MK-ULTRA
GAMES

Independent games from Toronto, Canada

WE MAKE GAMES
THAT MESS WITH
THE RULES.

We build playful systems around familiar ideas, then turn those ideas sideways. Our first release started as a weekend game jam and became a two-player fight over who gets to save whom.

Meet Knight & Damsel Read our archive
Knight & Damsel key art showing the Knight and Damsel in a theatrical frame
PC + OUYA
20.08.2015
LOCAL
MULTIPLAYER
TORONTO
2013
01 / STUDIO SCROLL TO EXPLORE
02 / FEATURED RELEASE

Knight & Damsel

Two heroes.
One rescue.
No cooperation.

We made a two-player "uncooperative" game where the Knight and the Damsel race to rescue each other. Each player can throw blocks into the other side of the stage, slow the other player down and steal the glory.

ReleasedAugust 20, 2015
Players2 local
PlatformsPC, OUYA
ModesCampaign, Arcade
Steam itch.io
Knight & Damsel split-screen gameplay in the Dire Dungeon setting
DIRE DUNGEON PAPERCRAFT STAGE
16 item blocks 4 settings randomized screen layouts full controller support
03 / HOW WE WORK

Small team. Sharp idea.

We start with the mechanic.

We like games where the idea lives in what you do, not only in what the game tells you. Knight & Damsel began at TOJam 2013. We kept the competitive rescue at the center and built the full game around it.

01

Flip the familiar

We take a recognizable game or story convention and ask what happens when both sides get agency.

02

Make the idea playable

We put the concept into movement, timing, interference and player choice. The mechanic carries the point.

03

Build with collaborators

We grew Knight & Damsel with a loose Toronto team across code, art, animation, sound, UI and music.

04 / HISTORY

From jam build to full release

Our public timeline.

TOJam prototype

We prototype Knight & Damsel during Toronto Games Jam, then decide to take the idea into production.

MK-ULTRA Games goes public

We announce the Toronto studio with Mathew Kumar, Andrew Carvalho and Colin Mancer as the initial core team.

We take the game on the road

We show the game through the indie circuit, including GDC, Gamercamp and IndieCade's eSports Showcase.

BitSummit, Kyoto

We bring Knight & Damsel to BitSummit as part of the Indie MEGABOOTH lineup.

Release day

We launch Knight & Damsel on PC and OUYA, with the soundtrack by Maggie McLean released alongside it.

Updates and GDC

We ship a post-launch update, and Mathew represents MK-ULTRA Games in the GDC Microtalks lineup.

05 / PEOPLE

Built in Toronto

We made it together.

Knight & Damsel grew from a small core into a wider group of collaborators. We worked across design, engineering, art, animation, sound and music.

Mathew KumarFounder / Creative Director
Andrew CarvalhoTechnical Director
Colin MancerArtistic Director
Izzie Colpitts-CampbellGameplay Programming
Robby DuguaySound Design
Noreen RanaUI / Art Direction
Yuliya BoublikovaAnimation
Maggie McLeanMusic

Seen and supported

IndieCade GDC BitSummit Indie MEGABOOTH Gamercamp Ontario Media Development Corporation
06 / ARCHIVE

Design notes

Mechanics. Visuals. Production.

We break down the systems behind Knight & Damsel and compare them with the production language of slot games and regulated gambling products.

Browse all articles

Still playable

Pick a side.
Then rescue the other one.

Get it on Steam Buy on itch.io ↗