Shovel Knight Reviews
Because it's the perfect five-hour play session.
Shovel Knight is a game that looks fondly on its past but its shovel-wielding hero can easily earn a seat next to the timeless Mario or Mega Man.
Shovel Knight may be retro, but it's forward-thinking.
A varied and charming platformer, only blighted when it lets players get a little overpowered.
Shovel Knight is one of the best platformers I've ever played, period. As I sit here with the theme song stuck in my head, I'm realizing that Yacht Club Games has created something truly special, and it was absolutely worth the risk to start their own studio. In addition to a potential Shovel Knight 2, I can't wait to see what they have in store for us down the road.
A captivating, breezy journey that saves the most punishing levels for last. A New Game Plus boosts the replayability factor
I only made such strong comparisons because Shovel Knight is very blatantly borrowing from Mega Man and Castlevania. The formulas for those games work so perfectly well for a reason, and while I am not saying that it is wrong to try and innovate on them, Shovel Knight could have, perhaps, found a better way to do so.
[W]hatever version you have access to, I can't recommend Shovel Knight any higher.
Shovel Knight is one of the best "8-bit" video games to come along since the actual days of 8-bit systems.
Shovel Knight is a loving homage to an era we left behind long ago. The graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack are all pitch-perfect for an NES game... all you're missing is the original cartridge. Yacht Club Games has crafted an amazing experience from beginning to end.
So, the question remains – was Shovel Knight worth the time and the hype? The answer is a resounding yes! The game not only lived up to my expectations, it exceeded them in many respects. From my experience with it at PAX Prime last year, I had no inkling of how challenging the final version would be. That said, it is not the longest experience. I managed to beat the story mode in a little less than four hours. I still have more items to find, since I beat it with only 66% item completion, and only achieved some 24% of the various Feats. They are accomplishments awarded for various actions, and can be checked from the start screen. I’m sure they will also lend some replay value as I come back to it. Overall, though, I was well pleased with Shovel Knight. Not only was it worth my wait, I venture many who didn’t back it would do well to buy themselves a copy now. It’s only $15, and for that price is much better than the drivel put out by many larger studios. I only hope Yacht Club Games doesn’t sit on their laurels, and I anxiously anticipate a new game in the near future. Until then, I’ll be shoveling my way through New Game +. For Shovelry!
It's rare that a developer can not only capture the magic of 8-bit classics, but improve upon them, but Shovel Knight does exactly that. This game is a true classic, and hopefully the first of many more to come from Yacht Club Games. Bravo.
There are plenty of reasons to love Shovel Knight, and I'm sure more seasoned gamers than I will relish its mechanics, tight controls, or obsessiveness with all things retro. But more importantly, it's easy to fall in love with a game that manages to breathe new life into old mechanics, without feeling like a retro-throwback that is content with playing the same hand we were dealt all those years ago. It's the perfect example of a passion project done right, one that realises that it is important to look back, in order to move forward.
Yacht Club Games "Shovel Knight" is a testament to what gaming was in the past and what it can be today. Not only does it feature old school graphics and gameplay but they've crafted that all types of gamers can relate and enjoy their crafted masterpiece. An indie gem that should not not be missed by anyone who enjoys gaming.
Shovel Knight is, at the risk of repetition, brilliant, beautiful stuff. "Retro" may not be the right word to describe it. It is fun not because it evokes memories of 1989, but because it is self sufficiently excellent, here, today, in 2014. It rises to levels of technical and artistic achievement not often seen in the industry, and it has done so within a strict 8-bit structure. If Yacht Club can keep up this kind of quality and creativity, they have a long, productive future ahead of them. Here's hoping so, and here's hoping for more games as good as Shovel Knight.
Shovel Knight is a true masterpiece of retro platforming. If you ever enjoyed an NES title and wanted to relive those days then this game was tailor-made for you.
The game also sings because it's never a slave to the perceived merits of tradition. It would have been all too easy to, say, shove in some little floating Shovel Knight heads, making you collect pointless extra lives for no reason other than that's how things were done back in the good old days. Yacht Club Games is smarter than that, and their game is, too.
Shovel Knight lovingly recreates the simple pleasures of 8-bit platformers and improves on them with modern ideas that make every level different and worth playing.
Easily one of the best games of the year, Shovel Knight does the unthinkable. It maintains the style we've come to expect from the NES era of old, and yet somehow provides enough contemporary design and gameplay to make it easily fit into this generation of gaming. You'll absolutely dig it.
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.
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