Extract text from Game level archives (KWN)
To convert KWN Archives to another format, you need ELB Tools or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Asset Archive" file type, you need software like ELB Tools or a similar tool.
The .KWN file format is a proprietary game asset archive exclusively developed by 3%89tranges_Libellules">Étranges Libellules for their custom K Engine. These archives function as data containers for specific game levels in legacy titles like Asterix & Obelix XXL and Arthur and the Invisibles. Each file securely bundles the exact assets required to render a specific game level, including 3D models, animation sequences, texture maps, and sound effects (often encoded as RWS audio files).
The primary disadvantage of the .KWN format is its highly restrictive and closed ecosystem. It relies on proprietary compression and utilizes encrypted file headers designed specifically to prevent unauthorized tampering. You cannot open a .KWN file with standard archivers like WinRAR or 7-Zip. Furthermore, because the decryption key is often hardcoded into the game's executable file (such as GameModule.elb), extracting the contents requires specialized, community-built modding utilities like AdrienTD's ELB Tools.
Users typically want to unpack these archives to extract the raw game assets - aiming to convert internal textures to PNG, 3D models to OBJ, or audio tracks to WAV. However, editing and repackaging these assets back into a functional .KWN file is notoriously difficult and highly prone to causing game-breaking crashes if the header checksums do not match.
Because this is a closed, proprietary format heavily reliant on legacy engine code, standard online converters will fail to process it. Often, only the original game software or dedicated modding decryptors can properly read or export the level data. If our analysis detects supported underlying or embedded formats, viewing or partial conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your KWN file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert KWN file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use ELB Tools or similar software from the "Game Level Asset Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to KWN, try ELB Tools or another comparable tool in the "Game Level Asset Archive" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our KWN converter.