Knights Contract - glitchy post-level checkpoints
6In specific circumstances it's possible to return to a level after you've already completed it, and this can cause strange stuff to happen.
After completing a level, the game auto-saves and you get a new (post-level) checkpoint. You cannot return to this checkpoint by continuing or loading a game from main menu: the game just opens up the level select screen. But: if you get a game over and instead choose to "continue" from the game over menu, the game will open the post-level checkpoint as if it was a regular checkpoint.
The only known way to do this is to start Episode 5 and then roll during loading time. For some reason this causes the player to skip the checkpoint at the start of the chapter, leaving the previous checkpoint in the memory, ready to be returned to from the game over-menu.
You can return to any checkpoint in the game this way, but so far I've only noticed unusual effects in post-level checkpoints.
The developers never intended for the player to see what's in the post-level checkpoints, and for a good reason: they're not complete, healthily working checkpoints in most cases. Most levels have a post-level checkpoint which will not open, and they instead cause Episode 5 to restart.
But the checkpoints that do open; their effects are listed in order in the video.
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0:00 - Loading up Episode 5 post-level checkpoint sends Heinrich & Gretchen to face the boss, but only a moment later the level is won instantly. The game then shows the completion statistics of your previous level completion (instead of your current one).
(You get the same result while trying to load Episode 7 or 8 post-level checkpoints too, only you get to sent to those levels' respective bosses after which level is won instantly.)
1:13 - Episode 9. You're sent back to the final checkpoint of the level. However, the place is empty because you've already completed it. There are no enemies, nor will any loading zones / doors work.
2:15 - Episode 10. You're sent back to the level boss Trendula, who is now completely passive.
Trendula can be attacked and she has a health bar. However, she never responds to any attacks, and depleting the health bar doesn't cause anything to happen either. No heroic QTE to wrap things up with; this level is just straight up unwinnable.
3:18 - Episode 12. You're sent back to the final checkpoint of the level. Once again the level is empty, though: you already fought the final fight of the level, so it won't activate when you get to the big yard. However, the cutscene-only portal is still around, and it has a prompt on it for some reason... Using it completes the level.
4:02 - Episode 13. A similar result to above. Except this time there are some passive enemies around, defeating of whom is completely pointless. There are some cutscene-only objects around, but they don't seem to do anything.
5:01 - Episode 17. A similar result to above. Level is mostly empty, although any skipped fights can be still activated. The level exit trigger is missing, so you can go examine the unloaded ruins more closely. (There isn't much to see, though.)
5:53 - Episode 18. You end up back at level boss. However, defeating him doesn't cause the level to be won, so you can walk right up to explore the Episode 19 area (which is empty). Don't know what is up with Gretchen right now.
7:28 - Episode 19. You end up back at level boss phase 1. Defeating him only causes him to stay dead, or get stuck in a pose.
8:52 - Episode 20. You end up back at level boss phase 2 (but there's no time limit). The boss has some fun reactions to your actions, like gliding away endlessly after being hit with Spear, or getting stuck in a loop of woe after being hit with Trap. Defeating her doesn't cause anything to happen, so the level is once again unwinnable.
(Not on vid: Episode 1, 3 and 4 also return to last checkpoint of the level. But I didn't notice any too weird side effects in them, and I think these levels can be completed like normal. All other levels' post-level checkpoints can't be accessed.)
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