Shovel Knight

Game Review by Natasha Bissett | 02 Jul 2014
Game title: Shovel Knight
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Release date: 26 June 2014
Price: £10.99

Shovel Knight is Mario meets Zelda with a dash of Monkey Island in this classic platform adventure. Take control of Shovel Knight, armed with his trusty shovel – he doesn’t need a blade – as he seeks to take on the evil Enchantress who has his beloved Shield Knight trapped. Shovel Knight is the perfect recreation of 8-bit gaming with animated backgrounds, MIDI music, and simple, often frustrating enemies and level design.

Shovel Knight has a simplistic interface and controls – run, jump and attack – but it ramps up the difficulty quickly with varied environments and enemies. While it is possible to play through the game without the purchasable relics, it isn’t recommended. To collect these magical items, you’ll need to find their location in each level. This either means playing through a level or section multiple times to explore all paths or hope you come across them by luck. Some alternative routes take you far from the main path, if there is such a thing, and are accessible only by killing enemies with the double-jump move 'Shove Jump'. This means that if you want to access everything, you’ll need to be calculating at all times.

The level designs are fantastic but can be difficult to overcome. The realm map is reminiscent of Mario with set tracks between strongholds and civilian areas. Enemies will also patrol points of the map, spawning mini-levels when you attack them. As you progress you will unlock different themed areas of the realm on the way to the final boss’ tower. Levels include a lich yard, underwater zone, a mechanical whale, castle, weird science lab, and ice levels. Each level has several unique elements which you’ll need to master quickly as they are used frequently and with increasing difficulty until you reach the level boss.

Money is an important part of the game as Shovel Knight collects gems and gold throughout levels from defeated enemies. It's used to buy shovel and armour upgrades which counter some of the game’s more frustrating mechanics. As with all 8-bit heroes of yesteryear, Shovel Knight will jump backwards when hit, but you can buy a suit of armour to decrease this recoil. Similarly, you will lose bags of money when you die, but there is a suit which decreases the amount of money dropped on death. Don’t worry; you have the chance to reclaim the immediately lost gold from your last death by collecting the bags at your death point, a clear concession to modern gaming via the likes of Demon's Souls. As such, if you die before reaching them, you’ll generate new death bags and forfeit what was lost before.

As later levels require payment to enter, which is pure highway robbery, you’ll want to be conscious of how much money you are losing in death. The relic items, and upgrade tickets for health and mana, each cost several thousand gold. Relics can only be bought in the level they are found, so make sure you have lots of cash if you go relic hunting.

The story itself is more Zelda than Mario as Shovel Knight slowly learns what fate has befallen the realm from each village he enters. There are also hints about the fate of the Shield Knight. Like Zelda, you’re encouraged to chat with the locals of every village you enter to find out their story and get hints about the surrounding areas, with the slightly odd villagers reminscent of those once found in Monkey Island. In one village, you’ll find a bard who will exchange the music sheets found throughout the levels – again with decent searching – for coin. There is also an old woman who can tell you play statistics, including gold collected, number of deaths, and total time played.

The end game is straight out of the Nintendo playbook, with a tricky final boss that just won’t quit. Zelda fans will also appreciate the epilogue from around the realm. Depending on your skill and speed progressing through the game, you may feel it is a let-down for the effort invested but you should be congratulated for finishing what can be a very punishing game. Overall, Shovel Knight is frustrating and difficult but gives perverse pleasure. You'll grind through levels, cursing at the screen all the while, and then revel when you finally beat a boss, before diving straight into the next level knowing it will be just as hard. Shovel Knight, in recreating the 80's and 90's platform genre, will likely take you back to the kid sitting in front of the TV growing increasingly frustrated but also unwilling to put it down come dinner time.

http://yachtclubgames.com/shovel-knight/