Shovel Knight Reviews
Shovel Knight is a genuine success. While early play will entice comparisons due to its clear reverence of the past, the true mark of the game's quality is that, upon completion, you'll simply refer to it's many levels, bosses, and ideas, as Shovel Knight. The wonderful modern retro classic, Shovel Knight.
Shovel Knight isn't just a nostalgic act. Yes, nostalgia plays a big part in its charm, but it's an expertly crafted action-platformer that's just as enjoyable to play as Mega Man or Castlevania. Old school gamers will love Shovel Knight's retro sensibilities, but they'll also appreciate its modern touches.
In a sea of throwback, nostalgia driven pixel-art platformers, Shovel Knight is a fantastic modern take on the genre, and worthy of play even for those who never owned Nintendo's grey and black box
The original game remains untouched and is still as challenging and addicting as ever, but consumers looking for something new won't find it here. The game's throwback sound and graphics look fantastic on the PS4 and the Xbox One, but obviously a game built around the 8-bit aesthetic doesn't benefit from a current-gen remake the way something like The Last of Us or Grand Theft Auto 5 is able to.
'Shovel Knight', from Yacht Club Games, is a well-crafted love letter to the 8-bit era of gaming, as well as being a fantastic and addictive 2D platformer.
Shovel Knight on PlayStation is just as spectacular as it was last year and the extra content, while minor, is a welcome addition to an already awesome game.
If you played these classic NES games back in the day and are looking for that feeling again, you just found it. Shovel Knight is one game pretty much any gamer should not miss out on.
It can be challenging, frustrating and cause unwanted headaches, but despite all that you'll keep wanting to come back for more. Not everyone will be drawn in by an 8-bit, side-scrolling death fest in this day and age of gaming that seems overwhelmed by retro aesthetic titles, however, Shovel Knight rightly deserves a place among modern games. The amazing soundtrack and rewarding gameplay will spur you on right to the end, and even then you'll probably want to go back for another round of smacking things in the face with a shovel. The inspiration from 8-bit games of the past has caused a great feeling of nostalgia for many, and Shovel Knight is well worth the money and trip down memory lane if you prefer to be challenged on a regular basis. The game is proof that, although 8-bit side-scrollers look old, they certainly aren't outdated.
A fun action platformer that remains incredibly frustrating by taking a few too many cues from Castlevania's jerkiest moments, Shovel Knight is satisfying and infuriating in equal measure. It's also a damn fine callback to the days of yore in a world where callbacks are a dime a dozen, and rarely this well done.
While paying tribute to the classics, Shovel Knight still feels unique with fantastic level designs that are extremely challenging and rewarding to complete. Add to that the beautiful visuals, a fantastic chiptune soundtrack, and memorable boss battles, it all adds up to Yacht Club Games love letter to 8-bit being an experience that one should not pass by.
I would say it's a must play for anyone old enough to remember blowing on a cartridge, but that would be selling it short. Nostalgia certainly enhances the experience, but this is a great game for anyone.
Everything Shovel Knight does, it does incredibly well. It's balanced enough so that both old-timers and newcomers can find something to enjoy, and never once does it falter in its mission of paying tribute to classics.
All in all Shovel Knight is delightful, amusing, and oftentimes challenging. It’s surprisingly deep, with enough secrets and charm to warrant at least one more run through on New Game+. The game controls like a dream, is simple enough to pick up immediately, and knows just when to up the ante to make you a more skillful player over the course of its six to eight hour campaign.
Shovel Knight is more than just a great platformer; it's a celebration of classic gaming. Excellent controls, gorgeous graphics, an incredible soundtrack and endearing characters make the game worth playing, but top-notch level design, varied gameplay, hidden rooms, optional challenges and a deceptively rich combat system make it brilliantly memorable. The entire experience comes together so naturally that it feels more like a recently unearthed gem from the days of the NES than it does a latter-day attempt to milk nostalgia. Shovel Knight is the rarest kind of game: one that set sky-high expectations prior to release, and then managed to exceed all of them. It's a must-buy for platformer fans, and one of the most charming and satisfying experiences on the 3DS eShop to date.
Shovel Knight is a fantastic game, which deserves all of the praise that it's received since launching last year. Now available on the Xbox One with iconic bonus content, it's even better than before and is a no-brainer of a purchase.
Shovel Knight is yet another indie not to be missed at all. The metroidvania genre reaches its peak with a game that is not a simple ready-made, but a title with its own identity. If you haven't experienced the 8-bit era on your skin, maybe you'll struggle to fully appreciate the game of the small Californian team; the excellent control system and a wide variety of enemies and settings will satisfy even the youngest and most demanding gamers, who will nevertheless have to deal with punitive gameplay and a not indifferent difficulty curve.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It is surprising that, so many years after the birth of 2D platformers, we can still design a title that bases at least half of its charisma on level design, especially without upsetting the fundamental canons of a long-lived and probably immortal genre. Shovel Knight shows that studying the past can be the first step in reinterpreting the great classics in a modern way, even going so far as to lap the quality of the milestones of game design.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Due to its impeccable level design, art direction, memorable soundtrack and addictive gameplay, Shovel Knight established itself as a true contemporary classic, a tribute to a golden age of the platform game genre; an indie that will be remembered for many years.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If we first have the impression that it will be only a sequence of winks addressed to Mega Man, his main and avowed inspiration, Castlevania or Duck Tales, Shovel Knight remains a unique title. Beneath its NES-typed game nature are treasures of original ideas, level design and maneuverability combined with an overall creation that will seduce the nostalgic. Released 25 years ago, it would probably be considered a cult today.
Review in French | Read full review