Every once in a while we are blessed with a truly special game. A game formed purely out of the sort of

love that we all share in this hobby but so often repress in favor of bitching and nit-picking. It’s such a

special thing that even non-video game enthusiasts take notice. This is what we get with Shovel Knight,

Yacht Club Game’s delightful love letter to the NES and Megaman.

If I may gush a little bit this game is an absolute joy to play for a surly old fart like me. The game is filled

to the brim with references to the old days of gaming but never in a way that’s too alienating for people

who don’t know, such as a random battle with a traveler who is remarkably similar to the Belmonts of

Castlevania. But it’s not just nostalgia that this game has going for it. The game also features music by

the notorious Jake “Virt” Kaufman that sets the tone of the game beautifully.

 

Shovel Knight does something that you don’t see often these days which is integrate the game play

mechanics naturally into the game without being too overt. Not since Megaman X has a game utilized

its mandatory first level so well that it doesn’t feel like a tutorial. Shovel Knight doesn’t have a super

intricate control scheme but reoccurring mechanics like bouncing a downward stab to jump higher or

that some walls can be destroyed play a consistent role in how to play the game well and learning that

early on is a big help.

The game isn’t easy by any stretch and people new to the genre might have some trouble. However,

the game is actually somewhat merciful by utilizing a Demon’s Souls/Dark Souls like death system. No

lives to collect here as death merely costs you a small chunk of your accumulated gold that you have the

chance to recover by returning to where you died. Frustrating, but not outrageously cruel like games in

the old days that would kick you back to the start menu once you ran out of lives.

 

Similar to the original Castlevania the game has secondary items at your disposal, although limited, in

addition to the Shovel weapon. I say items because most of them function in a way other than the usual

weaponry we see in other games. The game does a good job of making the items feel useful instead of

superfluous by adding in plenty of moments where they were useful, and a good number of them too,

particularly against the boss of the stage you get them in. I, being a total wuss, ended up relying on the

“Momentary Invincibility” item most of the time.

Shovel Knight also features New Game+ which is always a good thing. It’s a nice reward for people who

want more of a challenge. Plus it works a great way to get better at the game to earn the more daunting

achievements associated with the game like “beat the game without taking damage or dying.”

While playing through I ran into parts where I died a lot, but I never felt like it was a cheap death or

a poorly designed moment. It was always my own fault of carelessness or ignorance. Never was I

overwhelmed with what the game challenged me with, unlike Rogue Legacy which turned into bullet

hell on New Game+. To me this always made the game feel accessible, and I have full confidence that

the game could be played by anybody without scaring them away.

 

We’re starting to see the first wave of Kickstarters come out and games like Shovel Knight have a lot

riding on them with the viability of crowd funding for game development. These are thought to be

games made by and for target audiences that aren’t being satisfied by the bigger studios. While it’s nice

to see games that appeal to me like this come out they are going to need to make money if we hope to

see more like it. Fortunately Shovel Knight exceeded my expectations and absolutely deserves any and all

of the recognition it gets. I can’t recommend this game enough. This is a home run for the Kickstarter

team.

What started out as a Kickstarter to appeal to the Megaman fans (who also probably donated to Mighty

No. 9) has turned into one of this year’s strongest titles. Shovel Knight isn’t just for fans of old games,

it’s a game for everybody, veterans or newbies. You owe it to yourself to get this game, and it’s on about

half a dozen platforms from Steam, Gog, 3DS, WiiU, Linux or Mac. That and it’s got some additional

content coming out soon too. So dig this game!

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