Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the full and complete edition of Shovel Knight, a sweeping classic action adventure game series with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic! Become Shovel Knight, wielder of the Shovel Blade, as he runs, jumps, and battles in a quest for his lost beloved. Take down the nefarious knights of the Order of No Quarter and their menacing leader, The Enchantress.

But that’s not everything! Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will feature three additional campaigns that are games all unto themselves! Take control of Plague Knight, and Specter Knight on adventures of their own, with King Knight joining later as a free update! Together, they form a grand and sweeping saga!

With a fully cooperative campaign, a full-featured challenge mode, body swap mode, and a 4 player battle mode (Coming soon!) you’ll be digging for a long time. With Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you get it all. Uphold the virtues of Shovelry, earn relics and riches, and discover the true meaning of shovel justice!

Shovel Knight Review

Shovel Knight is a fantastic retro, 8-bit, side scrolling adventure. Beautiful pixel art, memorable soundtracks, phenomenal gameplay, and an all-round pleasant experience. Shovel Knight incorporates elements from great titles, such as Mega Man, Duck Tales, and Dark Souls, and delivers a charmingly unique experience. Shovel Knight was originally released in 2014, but is as alive as ever. So far there have been numerous updates (including a cross-over with the BattleToads) and free DLCs. There are currently three unique campaigns, featuring Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, and Specter Knight, with a fourth campaign featuring King Knight coming soon. The game mechanics and controls are smooth, intuitive, and function just as expected, regardless of which character you are play. There were nearly no instances of unfairness and deaths are nearly always your own fault.

This game is bursting with charm. I can’t pinpoint whether it’s the beautiful pixel art and animations, fantastic soundtrack, humorous characters and events, or the interesting storylines that make Shovel Knight so charming. The obvious answer is that it’s a combination of all these factors. Whether you are exchanging puns with frogs, watching fish dance, battling the Empress, or simply grooving to music, there is rarely a dull moment in Shovel Knight. It’s difficult to get bored of Shovel Knight because there is always something to do. Within the main levels, there are plenty of hidden rooms/breakable walls and collectibles (like music sheets). What I particularly like about the hidden areas is that there are usually indicators to where they might be, you just need to keep an eye out for them. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be finding secrets left and right. On top of the normal levels, there are also minigames (e.g. tower climb, or BattleToad challenge), side quests, and optional levels and encounters. There is also New Game +, which is a much harder experience. You get to keep your arsenal and upgrades, but enemies do more damage, HP recovery items are scarce, and checkpoints are fewer in number. While it is still the same campaign, it adds replay value in the sense that you are required to hone your skills further. I personally had a very tough time with the boss rush (like Mega Man) at the end, but the euphoria experienced from beating it was sublime. Still not enough content? Remember, there are 3 unique (soon 4) campaigns.

Plague Knight’s character really resonated with me. His outward appearance and superficial goals/motivation seem to be evil in nature, but it is clear that he is a massive softy. I don’t want to spoil too much, but he learns to dance for a special someone despite being an evil/mad alchemist. It was also a nice touch that you could make Plague Knight dance, once he has learned how to, by holding the down arrow key. I thought the steep contrast between the outer and inner Plague Knight was beautiful.

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Summary
I absolutely love Shovel Knight. It doesn't only understand what retro gamers want; it also understands exactly what it is, copping plentiful inspiration from the past while forming it all into its own game. At seven or eight hours long your first time through (and a New Game+ mode once you beat it), it lasts longer than your typical throwback, and all of that time is well-spent, whether you're getting through a new stage, going back to an old one to grind for money to buy upgrades, or exploring its many secrets. It plays brilliantly, looks stunning, and sounds great.
Good
  • Challenging and diverse platforming levels
  • Amazing gameplay
  • Great soundtrack
  • Beautiful graphics
9.2
Amazing
Gameplay - 8.9
Graphics - 9.1
Audio - 9.2
Longevity - 9.4

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