Knight vs Dragon
Guard the gate. Deflect every fireball back at the dragon, climb all 15 levels, and keep the kingdom standing.
Move your shield
Use your mouse, finger, or the arrow keys to slide your shield left and right along the gate.
Deflect fireballs
Hit the fireball back toward the dragon. Where it strikes your shield changes the angle — aim for the corners.
Climb the levels
Every 2 points advances you a level and speeds up the fireball. Reach level 15 to save the kingdom.
Getting past level 10
Knight vs Dragon looks simple — move a shield, deflect a fireball — but the difficulty curve is built around two things most players miss early: shield positioning and contact timing. The dragon doesn't aim randomly forever; from around level 6 onward, fireballs start favouring whichever side you were slowest to cover on the previous throw. If you're getting caught flat-footed, it's usually because you're centring the shield after every hit instead of pre-positioning toward your weaker side.
Contact point matters more than raw reflexes. A fireball struck dead-centre on your shield comes back straight at the dragon — safe, but slow to build a lead. Catching it near the edge sends it back at a sharper angle, which is worth doing once you're comfortable with the timing, since angled returns are harder for the dragon to block cleanly and can shorten a level. Early on, though, prioritise clean centre hits: a returned fireball beats a missed one every time.
Levels 11 through 15 raise fireball speed faster than they raise frequency, so the main adjustment is reaction distance rather than pattern memorisation — start your shield moving as soon as the fireball leaves the dragon's mouth, not when it's halfway across the screen. Losing all three lives resets your run, so on a tight level it's often better to concede a hit intentionally to reset your shield position than to overcommit chasing a return you're unlikely to make clean.