Shovel Knight Reviews
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.
Shovel Knight was fun for a while, but it didn't do enough to keep my interest the whole way through. A very good old school platformer that doesn't do enough to earn a place in modern gaming. If you're feeling particularly nostalgic, go ahead, otherwise you might want to play something a bit more ambitious.
Shovel Knight is a pretty stellar homage to simpler times, but it's so unabashedly an homage that it never steps out of the shadows cast by the components it's built from—DuckTales, Mega Man, Simon's Quest. And while derivative doesn't necessarily mean bad—far from it in Shovel Knight's case—it certainly doesn't make it any less pandering in a lot of ways.
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.
Shovel Knight recalls, but doesn't rely on, many greats from gaming's past, but lacks the inventive spark that could have elevated it to classic territory.
There is gold in these old genres, and Shovel Knight is a successful dig.
A difficult, fun, and fitting tribute to a simpler time, Shovel Knight can't quite dig its way to becoming an all-time great.
Shovel Knight lacks the courage to dare, but, despite this, achieves his goal and pays homage to the 8-bit era.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The game is still recommended for those who love platform games strongly focused on action and with a hint of puzzles.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Still, it's so very refreshing to find a true gem in the ever-expanding rockpile of retro-influenced games, and Shovel Knight is a wonderful love letter to some of the classics that many of us grew up with. You will dig it.
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 is everything good about a bygone era, acting as a reminder of why classic platformers were so loved... and hated.
Many games try to use nostalgia to lure you in, but few of them are as well-made as Shovel Knight.
One of the best retro homages of recent years, that cleverly combines the best elements of older 2D games with plenty of new ideas of its own.
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.
Shovel Knight may be retro, but it's forward-thinking.
Shovel Knight perfectly encapsulates what is so great about playing modern-retro games inspired by the 8-bit era of the 1980s and early 90's without being derivative or trapped in the past.
Very successful, unpretentious platformer in retro style. Fans of this type of games from the NES should feel like fish in the water, but it will also go to others.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The Xbox One edition of Shovel Knight adds an exciting challenge to the Battletoads, which alone, for the most avid nostalgics, could be worth the ephemeral cost of the ticket, but the real reasons to download it are the same as those already highlighted in previous reviews, starting with an immediate and fun gameplay and passing through a soundtrack to applause.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Creating a title like Shovel Knight requires a boundless love for the great classics of the NES era, as well as an absolute understanding of their mechanics. The work of Yacht Club Games is a tribute of the highest quality, which does not reinvent anything but shuffle the best of the masterpieces of the past to the great and boasts a gameplay with enviable solidity. Put simply, it's yet another indie not to be missed. Nostalgic or not, give us a thought.
Review in Italian | Read full review