Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

Shovel of Hope: 58/100, Dialog and boss fights were fun, but other then that, the levels are long slogs, well designed slogs, but tedious and annoying nonetheless, the overly-restrictive combat ability of Shovel Knight doesn't help either.

Plague of Shadows: 63/100, Decently big step up from Shovel of Hope, the ability to customize your primary was extremely fun and useful to experiment with for bossfights, but outside of that in normal platforming, its near useless. Moveset is a big improvement from Shovel Knight, even if the levels are still a drag regardless. Dialog was also fun, even with the corny ending

Specter of Torment: 65/100, Seeing the new visuals and music for each of the prequal levels was extremely fun and were very well done! Specter Knight's moveset is wayyy more freeing than Shovel Knight, almost to a fault though, levels quickly become a piece of cake once you get used to your abilities. Dialog was alright.

King of Cards: 75/100, The massive level design overhaul was greatly appreciated, levels no longer overstayed their welcome. Moveset struck the exact right balance between freeing and limited. Joustus was very fun added an entire dimension to my playthrough, giving my gold a consistent sink even after i get all of the main game abilities, which makes gold feel actually valuable now. Change in story tone was fun, the ending especially felt very well made.

Total game rating: 67/100

From the moment I put my eyes on this game, I knew it was going to be something special. A knight on a quest who pogos on enemies while seeking treasure and gaining new skills and equipment? Sign me up!Yacht Club Games do more than just another platformer with 8-bit inspired graphics. Right away, you can tell the care and detail put into the look is astounding - I've never seen anything emulate the exact details of the GBC so well. The game's graphical presentation is, sure, simple, but simply perfect. It adds enough detail to give you a world to build and explore, but doesn't overload you so much that your focus is drawn too far. And that's when you hear the music.

Yes, the game's music. There are plenty of rockin' retro-inspired chiptunes, but this is the most rocking of chip-rock I've heard in a long while. It's not only a soundtrack that I enjoy listening to, but one that I actively listen to. It's not generic butt-rock, nor is it too out there and distracting. Much like the game's graphical presentation, it's just perfect. Hanging out in the town, talking to new characters, and finding secrets is super relaxing with a gentle beat in the background, all while difficult stages and boss fights provide the right amount of fist-pumping rock attitude. Perfect.

The gameplay and difficulty are possibly the most discussed aspects of this game. Let's face it: If you're going to make a platformer, it better be good. The movement in this game is just right. Jumping feels great, the pogo mechanic (a la Duck tales) is wonderful, and no death ever feels cheap. The game is a joy to play on so many levels; from trying to time trial your way through, to getting every last bit of treasure, this is a pleasure to play. It's hard, sure, but not too hard. I've spent plenty of time being stuck on a level, come so close to throwing my controller. However, the gameplay is so tight that you know that you can actually improve how you play the game and, yes, finally get redemption for your knight.

Shovel Knight is by no means a perfect game, but, having given it some thought, I couldn't tell you why. Should I fault a game for not include more of a deep and meaningful story that I find endearing in some games? Should I ask that the devs add in puzzles from my favourite PnC adventure games? It's difficult to add up how much of this is my own unreasonable expectation and how much should be left to the game. In either case, Shovel Knight is certainly the best platformer to be release in recent years, and it's just a pure joy to play from start to finish.