I found Black Knight and King Knight to be a little similar at first but I used a completely different strategy on each. I don't understand what type of boss battle you were expecting that isn't "kill them before they will kill you". It has Mega Man style jumping where letting go drops the player straight down, which can be an adjustment. Seems incredibly accurate and it has always clearly been my mistake when I fall and I could see things coming if I was careful. Fri 27th Jun Platforming hasn't been cheap at all in my experience so far.This feature is only available for the Wii U edition the 3DS version, launching concurrently, has its own special features. Yacht Club Games has also added in Miiverse support to the Wii U version, the "Digger's Diary," allowing players to leave messages for each other at specific spots the Digger's Diary is viewed via the GamePad, which is also used as a touch-based menu throughout. Luckily, and to Yacht Club Games' credit, the main game stands on its own and then some.
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It should be noted that the game's many stretch goals will be released as free updates in the future, adding playable characters and new modes. There is a special level that is specifically made to recognize the backers, and it's very easy and fun to ensure that anyone can get through it. It's great to finally defeat a boss after several tries, and the game knows this, as the screen slows to a crawl and flashes with bright colours as a visual payoff.Īs with most Kickstarter-funded games, Shovel Knight has several nods to its backers. While the boss battles are immensely challenging, they're always fair and never cheap. Early bosses follow familiar behaviour patterns, with clear entrances for Shovel Knight to attack, but later battles will have players scrambling to come up with a strategy. Bouncing about is an absolute joy, as is collecting treasure and other items.Įach boss battle is clever, dynamic and surprising. His signature move, though, is a DuckTales-inspired bounce that can be used to traverse tricky platforms and kill enemies. Using his Shovel Blade, Shovel Knight can dig up treasure, secret rooms and volley items that are being jettisoned across the screen. The gameplay is simple to learn, challenging to master, and highly addictive. The excellent presentation would be for naught if Shovel Knight's gameplay didn't deliver, and thankfully it does. From the infectious main theme to fearsome battle music to even poignant, introspective songs of longing and regret, players will be humming these songs long after the adventure wraps up it seems Yacht Club Games knows this - music sheets are hidden throughout the game, and returning them to a certain character unlocks the songs for repeat listening. Terrific chiptune songs in each level bring to mind those found in other games of this ilk, like Cave Story. The accompanying audio complements the stunning visuals - the soundtrack will eventually be considered a modern classic. While taking inspiration from its ancestors, it showcases smart, modern gameplay sensibilities and feels totally fresh as a result. But Shovel Knight is much more than a throwback to gaming's old days. While Mega Man is a clear source of inspiration - each level is styled and themed around bosses with "Knight" names and can be completed in a semi-nonlinear fashion - there are callbacks to Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda and other genre-defining franchises. Shovel Knight is a retro-styled platformer that intentionally recalls character-based franchises of old. A charming slice of pure, fun gaming, Shovel Knight combines a retro aesthetic with modern gameplay ideas to create something utterly satisfying and wonderful. Yacht Club Games, a developer made up of former WayForward employees, has more than fulfilled its promise to create compelling new content. It's frightening to think that Shovel Knight might not have come to fruition without Yacht Club Games' highly successful Kickstarter campaign - games like this don't come around often. Yacht Club Games' faux-retro platformer Shovel Knight has become one of the most anticipated titles to come out of the crowdfunding craze.