Shovel Knight Reviews

Shovel Knight is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Bit Cultures
Dakota Scibilia
95%
Sep 16, 2015

All in all, Shovel Knight is just plain awesome. The game aimed high and hit the mark. Yacht Club Games were obviously out to honor some of the classics, and they did a damn fine job of it.

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94 / 100
Aug 4, 2014

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.

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4.7 / 5.0
Aug 9, 2015

The game also has an incredible soundtrack that is a joint effort between Manami Matsumae from Megaman fame and Jake Kauffman. Both of these have created a soundtrack that is perfect fit for the game. The fast-paced songs fit the mood perfectly and are a joy to listen in the game.

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93 / 100
Jun 25, 2014

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.

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9.3 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2014

Shovel Knight works well because it knows exactly what it wants to be. The people behind it have a clear love of retro games, and that collective passion has created something great. So often we play games that try to prey on nostalgia in the cheapest ways possible, whether it's half-hearted HD remakes or blatant ripoffs. Shovel Knight is one of the few games that not only honors the past, but something we may be reminiscing about for years to come.

9.3 / 10.0
Apr 29, 2015

‎Fun, beautiful, playable, full of secrets, work of art.‎‎ So, in a nutshell, we can describe Shovel Knight. Ah! of course, ‎‎Shovel Knight comes to Xbox One with spanish texts.‎

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9.2 / 10.0
Apr 24, 2015

Shovel Knight may have a few minor issues, but it represents the epitome of 8-bit gaming.

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IGN
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2014

Shovel Knight -- in all of its old-school glory -- is arguably the best game released so far in 2014.

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Game Rant
Top Critic
Jan 23, 2015

'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.

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Jun 26, 2014

A varied and charming platformer, only blighted when it lets players get a little overpowered.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2014

Shovel Knight is the kind of game people write love letters about

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4.5 / 5.0
Apr 30, 2015

When we reviewed Shovel Knight at its initial release back in June 2014, we were amazed by its impeccable design, rock-solid mechanics and loving homages to classic games. All of those aspects still ring true on PS4, and Yacht Club Games has without a doubt successfully replicated one of 2014's finest experiences on Sony's flagship console.

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Hardcore Gamer
Dermot Creegan
Top Critic
4.5 / 5.0
Jun 26, 2014

Shovel Knight continues 2014's fantastic indie lineup, but its polish, creativity, beauty and charm might just make it the pick of the bunch. Yacht Club Games has delivered more than anyone ever could have hoped for, and created an experience that gamers young and old will thoroughly enjoy.

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9 / 10
Jun 25, 2014

Yacht Club Games has a hit on its hands with Shovel Knight. With brilliant game design, charming presentation and a ton of content, this is a wonderful first title from the fledgling developer. It will only get better with post-release content, and if Shovel Knight becomes the hit it deserves to be, gamers will hopefully be seeing much more of Yacht Club Games — and its plucky mascot — in the coming months and years.

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Nintendo Life
Philip J Reed
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jun 26, 2014

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.

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9 / 10.0
Jul 8, 2014

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.

9 / 10.0
Apr 27, 2015

Few games are as loved as Shovel Knight.

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9 / 10.0
Apr 24, 2015

Shovel Knight is just what any veteran gamer's inner child needs. Between the tight platforming, nostalgia-inducing graphics, and pitch-perfect sound design, old-school gamers need look no further for their fix. Younger gamers will appreciate the modern additions of checkpoints and Cross-save functionality, while hardcore gamers can simply smash those checkpoints and reap the rewards. It's incredible to see a game that doesn't just imitate the 8-bit era, but perfectly embodies it.

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Jun 30, 2014

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.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2014

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

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