Is Shovel Knight really that good?
Prepare to dig this awesome retro platformer from Yacht Club Games: Shovel Knight! (See what I did there?) Don’t worry, I’m not going to fill this entire review with digging jokes. Shovel Knight is a thoughtful and well executed retro game not only for its 8-bit graphics style, but also in the overall feel of the game. The same kind of level design, puzzles, and mechanical choices that made games like the Mega Man series so beloved are represented here in a loving homage to those early pioneers. And it’s that kind of attention to detail and style that leaves me a couple deep breaths away from hucking my controller straight at the screen after falling into the same damn pit for the zillionth time. It’s also what gets me out of my chair to do a happy dance when I finally succeed and make it to the next checkpoint. It’s fair to say that Shovel Knight certainly hits all of my nostalgia buttons.
While not completely necessary when doing a retro-style game, Shovel Knight manages to do a great job of putting forth a story (albeit a silly one) about the glory days of our shovel-wielding protagonist and his eventual departure from that life of heroism. In fact, I’d say that the storytelling is a standout feature of the game. The dialogue is well written and lends a lot more personality to the NPCs that are encountered throughout the course of the game. (I may or may not have read many of these aloud in funny voices.) However, it’s not just the main character and his opposition that have things to say; the towns of the world are filled with random characters with bits of knowledge that they wish to drop upon our hero. I found it well worth my time to stop and chat during my time between stages.
The towns are great hubs for both story and mechanical game progression. One town has a place to upgrade max health and magic while the other has a forge (in a zeppelin for reasons that remain a mystery) which allows the player to upgrade their shovel and buy new armor. Personally, I like the all flash, no substance gold armor. There’s even a boss fight in one of them if a certain hat shop is cleared of its normal clientele.
Shovel Knight takes place over a series of individual stages including nine levels guarded by specific enemy knights that must be defeated as well as several optional stages which offer the promise of more riches. Each stage is uniquely themed to the boss that waits at its end. For example, Propeller Knight’s stage is entirely on an airship which features lots of opportunities to fall, sections with changing winds to deal with, and cannon fire to complicate things. In that same stage, if you find the right hidden area (the game is lousy with hidden areas) you’ll be able to acquire a secondary weapon that allows you to fly forward briefly. All of these rad stages are arranged on an overworld map that is accessed in between missions and can include individual encounters with wandering enemies as well. Yeah, it reminded me of Super Mario Bros. 3 and immediately made me yell “awesome”.
Just dodge the spears and don’t fall into the pits… again.
The gameplay is, unfortunately for me, very much reminiscent of the platformers of old. In fact, Shovel Knight only uses two buttons on the controller; just jump and attack. Up needs to be held while pressing attack in order to use a secondary item and holding down while jumping allows for a pogo style attack with which to rain doom upon the heads of your foes! I’m a big fan of raining down some doom. This is all very awesome, excepting that I’m still pretty terrible with these styles of games and I tend to die a lot. The reason that I don’t just rage quit and delete the blasted thing altogether is that it hits that sweet spot of being just frustrating enough that it makes every success feel so well earned. Again, that’s just my experience and yours may vary if you don’t completely suck at old-school platformers.
So even though I’m a good 9 hours into Shovel Knight, I still haven’t quite beaten that last stage just yet. I do feel pretty lame since there’s an achievement for beating the game in under 90 minutes. However, I’m still really loving Shovel Knight and I know I’ll beat it once I get the hang of a few more areas. One of the best parts about it is that the game isn’t exactly referential in itself, but more just in the spirit of so many games from the 8-bit console era. I always enjoy a well executed retro indie game and this one absolutely hits that spot for me. So yes, if you’re asking me, Shovel Knight really is that good! If you’ve been seriously needing a solid platformer and you miss simple controls and charming 8-bit sprites, then pick up Shovel Knight on PC, Wii U, or 3DS.
