The retro style platformer Shovel Knight is out now for the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and PC today.
About Shovel Knight
Shovel Knight is a 2014 2D side-scrolling platform game, developed and published by independent video game developer Yacht Club Games. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U in June 2014, and ports of the game for OS X and Linux followed in September of the same year. Ports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita were released on April 21, 2015, with an Xbox One port released on April 29, 2015. A Japanese version of the game has been confirmed. Shovel Knight attempts to mimic gameplay and graphics like those seen in games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and for this it achieved critical acclaim and was nominated for and won various yearly gaming awards.
Shovel Knight Gameplay
hovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling platform game presented in 8-bit graphics in which players control the eponymous protagonist as he collects treasure and fights against the Order of No Quarter. Shovel Knight’s main means of attack is his shovel, which he can either use to attack enemies head on and dig up treasure, or aim below him whilst jumping to bounce on enemies, similar to the pogo jump from DuckTales. By finding a salesman hidden in most levels, the player can purchase secondary items that can be used with a limited supply of magic. These include long range projectiles, gloves that can punch through dirt blocks, and a locket that makes the player invincible for a brief period.
Aside from the main quest, which involves fighting through each level and defeating the boss at the end in order to progress through the world map, players are encouraged to collect as much treasure as possible. Treasure can be obtained by defeating enemies, finding chests, digging through the environment, and finding note sheets which also unlock music tracks. Any money earned can be spent in villages on various items, such as upgrades to health and magic, secondary items sold by the salesman, and armor and shovel upgrades that grant bonus skills. While the player does have infinite lives, dying will cause the player to lose some of their money, though the player can recover it by collecting the flying sacks that appear around where the player last died. For added challenge, players can also choose to destroy checkpoints to earn more treasure at the risk of being sent back further should they die.
Completing the game opens up a New Game Plus mode, which increases the overall difficulty of the game by making enemies tougher to kill and capable of dealing more damage, but also allows the player to keep any relics and health and magic upgrades collected during their first playthrough. There is also a password system allowing players to input codes to unlock various cheats.
