Shovel Knight: Digging Trouble with Your Shovel
You are the eponymous character in this grand adventure, that will send you from the belly of a gigantic ship to the tops of clouds as you fight knight after knight in search of your lost love Shield Knight. With nothing but your suite of armor on your back and your shovel in your hand you will have to face some of the most brutal platforming ever put forth, while collecting treasure to upgrade your equipment to aid you in your journey.
Before all this crazy went down, it was you and Shield Knight side by side beating down baddies and plundering treasure, as the two greatest adventurers/heroes in the land . But then, at the tower of fate, an evil amulet was found by Shield Knight and next thing you know Shield Knight is gone and the tower is sealed. With your love gone you go into retirement. That is until an Evil Enchantress comes and takes over the land with her Order of No Quarter and you catch sounds of her having Shield Knight.
From here you take control, and man are those controls tight. This is some of the most intense platforming I've played, you wouldn't be wrong to say they don't make em like these anymore. All your moves must be very precise or you will surely fall before you reach one of the next check points--for those brave enough you can destroy the checkpoints for more treasure and less safety net. You must use your shovel to bounce off the backs of enemies, to propel yourself forward, and to dig (crazy right). I rage squeezed my controller more than just a few times, but once I finally got through an area the dopamine release was so big I couldn't even recall those past feelings of rage or any other feelings for that matter.
You traverse from level to level in an over world reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3. Each level is set to a theme based off of the knight you must face at the end of it. There are also towns and lakes and halls you will come across. Everyone one of these are filled with unique and charming people to talk to, impress, and barter with. I found myself talking to everyone as soon as I reached a new place just to see what they would say or do--all the writing is that funny and charming. You will be able to upgrade your weapon and armor and you will also be able to purchase magic abilities to aid you in your quest.
The art is great and every level has it's own unique flare to it--aside from a few reused enemies. The soundtrack is one of the highlights though. Every area has it's own music that always adds a layer of atmosphere to it. And to make it even better there are collectable music sheets for every song in the game that you can find and take back to the town bard where he will play any song requested for you.
While this game takes a great many things from the 8-bit and 16-bit era, it feels wholly fresh in it's undertaking and never feels like it's committing nepotism but instead is paying homage to the games it takes from. Shovel Knight is a tight platforming package, with solid writing, a story that will have you thinking about friendship, duty, and honor, that's set to some amazing back drops and even more amazing score. This is definitely one for the ages.
