence, similar to the knight duel with Kuzman.
 * Focus on commanding and cooperating with a single partner in stealth sections.
 * Ambiguous ending setting up Empire.

Story

 * Find the first painting and lettre of Moreau is his childhood house in the French Countryside.
 * Moreau explains that he failed to find the Knight, but that the painting is the key to finding out where he went.
 * Go to Amsterdam to learn about the Painter.
 * The Painter helped the Levantine Knight escape, hiding clues to his new whereabout in a collection of paintings.
 * Learn from an Antiqueist that the Painter had a trademark style of manipulating paint to help the longevity.
 * Find out that the Red on the Artifact collection contains the blood of the Painter.
 * Invent luminous material that highlights blood-contaminated vermillion.
 * Track down all the paintings in Amsterdam.
 * Track down the last remaining paintings, each one of the two in Knighthood hands.
 * Steal it from the Queen‘s palace.
 * Go to Paris and search for the last painting with Gignac.
 * Find it in the Le Clerc residency in the ballroom hall.
 * Fight Gignac over all the paintings, as he and the other French knights want to handle it instead of Grey, whom they do not trust.
 * Kill Gignac and escape the city.