2014 saw the release of the love letter to classic NES titles, Shovel Knight but I missed out on it due to playing other games at the time and having no real interest in it. At the strong encouragement of a friend and seeing gameplay of it myself, I knew that I had to play it but my time would not come until I purchased it for the Nintendo Switch.
Prior to the game, adventurers Shovel Knight and Shield Knight traveled across the world. While they explored the Tower of Fate, a cursed amulet possesses Shield Knight and leaves Shovel Knight outside with her sealed within. He gives up adventuring and goes into exile. In his absence, the Enchantress comes into power, spreading her evil across the land. When Shovel Knight learns that the Enchantress has unsealed the Tower of Fate, he returns to hopefully find Shield Knight but first he must battle the Order of No Quarter, 8 knights sent to defeat him.
That first level had me instantly falling in love. The amazing music track for the level, "Strike the Earth" is a great tease for the music soon to follow which is just as great. Shovel Knight features strong level design that teaches the players basic mechanics of how to move, attack and jump as well as rewards them for exploring the levels with extra treasure and items called relics that use up magic which give Shovel Knight different abilities such as temporary invincibility, cast fireballs and more. Collecting these relics is a good idea since they can make dealing with bosses and enemies much more manageable. He can also be upgraded to increase his maximum health and magic and learn new abilities for his shovel where he can cause a shockwave when doing downward thrusts or shooting out energy waves when doing basic attacks at full health. There is also a healthy amount of collectibles in finding music sheets for the Bard who will pay you 500 gold for each sheet found and will play the music for you in game at request.
Shovel Knight works on two levels. The world map works as a overworld that Shovel Knight travels on reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3 and a level playfield once you select the world. Shovel Knight must travel to each of the Order of No Quarter knight's lairs and defeat them to reveal more of the map. The map also features mini boss battles with adventurers and smaller levels where you can earn more gold and levels designed for having a specific relic.
After completing the main game, you can replay it for New Game + which offers a greater challenge by limiting checkpoints and making enemies tougher but you can keep all the upgrades and relics acquired. There is also DLC content featuring two other story campaigns of knights from the Order of No Quarter; Plague Knight's Plague of Shadows and Specter Knight's Specter of Torment. There are plans for a campaign for each of the knights. There is also co-op mode so you can shovel your way through the game with a friend with an added challenge as well as Body Swap which alters the genders of the main cast, also changing even their sprite design.
Shovel Knight is a great game that offers tons of replayability and content in the package of a classic NES nostalgia love letter with decent challenge as well. I strongly recommend playing the game for yourself and experiencing it since it is at a low price of $25.
