By Eric Curtis on June 30, 2014 at 9:07am
After starting out as a Kickstarter so long ago, "Shovel Knight" finally makes its appearance. Is it worth it?
Presentation
"Shovel Knight" is an old school looking, 8-bit side scroller. The look is very similar to "Mega Man," "Zelda," and "Super Mario Brotheres." The "old school" vibe is all over the game. Colors pop, backgrounds become alive, and enemies appear customized and unique. Gold and treasure taunt you at every screen in an awesome way.
Story & Characters
The story in "Shovel Knight" tells the tale of a hero who saves the world on a regular basis with his partner Shield Knight. After the two explore the Tower of Fate, an amulet curses them. Later, the Shovel Knight awakens with the tower sealed and the "Shield Knight" nowhere to be found. With his beloved missing, he disappears into seclusion while the Enchantress removes the seal on the tower and releases evil back into the world. Shovel Knight picks up his shovel once more and heads out to fight the eight masters of The Order of No Quarter in the hope that he will find his beloved Shield Knight.
The eight bosses are awesome. The dialogue Shovel Knight shares with them before each battle and the battles themselves are well done and show so much character.
Gameplay
The gameplay consists of a world map (in the same vein as "Mario") where you select a stage and then fight through it (similar to "Megaman"). Checkpoints litter the stage, so you need a decent restart point if you happen to die. You start with basic attacks, as well as a "Pogo" attack if you land with a downward strike on enemies (like "Duck Tales"). You earn gold and treasure through each stage which you spend later in town to purchase health or upgrades for magic, weapon, or armor.
The magic works the same as it does in "Castlevania" games where you collect vials through the stage, and each "Relic" use counts as so much magic. Stages are challenging with new enemies to face in each stage but not so challenging you want to quit. Boss battles are deeper than you'd think (amazingly so) with a small line of dialogue before the battle. Each boss is 100 percent unique, each sprite is gorgeous with amazing animations and patterns to learn to beat them.
Sound
The sound effects in this game are simply outstanding. The sound of enemies dying, gathering treasure, digging up piles to reveal more treasure, and rummaging your way through chest, as well as the background music itself. The sounds in this game are freaking awesome! Down to having tracks composed by Jake Kaufman and Manami Matsumae. I cannot stress enough how awesome this soundtrack is!
Conclusion
"Shovel Knight" does everything right. Nothing can be perfect, but this is as close as it gets. As I type this review I can't help but grin and feel like a little boy who just played his first Nintendo game. The art is amazing and the gameplay is outstanding. For $15, "Shovel Knight" is a steal! The game is only about 4-6 hours in length, but the ending is as epic as it gets.
