Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight

Developer(s) Yacht Club Games
Publisher(s) Yacht Club Games
Director(s) Sean Velasco
Designer(s) Sean Velasco
Programmer(s) David D'Angelo
Ian Flood
Artist(s) Erin Pellon
Nick Wozniak
Composer(s) Jake Kaufman
Manami Matsumae
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One
Release date(s) Microsoft Windows
June 26, 2014
Nintendo 3DS & Wii UOS X
September 13, 2014[2]
Linux
October 8, 2014[3]
PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 & PlayStation Vita
April 21, 2015[4]
Xbox One
April 29, 2015[5]
Genre(s) Action, platform
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution Download

Shovel Knight is a 2014 2D side-scrolling platform game, developed and published by independent video game developer Yacht Club Games. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U in June 2014, and ports of the game for OS X and Linux followed in September of the same year. Ports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita were released on April 21, 2015, with an Xbox One port released on April 29, 2015.[4] A Japanese version of the game has been confirmed.[6] Shovel Knight attempts to mimic gameplay and graphics like those seen in games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System,[7] and for this it achieved critical acclaim and was nominated for and won various yearly gaming awards.

Gameplay

Pre-release screenshot of Shovel Knight, featuring graphics inspired by various 8-bit games.

Shovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling platform game presented in 8-bit graphics in which players control the eponymous protagonist as he collects treasure and fights against the Order of No Quarter.[7] Shovel Knight's main means of attack is his shovel, which he can either use to attack enemies head on and dig up treasure, or aim below him whilst jumping to bounce on enemies, similar to the pogo jump from DuckTales.[8] By finding a salesman hidden in most levels, the player can purchase secondary items that can be used with a limited supply of magic. These include long range projectiles, gloves that can punch through dirt blocks, and a locket that makes the player invincible for a brief period.

Aside from the main quest, which involves fighting through each level and defeating the boss at the end in order to progress through the world map, players are encouraged to collect as much treasure as possible. Treasure can be obtained by defeating enemies, finding chests, digging through the environment, and finding note sheets which also unlock music tracks. Any money earned can be spent in villages on various items, such as upgrades to health and magic, secondary items sold by the salesman, and armor and shovel upgrades that grant bonus skills. While the player does have infinite lives, dying will cause the player to lose some of their money, though the player can recover it by collecting the flying sacks that appear around where the player last died. For added challenge, players can also choose to destroy checkpoints to earn more treasure at the risk of being sent back further should they die.

Completing the game opens up a New Game Plus mode, which increases the overall difficulty of the game by making enemies tougher to kill and capable of dealing more damage, but also allows the player to keep any relics and health and magic upgrades collected during their first playthrough. There is also a password system allowing players to input codes to unlock various cheats.

Version-exclusive features

There are some gameplay features unique to certain versions of the game. Both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U versions allows players to use their respective touch screens to switch between secondary items without pausing the game. The Nintendo 3DS version features an exclusive mode known as StreetPass arena. This involves the player recording a short section of movement, which is then distributed to other players via StreetPass, where they can fight against that player's recorded character. The Wii U version contains the ability for players to leave messages to each other, similar to Dark Souls. The PlayStation versions of the game feature an exclusive boss battle against God of War's Kratos, while the Xbox One version features a fight with the Battletoads.

Plot

Prior to the game, adventurers Shovel Knight and Shield Knight journeyed across the world alongside one another, but while exploring the Tower of Fate, a cursed amulet takes over Shield Knight and leaves Shovel Knight outside of a sealed Tower of Fate. Grieving for his beloved, Shovel Knight gives up adventuring and secludes himself. During his absence, the Enchantress rises to power, spreading evil across the land. Upon hearing that the Enchantress has unsealed the Tower of Fate, Shovel Knight starts his quest towards it, hoping to find and rescue Shield Knight. In order to do so, Shovel Knight must fight the members of "The Order of No Quarter," who have been dispatched by the Enchantress to impede him.[9]

There are eight members of the Order; King Knight, Specter Knight, Treasure Knight, Mole Knight, Plague Knight, Polar Knight, Propeller Knight and Tinker Knight. Furthermore, Shovel Knight's rival, Black Knight, attempts to keep Shovel Knight from reaching the Tower of Fate, but does not answer to the Enchantress. After defeating each member of the Order, Shovel Knight reaches the Tower of Fate, where he faces the Black Knight again. It is revealed that the Enchantress is actually a dark spirit inhabiting the amulet that cursed Shield Knight, possessing her body. Black Knight, who held romantic feelings for Shield Knight but lost her hand to Shovel Knight, had been protecting her in an effort to keep Shovel Knight from harming her.

While ascending the tower, Shovel Knight unwittingly falls into the midst of the members of the Order Of No Quarter as they eat dinner. They demand a rematch, and Shovel Knight duels each knight one by one atop the banqueting table. Emerging victorious over them once again, Shovel Knight may help them up, reeling in the chain onto which the defeated knights are clinging.

Reaching the top, Shovel Knight faces the Enchantress and battles her. He manages to exorcise the evil spirit, turning her back into Shield Knight. After being separated from Shield Knight, the Enchantress transforms into a powerful specter, which Shovel Knight and Shield Knight defeat together. The specter, in desperate final maneuver, attempts to kill the two knights, but Shield Knight keeps it under control as Black Knight comes in and carries the wounded Shovel Knight to safety.

Afterwards, a pre-credits sequence shows Black Knight leaving the unconscious Shovel Knight by a campfire and depart, fulfilling his promise to Shield Knight to save him, before showing the eventual fate of each member of the Order Of No Quarter. A post-credits scene shows Shield Knight, who managed to escape the tower's destruction, limping towards the campfire before lying down next to Shovel Knight as he sleeps.

Development and release

Shovel Knight is the first video game developed by Yacht Club Games, directed by Sean Velasco. Velasco has stated that the game draws heavy influence from NES games, specifically Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, DuckTales, Super Mario Bros. 3, and the Mega Man titles. The game also draws influence from U.N. Squadron and Dark Souls.[10][11] The game was announced on March 17, 2013 alongside the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to fund development, with a minimum funding goal of $75,000. The campaign reached this goal in late March and went on to collect a total of $311,502, fulfilling all announced stretch goals for additional features, by its end on April 13.[12][13]

The game was originally slated for release in September 2013, but was delayed into early 2014.[14] After various further delays,[15][16] Yacht Club Games announced on June 5 that the game would be released on June 26, 2014.[17]

Additional features earned through Kickstarter stretch goals include a four-player battle mode, a mission-based challenge mode, an additional mode that swaps all the characters' genders, and additional playable story campaigns for three boss characters. These features will be added as free updates to the game in the future.[18] To promote the Kickstarter, Yacht Club distributed copies of their initial Penny Arcade Expo demo to several prominent gaming personalities on YouTube, including Two Best Friends Play and Game Grumps.[19][20] Characters from Shovel Knight will also be appearing as playable characters in other indie titles such as Road Redemption, Creepy Castle, Runbow, and Hex Heroes.[21]

Shovel Knight features a chiptune soundtrack composed by Jake Kaufman, with two contributions by Mega Man composer, Manami Matsumae. The game's soundtrack was released for download via Bandcamp on the same day as the game, as was a separate album featuring various arranged versions of the game's tracks.[22][23]

At the first annual PlayStation Experience on December 6, 2014, Shovel Knight was announced to be released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita consoles via the PlayStation Network store in April 2015. The PlayStation versions include a special boss battle with guest character Kratos from the God of War series.[24] The PlayStation Network release supports Cross-Buy and Cross-Save between all PlayStation versions.[6]

In March 2015, Yacht Club revealed the first additional story campaign, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, allowing players to control boss character Plague Knight. Plague of Shadows will be released as a free update for the game in Q2 2015. Campaigns are also planned for Specter Knight and King Knight.[25]

On March 3, 2015, at the Game Developers Conference Microsoft announced that Shovel Knight will be releasing on Xbox One, including an exclusive guest appearance by the Battletoads.[26][27]

On April 21, 2015, Yacht Club Games revealed on their website they are working to release the game for the Japanese market eventually, with a publisher already issued, albeit not named, promising more details to be revealed later on. The Japanese release will also include the option of playing the game in English or Japanese. Simultaneously, they also confirmed the free Challenge Mode add-on, to be released alongside the Plague of Shadows expansion.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(3DS) 93.67%[28]
(WIIU) 89.98%[29]
(PC) 87.11%[30]
Metacritic(3DS) 90/100[31]
(WIIU) 88/100[32]
(PC) 85/100[33]
Review scores
PublicationScore
IGN9/10[34]

Shovel Knight received critical acclaim. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the 3DS version 93.67% based on 6 reviews and 90/100 based on 9 reviews,[28][31] the Wii U version 89.98% based on 21 reviews and 88/100 based on 24 reviews[29][32] and the Microsoft Windows version 87.11% based on 28 reviews and 85/100 based on 46 reviews.[30][33]

Kotaku featured it in "The 22 Best-Reviewed Games That Don't Have Sequels (Yet)" in 2014 because of its high Metacritic rating.[35] IGN editor Colin Moriarty awarded the game a 9/10 rating, calling it "arguably the best game released so far in 2014."[34] Infendo.com called it "a brilliant homage to a bygone era, yet an equally fresh, captivating and innovative game"[36] and Nintendo Life praised the 3DS version's "excellent controls, gorgeous graphics, an incredible soundtrack and endearing characters ... top-notch level design, varied gameplay, hidden rooms, optional challenges and a deceptively rich combat system."[37]

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation, reviewed the game favorably, especially praising the storytelling through gameplay and the difficulty which reminded him of the way Dark Souls utilized these elements. He also noticed that while some people might "write [the game] off as 'nostalgia bait'", he has "never owned an NES, so if I liked Shovel Knight, it can't possibly be working on nostalgia alone".[38]

Including Kickstarter backers, Shovel Knight sold 180,000 copies within a month of the North American launch. 49,000 copies were sold on Wii U, 59,000 were sold on 3DS, and 66,000 were sold on Steam.[39] By December 4, 2014, it had sold more than 300,000 copies across all platforms.[40]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Result Ref.
2014 The Game Awards Best Independent Game Won [41]
GameSpot's Game of the Year 3DS Game of the Year Nominated [42]
Overall Game of the Year Nominated [43]
Wii U Game of the Year Nominated [44]
Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards Best Debut Nominated [45]
Best Game Nominated [46]
Best Music Nominated [47]
Nintendo Life's Reader Awards 2014 3DS eShop Game of the Year Won [48]
Wii U eShop Game of the Year Won
Nintendo Life's Staff Awards 2014 3DS eShop Game of the Year Won [49]
Wii U eShop Game of the Year Won
2015 IGN's Best of 2014 Best 3DS Game Won [50]
Best Music Won [51]
Best Overall Game Nominated [52]
Best Platformer Won [53]
Best Platformer - People's Choice Won
Best Wii U Game Nominated [54]

References

  1. ↑ "Nintendo UK on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Mac Version is OUT!!". Yachtclubgames. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Linux is out! Jobs! Contest Winners!". Yachtclubgames. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Spring Fever 2015: 8 Weeks, 8 New PS4 Games, PS Plus Discounts". Playstation Blog. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  5. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (April 21, 2015). "Xbox One Shovel Knight Release Date Revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Out Now On PlayStation! Xbox One Date, Japan, Updates, and Lullabies?". Yacht Club Games. April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 D'Angelo, David (2014-06-25). "Breaking the NES for Shovel Knight". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ Turi, Tim (May 14, 2013). "Shovel Knight: Yacht Club Promises Retro Charm In Spades". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Shovel Knight - Yacht Club Games". Retrieved January 22, 2014. Shovel Knight has come to this valley with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and save his lost beloved. [...] However, between Shovel Knight and his beloved stands a cadre of villainous knights. These terrible foes, known as The Order of No Quarter, have been dispatched to prevent Shovel Knight from reaching the Enchantress at any cost!
  10. ↑ Moriarty, Colin (March 14, 2013). "Shovel Knight: When Castlevania Meets Mega Man". IGN. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  11. ↑ Williams, Mike (May 24, 2014), Game Dev Recipes: Shovel Knight, USgamer, retrieved May 26, 2014
  12. ↑ "Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games — Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  13. ↑ Suszek, Mike (April 14, 2013). "Shovel Knight Kickstarter campaign raises over $300K". Joystiq. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ Goergen, Andy (January 19, 2014). "Shovel Knight Entering Alpha Design Stage". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  15. ↑ Moriarty, Colin (January 22, 2014). "Old-School Game Shovel Knight Gets Release Date, New Trailer". IGN. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  16. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (March 12, 2014). "Shovel Knight Delayed 'A Few Weeks'". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Clay (June 6, 2014). "Shovel Knight Scheduled for June 26 Release". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  18. ↑ "PSA: Here's the status on all of the Shovel Knight Kickstarter rewards and stretch goals". Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games » Update # 13: More Unlocks, More News... and Mole Knight! — Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games » Update # 15: Stretch Goals! Gifs! and Your Burning Questions, Answered! — Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  21. ↑ Prismatic Games LLC (2014-03-30). "Saturday Update Bonanza Part I: Shovel Knight!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  22. ↑ "Shovel Knight Original Soundtrack - Jake Kaufman". Jake Kaufman. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "Strike the Earth! Shovel Knight Arranged - Jake Kaufman". Jake Kaufman. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  24. ↑ Moriarty, Colin (December 6, 2014). "PSXn2014: Shovel Knight Coming to PS4, PS3, Vita". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  25. ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2015/03/02/shovel-knight-gets-free-plague-shadows-expansion-soon/
  26. ↑ "New ID@Xbox Games Storm GDC". Xbox Wire. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  27. ↑ https://twitter.com/YachtClubGames/status/573208273681182721
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Shovel Knight for 3DS". GameRankings. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Shovel Knight for Wii U". GameRankings. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Shovel Knight for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Shovel Knight for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Shovel Knight for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Shovel Knight for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Moriarty, Colin (June 25, 2014). "Shovel Knight Review". IGN. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  35. ↑ Jaffe, Alex (5 August 2014). "The 22 Best-Reviewed Games That Don't Have Sequels (Yet)". Kotaku. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  36. ↑ Riley, Justin (August 27, 2014). "Review: Shovel Knight, A Brilliant Homage To The 8-Bit Era".
  37. ↑ Reed, Phillip J. (2014-06-26). "This is the kind of shovelware we can dig". Nintendo Life.
  38. ↑ "Zero Punctuation, Shovel Knight - Good NES Nostalgia". The Escapist. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  39. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (August 7, 2014). "Shovel Knight sales surpass dev's lifetime estimate in one month". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Yacht club Games on Twitter". 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  41. ↑ Kain, Erik (December 6, 2014). "All The Winners Of The 2014 Game Awards". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Bravely Default - 3DS Game of the Year". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Game of the Year 2014". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. December 18, 2014. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  44. ↑ "Mario Kart 8 - Wii U Game of the Year". GameSpot. December 14, 2014. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day Three Text Recap". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. December 28, 2014. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day Five Text Recap". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. December 30, 2014. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day Two Text Recap". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. December 27, 2014. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  48. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (December 25, 2014). "Game of the Year: Nintendo Life's Reader Awards 2014". http://www.nintendolife.com/''. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  49. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (December 24, 2014). "Game of the Year: Nintendo Life's Staff Awards 2014". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Best 3DS Game". IGN. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Shovel Knight". IGN. Ziff Davis. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Dragon Age: Inquisition". IGN. Ziff Davis. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Winner: Best Platformer - Shovel Knight". IGN. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Shovel Knight". IGN. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.

External links