Shovel Knight Review

Shovel Knight Review | November 17, 2015
Xbox, Windows, PlayStation, Nintendo

Shovel Knight is a 2D 8bit retro action platformer. It is in the same style as other classic 8bit games like Mega Man, DuckTales, Castlevanina III and Zelda II The Adventures of Link. You are a Knight of great honor who uses a shovel as your main weapon instead of a sword. Shovel Knight and Shield Knight were an unstoppable force against an untamed land. Together they ventured into the Tower of Fate where a cursed Amulet terrible magic was released. When Shovel wakes up he notices that Shield Knight is not with him and the Tower of Fate has been sealed. In his broken hopelessness he withdrew from the world. With no force of good left an Evil Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter took over. Finally the day Shovel Knight has been waiting for, the seal around the tower is broken. He will return to find out what happen to his partner even if he has to go through the Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter.

Shovel Knight is a perfect example of how a retro style video game can be relevant and compete with newer AAA titles. Image your favorite 8bit game with perfect modern controls that is how Shovel Knight plays. The Story is deep and funny when it tries to be but the overall direction of the game is more serious. Remember he is trying to save someone’s life. What really happen to Shield Knight? Who side is the Black Knight on? Where did the Enchantress come from? All gets played out and connected as you move forward. Shovel Knight kept us interested the entire time we were playing. After you beat the game several things happen. There is a new game plus mode where you get to replay the whole story with all of your upgrades in a harder mode. Several challenge maps are now available featuring Shovel Knight to play and they are fun to figure out.

The most important thing that happens when you beat the games is the playable storyline of Plague Knight. He is one of the Order of No Quarter who was on his own adventure that runs parallel to Shovel Knights quest. You get to play through all of the same levels from Shovel Knight with Plague Knight creating a new experience. There are many areas that are new that only Plague can get to. We however did not like the controls. They work exactly like they were designed but we did not care for them mostly. Plague jumping is way different. You have to use his bombs to get to certain areas. If you do not have perfect timing then you miss or die. There are several different buttons and power ups you have to use to get from one platform to the next, it just gets complicated. We also did not like the way he attacks. Just think about Mario’s fireball but it only goes a few feet in front of him. Plagues bombs get a lot better as you get upgrades and find relics but that only made them better not good for the most part.

Adding up both Plague and Shovel Knights gameplay and get a 100% item find rate you will bank about 20 hours between the two. Taking into account challenge maps for both Plague and Shovel Knight once again then you could get into the 30 plus hour range of gameplay we estimate. Both stories are great (Shovels is more serious while Plague has more of a smart ass tone) and even though we did not like the Plague Knights controls it did not make us want to stop playing. Easy buy here under the $25.00 price range. The good news is that it is available on several different systems and goes on sale a lot. If you happen to find it under the $15.00 price range then it is a MUST BUY PRICE!

9.5 out of 10
You Will Love This Game

9.5 out of 10
You Will Love This Game

Rated
E for Everyone

Rated
PEGI 7