Yacht Club Games created something special with Shovel Knight. What started out as a Kickstarter blew up with all the coverage and positive reception received from playing the demo released along with inside looks at the development process. Shovel Knight is a love letter for those who enjoyed the classic 16 bit era of the Super Nintendo. From it's art style to the sound bytes, this indie platformer achieves this very easily. Every level is well thought out and themed to the main villain of the board a la Mega Man style. Even the screen before the boss is very reminiscent of Mega Man's. There's a definite array of colors that decorate each stage and it progresses to darker colors. Even the World Map has that Super Mario Bros 3 vibe in terms of looks and the layout.
The game places you in the metal boots of Shovel Knight. It introduces the story right off the bat as you must journey through to The Tower of Fate and defeat The Enchantress. In turn he hopes to avenge his beloved Shield Knight but must work through The Order of No Quarter. As the name of the game implies, you are armed with a shovel. Shovel Knight is capable of doing a basic swipe attack and a downward thrust in the air (very similar to Scrooge McDuck pogo sticking in Ducktales). Collecting gems is the main source of currency. As you build up more, you can purchase a variety of items.
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| Hey there pretty...water carrying lady. |
These items are known as Relics and cost a certain amount of magic to use. They range from a Flame Wand, gloves to punch dirt, and a fencing sword to propel through the air. Speaking of dirt, every level has blocks of them that can easily be taken care of. You are fighting with a shovel after all. Power ups can also be applied to your shovel and even brand new armor with certain attributes to them like less money being lost if you die. I found that doing the downward pogo attack to be very useful half the time throughout this game. Even effective against the boss fights. In terms of level design it's amazing. I'm reminded of the Sequelitis video made by Egoraptor conparing the classic Mega Man to Mega Man X.
Basically the levels introduce one mechanic and then layer it with other obstacles in subsequent screens, much like in the classic video games of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Shovel Knight is divided up into several types of levels. There are the regular Order of No Quarter levels, treasure levels designed around the usage of a new item, villages, and a special area designated to honor Kickstarter backers. Enemies and opponents pop up every once and awhile and you can challenge them. This is very similar to the Hammer Bros wandering on the map in SMB3. The music is absolutely amazing and I have give mad props to the composer of this game. He perfectly captured each level's theme with it's background tunes.
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| A look at the World Map. |
The graphical style of the game works beautifully with the drawn in backgrounds of the stages. The character portraits and sprite works are also very well done. I also want to take the opportunity and vote the Troupple King as best new character for this year. Wait the year's over? OH CRAP! Be warned, like in true classic gaming fashion, the game can get very frustrating at some levels. I found myself cursing and getting frustrated at lots of points. Even with that being said, Shovel Knight is still an awesome game!
You will most likely get wrapped up in the incredible charm this game has. The writing is also pretty great. The characters give off great lines and some show a sense of humor. If you're looking for an enjoyable classic styled game then Shovel Knight is definitely for you. Even the hardcore gamers who grew up in the classic era will enjoy this one lots.
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| Boss Fight! |
Should you Play this Game?
Yes! Shovel Knight is an amazing indie game that utilizes the technology of today to showcase the love of the 16 bit era. Fantastic gameplay and great music makes this game a definite enjoyment for majority of today's gamers.
