Shovel Knight is the best NES game that never appeared on the NES. The first game developed by Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight was initially released June 2014 on the Nintendo Wii U, 3DS, and Microsoft Windows, it’s now making its debut on the Playstation 3, 4, Vita, and Xbox One and I have to be honest, I love this game.
Shovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling platform game that’s presented in 8-bit graphics. Even for the games NES appearance it is jaw droppingly gorgeous, the colour pallet is bright and lively and then dark and haunting just when it needs to be. Even the game’s soundtrack harks back to the good old NES days.
The gameplay is standard for a 2D platformer and the controls are beautifully simplistic. As the title suggests, you take control of shovel knight as you battle your enemies and hunt for treasure by digging them with your…well…shovel. There’s even a nod to the NES DuckTales in the game as you can defeat your enemies from above by bouncing on them with a shovel instead of a pogo stick!
Throughout the game you’ll encounter characters which will help you gain extra health, magic, and customer gear if you perform special tasks for them in the game levels. This adds to how replayable this game is. If you are a trophy/achievement hunter then this game will keep you busy for a while as some of them are harder than Chinese Algebra.
No matter what version of Shovel Knight you play, you’re going to get version-exclusive features. 3DS and Wii U players can access their inventory via the touchscreen without pausing the game. Wii U users can leave messages to other players of the game much like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. The Playstation 3 and 4 version of the game features and exclusive boss battle with Kratos from God of War. While the Xbox One version will have you fight against Battletoads.
If you’re a true love of video games you have to play Shovel Knight. It is joyful as well as infuriating when playing it (yes I died a lot). It is also fun for the whole family so if you have little sprogs you can educate them on what games used to be like. So come on Yacht Club Games, give us a sequel!
Shovel Knight is available now on Xbox One, Playstation 3 & 4, Wii U, 3DS, and Microsoft Windows.
[rating=4]
Michael-Adam Goodwill
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