Developer: Yacht Club Games
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Reviewed on the PlayStation Vita (also available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, WiiU, Nintendo 3DS, Windows, and Linux)
Shovel Knight is one of the rare Kickstarter funded games that actually delivered on its promise. Yacht Club Games, comprised of former WayForward Technologies contributors, sought to recapture the nostalgic appeal of the 8-bit generation in the form of a retro 2D platforming adventure game. After smashing its fundraising goal, Shovel Knight spent an extra year in development before releasing last summer on the WiiU, 3DS, and PC. The PlayStation version launched this month as a showcase title in Sony’s Spring Fever promotion.
Shovel Knight replicates the 8-bit aesthetics of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) generation, but without any of the technical drawbacks like screen flickering, choppy scrolling, and slow down. Think of Shovel Knight as a super-charged NES game. The pixel art is excellent, particularly the multi-layered, evocative backgrounds that sets the tone for each stage. Each knight has their own visual flair. The boss fights are often intense spectacles with screen filling, eye pleasing pixel art. Composer Jake Kaufman accentuates the look with a memorable chiptune soundtrack with contributions from Manami Matsumae, best known for her work on the first Mega Man soundtrack. The main theme is rousing and energetic, hitting all the right notes for a colorful, nostalgic adventure.
The plot focuses on Shovel Knight’s search for his beloved companion, Shield Knight, who had been captured during a battle with the dastardly knights from the Order of No Quarter and their leader, The Enchantress. Shovel Knight has to fight his way through each knight’s stronghold before he can set foot in the Tower of Fate, where Shield Knight and The Enchantress await. Each knight has his own distinct look and disposition, giving the game personality that also extends to the humorous NPC characters in the hub town. There a surprising amount of witty banter and silly humor, but the dialogue never overstays its welcome. There are also player controlled dreams where he tries to catch a falling Shield Knight; they’re symbolic, touching reprieves that shows what makes our hero tick while reminding the players what they’re fighting for. The overall story is straightforward and filled with charming touches.
Shovel Knight draws gameplay inspiration from iconic NES titles. The well paced platforming stages are patterned after each of the knights, culminating with a boss fight, much like the Mega Man games. Shovel’s Knights secondary sub weapons, relics, are inspired by Castlevania. The light RPG elements channels Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The game’s borrows the world map template from Super Bros. Mario 3 and Shovel Knight even has a bounce attack much like Scrooge McDuck’s cane bounce maneuver from the beloved Duck Tales game.
Shovel Knight doesn’t restrict itself to old school game design, however. It has modern touches such as a generous checkpoint system and elements from the recent Dark Souls games: dying in the game causes players to lose a portion of their gold that can be retrieved on their next try. But if players die before regaining their loot, it’s gone for good. All this borrowing may make it seem like a derivative game, but Shovel Knight shines because of its own merits.
The gameplay is fluid and Shovel Knight is easy to control. His attacks require precision, making responsive controls a necessity. Understanding the physics of the shovel based maneuvers is essential. Like the games it draws its inspiration from, Shovel Knight’s enemy encounters rely on timing and pattern recognition. The upgrade system allows players to give Shovel Knight new moves and upgrade existing abilities. The variety of abilities and relics encourages experimentation, although not all relics are particularly useful or necessary to complete the stages. It’s a shame that some of the more unique ones aren’t better integrated. The game also suffers a little from a lack of enemy variety; reused color swapped grunts is one aspect better left in the past. Despite these minor flaws, playing Shovel Knight is a fun experience thanks to its excellent pacing, outstanding stage designs, and precise controls.
Compared to the aforementioned classics, Shovel Knight is much more forgiving.The first level teaches the game’s core mechanics in a natural, intuitive way without obtrusive tutorials common in modern games. The game is rarely frustrating and unfair when played with patience. The game does lose a bit of luster on additional playthroughs, though each level is crammed with enough secret areas and hidden treasures to encourage exploration. The game also has Feats, achievement based challenges like finishing a stage without dying or without collecting loot.
The PlayStation Network version is a 3 way cross-buy title, so purchasing one of the three versions (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita) also unlocks the other versions. There’s also cross-save support, allowing players to transfer their save data between consoles. The PlayStation versions have trophy support as well as an exclusive boss battle against God of War’s Kratos. The WiiU version has Miiverse support, enabling players to share messages in the Nintendo image board. The 3DS version offers stereoscopic 3D effects and a StreetPass feature where players can fight other players’ recorded battle data. Both also provide touchscreen input in the inventory menu. Lastly, the PC version offers Steam achievements. All versions will be receiving the free Plague of Shadows expansion campaign featuring a playable Plague Knight and a new challenge mode. Â
Shovel Knight is a nostalgic romp that also forges a unique identity of its own. Even without a pair of rose tinted glasses, Shovel Knight is an outstanding 8-bit inspired adventure game that’ll please both old school gamers and the generations that followed.
