Shovel Knight Review

 (Originally published to Glitchwave on 3/7/2023)

[Image from glitchwave.com]

Shovel Knight

Developer: Yacht Club Games

Publisher: Yacht Club Games

Genre(s): 2D Platformer

Platforms: PC, Wii U, 3DS, Xbox One, PS4, Android

Release Date: June 26, 2014

Here’s a pressing question for all you gamers under the age of thirty: do you actively avoid playing games from the pre-3D era because of their lack of availability, or because their foundation is comparatively primitive, and therefore jarringly inaccessible? The reason can’t be because these games are locked in an archival vault, for they are commonly ported to modern platforms. It must be due to the prevailing notion that video games have an arbitrary expiration date. C’mon, fess up. I’m not saying everyone born after the early 90s shares these predilections, but there seems to be a widespread viewpoint among younger gamers that vilifies games that predate their own conception, especially those of the early pixelated 2D period released before the late 1990s. A sneering distaste for the classics isn’t as pervasive with films or music. Zoomers will attend theater screenings of 2001: A Space Odyssey high as a kite and emphatically detail their “transcendental experience” to their peers with a Pulp Fiction poster in the background of their dorm rooms. No one is delusional enough to place the prequels or Disney Star Wars films over the immortal original trilogy regardless of their age. Maybe it’s because I spend too much time on the internet, but I’ve noticed that discovering older music artists via the world wide web is a more common practice among teenagers now than it was when I was in high school. Older video games, on the other hand, are treated with the same reaction of revulsion as if they were being forced to eat their brussels sprouts. Admittedly, as someone born in the early 3D era, many of the industry practices and comparatively primitive facets of game design can verge on being excruciating. I can count merely a handful of games that were released before I was born that are among my personal favorites, as there is only so much pain I can handle before my spirit shatters and I am in dire need of a relaxing bath with some chocolate ice cream for comfort. Conversely, there are plenty of those whose gaming prime was this jagged era, and the shift to 3D left them bewildered. They’ve assigned themselves to the role of gaming elder statesmen, whose repertoire is cryogenically frozen to the time before the medium became polygonal. After a certain point where the gaming industry reached a point of proficiency with 3D visuals to an almost cinematic extent, games that resembled those of the primeval pixelated years started popping out of the indie woodwork. One of the first breakout titles in this new wave of old-school revival games was Shovel Knight, a 2D side scroller that arguably bridged the generational gap of gamers.

Honestly, Shovel Knight’s mission was not to create perfect harmony between the two contrasting factions. The prerogative of Yacht Club Games was to convince the youngins in their Call of Duty Team Deathmatch lobbies to respect their elders, or at least respect the pioneering craftsmanship their elders laid out in the vein of a fresh IP. Even then, Shovel Knight didn’t have any of the desirable qualities that would’ve enticed these kids, as Shovel Knight is as willfully retro as a jukebox in an off-road diner. Shovel Knight audaciously traipses around with an 8-bit fur coat and pixelated platform boots to flaunt its influences. Its style is shameless, and its intentions are unmistakable. Shovel Knight could’ve fit comfortably in the vast NES library, and anyone who didn’t know any better would see the game and assume that a buried, obscure gem (probably a game that was once exclusive to Japan) has been dug up and ported to modern consoles. While only the most open-minded of adolescent gamers would give their attention to Shovel Knight, one would think that the champions of the old gaming guard would salivate at the prospect of a new game that encapsulates a bygone time that makes them comfortable enough to step out of their cocoon of nostalgia. However, Shovel Knight’s unabashed throwback identity could veer into being an 8-bit pastiche. The tropes and overall aesthetic of Shovel Knight are comprised of games that were over two decades old at the time, so the familiarities are sunken deep into the annals of video game history. Why would an “old school” gamer play Shovel Knight when they already have access to the hundreds of games that Shovel Knight liberally borrows from? Shovel Knight is like a Frankenstein’s monster composed of the decayed bits of gaming’s ancestors, but this statement doesn’t imply that Shovel Knight is derivative. Even though Shovel Knight is a remodel of a product that’s perceived to be “out of date,” decades of progress elevate its stature above its influences.

For those of you who have plenty of experience playing pixelated titles released before the fifth generation of gaming, you’ll attest to the fact that the visuals of the NES looked rough for more reasons than the 8-bit pixels. Not only did the chunky graphics resemble nothing akin to real life, but the fuzzy, static overlay of the cubical CRT TVs was also an unattractive visor that accompanied it. Sure, the use of CRT TVs persisted far into the 2000s, but the hazy drawbacks of the television technology were especially a discordant display in an era where objects and characters were rendered by rudimentary shapes and colors. Thankfully, the developers didn’t resort to that level of grating authenticity, as the general visual fidelity is up to par with the high-definition standards of current times. Unlike attempting to screen a real NES on an HDTV, Shovel Knight showcases the absolute apex of 8-bit pixel art. Color pallets unfeasible on the NES flourish beautifully in the characters and every trace of the scenery, and the subtleties in the sprite work retain a sense of refinement that keeps the lurid look of the game from overflowing and becoming a pixelated Argento film. Characters are expressive despite their intentionally simplistic physical features and there isn’t a single object that inadvertently gets muddled in with the contrasting colors making it indiscernible. One could argue that Shovel Knight’s visuals don’t accurately evoke those of the NES because it would be impossible to render something as proficiently striking on Nintendo’s first home console, and they’d technically be correct. My stance on this claim is that the revamped, NES-esque presentation gives the 8-bit graphics more credence as a legitimate visual style instead of being synonymous with graphical insufficiency.

Something else ubiquitous across the NES era was the designation of video game protagonists as mascots, charismatic characters to represent the brands of their companies. This practice made video games seem like a medium catered to children, but now it’s a quaint facet of a more innocent fetal age of gaming. The titular character Shovel Knight could’ve been believable as a plucky representative among the Captain N crowd, as enough personality oozes out of his pores to make his armor rust. Aesthetically, the cerulean warrior masterfully combines the ideal mascot balance of badass and adorable like the plethora of animals that were popular at the time, although the latter characteristic might be attributed to his dwarfish physical stature. Shovel Knight is noble, jolly, and ready to face any type of danger to protect and serve his kingdom. He’s the archetypal knight from medieval lore, powered by a strong sense of chivalry and divine duty. We never catch even a glimpse of what Shovel Knight looks like beneath his horned headpiece, but all of us can readily assume by his personality that he’s devilishly handsome with a twinkly smile that makes all the noblewomen swoon.

His choice of weapon, the shovel of his namesake, may seem like a handicap compared to the traditional sword and may imply that our hero is of lower class status in the kingdom’s caste than the average knight. That, or it's indicative of the modern indie circuits pension for wry quirkiness that would’ve escaped the audience of 8-bit gaming’s prime. Despite the weapon’s silliness, Shovel Knight proves that the shovel is mightier than the sword (this comparison doesn’t work the same way as the classic adage does). All of the kingdom’s evil is vanquished easily with the whack of our hero’s weird weapon of choice, and it's also very accommodating to Shovel Knight’s flexible range of movement. Shovel’s Knight’s basic attack with his weapon is a two-handed scoop that takes some elbow grease, but the true testament to Shovel Knight’s agile potency is the stabbing aerial move where he can deal damage to enemies by hopping on them similar to Scrooge McDuck’s move in the licensed NES classic DuckTales. The shovel’s shape also allows Shovel Knight to bat most projectiles Besides being the object his persona is associated with, Shovel Knight’s trusty gardening tool feels as natural and as deadly as the Master Sword or Simon Belmont’s whip. Speaking of which, Shovel Knight also has full access to an assortment of additional secondary items with a similar function to the ones in Castlevania. While the medieval setting may warrant these secondary weapons to also share a similar religious theme to Castlevania’s, Shovel Knight’s secondary weapons are non-secular tools referred to as relics. To supplement the shovel’s lack of projectile range that isn’t defensive, Shovel Knight can use items like the Flare Wand and Chaos Sphere to fling fire and ricocheting energy balls. The Dust Knuckles allow Shovel Knight to dig through the dirt, and the Phase Locket makes him invulnerable for a brief period. Like in Castlevania, these relics are activated by pressing up on the controller’s D-pad, and their use coincides with the amount of magic fuel that is easily collected on the field in blue magic sacks. Shovel Knight is smooth and incredibly capable, which is ideal for a 2D platformer protagonist.

As capable as Shovel Knight seems, he is but a shell of his former self. The enigmatic knight is actually past his glory days and isn’t as strong as he used to be. You see, Shovel Knight’s full potential has been split in half due to the disappearance of his partner, Shield Knight. Given the multiple contrasts of Shield Knight’s striking red and Shovel Knight’s deep blue, the offensiveness to her defensiveness, and their opposite gender roles, the “two halves of one whole” dynamic is apparent in their relationship. Unfortunately, their ties were severed by a cursed amulet that awakened the wicked Enchantress, the main antagonist of the game. With the power of the amulet, the Enchantress sealed Shield Knight in her dark, imposing Tower of Fate, leaving Shovel Knight in a crestfallen state of grief. Shovel Knight even dreams of her coming to her rescue every night as he sleeps by the fire, an interactive psychological facet of how losing her haunts him. The impetus that stimulated Shovel Knight out of his rut is the formation of the “Order of the No Quarter:” a coalition of rogue knights under the leadership of the Enchantress, who have used their position of power to corrupt the land and put its governable status at an imbalance. Shovel Knight’s comeback is a valiant quest for justice and to retrieve his life partner, and it’s going to be especially daunting as his first solo effort. At its center, Shovel Knight’s plot is not only the oldest of heroic narrative arcs, but it's also one of the most common premises in 8-bit video games (Mario, Zelda, etc.) However, the fact that Shovel Knight’s lack of confidence without his partner subverts the trope of the herculean savior who seems a little too capable on his quest to save a girl whose relationship with him isn’t entirely motivated by sex. It adds a layer of depth to the tired hero’s journey arc and the hero/damsel in distress roles.

Shovel Knight’s 8-bit influences step beyond the aspects of gameplay and aesthetics. I’ve briefly mentioned the tinges of Castlevania and DuckTales, but Shovel Knight’s inspiration stretches beyond only those few NES titles. Once Shovel Knight finishes the first stage, the map layout of the land will signify the extent of how much Shovel Knight scrounges up from the NES’s rich tapestry. The world map sees an icon of Shovel Knight moving around a series of lines that connect to the pronounced areas of interest. As Shovel Knight progresses on his quest, the ominous fog, most likely a byproduct of the Enchantress's toxic influence, blows eastward until her foreboding fortress is revealed. The next section of the map is unlocked in increments of three, subtly establishing a difficulty curve that comes with progress. Immediately, the map’s design should signal a sense of deja vu because it strongly resembles the way in which Super Mario Bros. 3’s individual worlds are structured. The differences between Shovel Knight and Super Mario Bros. 3’s maps are more than similarities in the visual department. Among the main levels across the map are places of interest that transport Shovel Knight to quaint little urban settlements reminiscent of the offroad towns from Zelda II. Instead of arriving at these old-world Burroughs to plunge his proverbial shovel into the town’s elegant wenches to restore his health and magic, Shovel Knight peruses the various wares to aid him on his mission. What else would the truckload of shiny jewelry that Shovel Knight finds in the levels be used for? Shovel Knight can pay to increase his magic at a witch’s cauldron, and increase the maximum capacity of his health by trading in a meal ticket to a cook seated next to the witch. A blacksmith situated the next town over can craft a colorful collection of armor, whose attributes are more varied than increasing general defense. Shovel Knight can finance the business aspirations of a group of entrepreneurs inside a hat store, and trade in music sheets to an excitable bard for a small sum of money. Neither the map nor the integration of village pit stops is wholly original, but the combination of both adds interest to Super Mario Bros. 3’s map, while the grid-based map adds a level of organization to the overworld in Zelda II.

Shovel Knight’s makeup is a tasteful mix of many NES games, but its primary influence is evidently Mega Man. Besides their armor sharing the same ocean hue, the blue bomber’s impact is seen in Shovel Knight's main level design. Like each Mega Man game, Shovel Knight’s levels are themed after elements relative to the coinciding boss that our hero faces at the end. Because the Knights are as an eclectic bunch as the Robot Masters of each Mega Man game, the player can expect the levels to exude the same amount of diversity in both the aesthetics and in level obstacles. The gothic stage of the Spectre Knight sees sections of total darkness with nothing but Shovel’s Knight silhouette as a visual frame of reference. The volcanic, underground caverns of Mole Knight’s stage have asymmetrical platforms made of igneous rock whose volatile properties ignite a chain reaction of decimation like a lit fuse which Shovel Knight must pay attention to. Some themes and their features like the underwater buoyancy test in Treasure Knight’s stage and the moving conveyor belt platforms in Tinker Knight’s stage are more directly taken from specific Mega Man stages, but Shovel Knight’s advantage of being on more powerful hardware allows these tropes to flesh out longer levels with more pronounced environments. Add the paused scrolling (with quicker frames) for good measure and Shovel Knight exudes the same standard of pulse-pounding action that made Mega Man so appealing.

The bosses themselves are also something Shovel Knight stripped from Mega Man’s notebook. Besides the way in which their encounters come across at the pinnacle of their themed levels, the fact that Shovel Knight shares the same title surname as they do makes the connection all too obvious. Similarly to how Shovel Knight’s advantages flesh out the levels, the same treatment is given to the bosses. At each boss encounters, Shovel Knight engages in a theatrical bout of venomous verbiage with them, biting his thumb at them with great contempt for their patronage of the evil Enchantress. Not ones to take Shovel’s Knight’s caustic tongue lightly, each knight acerbically responds in a myriad of ways. The King Knight is a foppish coward who usurped the throne of the land’s king to raise his entitled ego. The Propeller Knight is a romantic sky chaser with a vaguely French inflection. The Plague Knight can’t help but cackle with every sentence, and the fuzzy giant Polar Knight grunts at Shovel Knight with frost-bitten stoicism. There are also the bosses Shovel Knight faces on the map that is also brimming with personality, namely the Black Knight; a Protoman-type rival of Shovel Knight’s who is the Enchantress's most valued puppet. Their admirable level of character depth is also accentuated by more involved battles that include multiple phases. Mole Knight will burrow into every angle of dirt to catch Shovel Knight by surprise, while Spectre Knight will turn off the lights after a certain point to veil himself and his giant scythe. My favorite boss in this regard is Tinker Knight, who is the only boss whose multiple phases have two different health bars. The pathetic wrench tossing of the geeky shrimp is meant to lull the player into underestimating his might, as he brings out his colossal, cyberpunk mech as his second phase that could mirror one of the bosses from a section of dr. Wily’s castle. The knights of Shovel Knight are more fleshed out and interesting than the plain Robot Masters of Mega Man who vault over Mega Man’s head with their blank expressions.

Getting to the bosses shouldn’t be a taxing excursion, for Shovel Knight dials down the difficulty of a typical NES title to accommodate a modern audience. With standard damage, Shovel Knight’s health bar can take the brunt of most enemies' attacks with minimal knockback compared to the dramatism of Simon Belmont. The common casualties of bottomless pits and spikes that litter the screens of the hardest NES games are still here, but it’s the penalty leniency that separates Shovel Knight from its influences. Checkpoints are implemented regularly as reference points of progression, and all Shovel Knight loses upon dying is an amount of money subtracted from his total. The money is even represented by floating sacks of varying sizes and can be retrieved. To most NES enthusiasts, this soft penalty signals a lack of respect for the “NES hard” standard that made the early eras of gaming invigorating. Fortunately, I have good news for all of the detractors. The player can make Shovel Knight much harder by smashing the glass orb and claiming the treasure inside, sacrificing that checkpoint for the remainder of the level. The player has the choice to levy their skill and play accordingly, and it’s a brilliant trade-off.

Even for inexperienced players who would rather not take that risk, the difficulty curve eventually catches up to every player in the end finally approaching the Enchantress. Like Dr. Wily’s Castle, the witch’s towering domain serves as a climactic trek to the final boss with its own sublevels to exude the immense scale of the architecture. The Tower of Fate is also substantially harder than any of the knight’s levels, appropriately fitting for the finale of the game. Every section includes the hardest of level tropes seen across the previous levels such as the scaling ascension in Tinker Knight’s stage and the shadowy inflection of Spectre Knight’s. Shovel Knight fights a physically corrupted version of Black Knight, who is harder than any of the regular ones. In Mega Man tradition, there is also a boss gauntlet involving a randomized roulette of the other bosses in the scene of them sitting at a round table. Shovel Knight has the ability to fully heal between rounds, and is given a choice to save all the knights from plummeting to their untimely deaths. I chose to lend them a hand because I liked them as characters, something I would feel apathetic about if a crew of Robot Masters was in the same dire situation. The Enchantress fight that caps off the adventure involves working with Shield Knight to conquer her, and it’s here where their powerful relationship is put to the test in action other than a narrative component. Shield Knight ultimately sacrifices herself to save both Shovel Knight and Black Knight in his moment of clarity, which makes for a much more emotionally resonating ending than leaving destitute Dr. Wily on his knees.

Shovel Knight is the greatest NES game that was never released on the system. Even in the case of Super Mario Bros. 3, the undisputed champion of the era, Shovel Knight still blows it out of the water. I suppose it still isn’t fair to compare because Shovel Knight is sprinting on a path that was paved with a painstaking effort by its godfathers, and is wearing airtight tennis shoes as opposed to the uncomfortable wooden clogs that the others were forced to wear. If Shovel Knight doesn’t credit Mega Man, Zelda II, and Super Mario after it wins first prize, it should be booed and pelted by rotten tomatoes. Of course, Shovel Knight already showcases a heavy amount of respect and gratitude in the overall product. Shovel Knight is so tight, fluid, varied, pretty, and fun that I can’t imagine an older gamer sticking their nose up at it or a younger gamer having difficulties. Shovel Knight is not nostalgia bait because even with the thickest of rose-tinted glasses, any experience playing a game on the NES was never this solid.