Shovel Knight — Will You Dig It?
Welcome to Indie Spotlight!
Today we go old school with one of the greatest crazes of 2014 – Shovel Knight!
(After months of banter, hearsay and appraisal, it was time to “dig into” this game for myself! GET IT?)
As its name suggests, you play through the heroic tale of Shovel Knight, a noble warrior on a quest to defeat The Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter! Not only has she cursed the land and taken it under her control, she took your dearest Shield Knight away from you. We just can’t have that.
Shovel Knight plays as a retro platformer, much like the Castlevania games of old. You are equipped with your trusty shovel-sword and, throughout the game, find various relics that provide magical abilities to aid you. You also get the chance to customize and upgrade your weapon and armor with different powers.
The campaign is built very much like a Mega Man game – each new location you enter is under the command of an evil Knight working for the Enchantress (eight in all), and it’s up to you to survive their minions, traps and bottomless pits before stopping them firsthand.
The entire game sports the classic 8-bit pixel graphics. It feels like it was straight out of the ’80s, though today’s processing power is naturally much more suitable. Mechanics are flawlessly responsive. Scenery is impressive. Artificial intelligence is snappy and challenging.
From a design standpoint, the intro level is ingenious. Without a single word of instruction or dialogue, you are taught to dig, attack, jump and perform aerial maneuvers. You simply cannot advance if you don’t figure it out. Sure, anyone who’s been around a video game in the last 20 years is going to get it, but looking at the smallest of details, it’s about as perfectly designed as the first stage of Mario Bros. You even get to meet (and defeat) Black Knight, who is a rival to you like Zero and Proto Man are to Mega Man. The plot thickens right away – but no spoilers here!
If you have any interest in pixel art, platforming or games that don’t take themselves seriously, Shovel Knight is for you. I knocked out an entire playthrough in a single day, which is crazy for me in this day and age! It was just that good. So reward yourself and check this one out.
Shovel Knight is available on PC, Wii U and 3DS.
