Shovel Knight

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.

At seven or eight hours long your first time through (and a New Game+ mode once you beat it), it lasts longer than your typical throwback, and all of that time is well-spent, whether you're getting through a new stage, going back to an old one to grind for money to buy upgrades, or exploring its many secrets. It plays brilliantly, looks stunning, and sounds great.

Much of what draws me to games of this ilk are repeatedly playing through them, differing my tactics to become more efficient at whatever challenges lie before me. Without that aspect present in Shovel Knight, I was left with an "is that all?" feeling when the well ran dry. Shovel Knight is a memorable re-imagining of what I grew up with, but doesn't have the longevity or inventiveness to be great in its own right.

It’s a gorgeous game in its 8-bit ways, the soundtrack by Jake Kaufman is fantastic, the game manages to celebrate its absurdity but also take itself seriously when it needs to, and there’s just so much to appreciate. This is a game made by people who care about the games of the NES era in a fundamental way, and wanted to pay homage in clever ways to create a new cohesive whole. This is a new gold standard for neo-retro platfrmers.

That said, my first journey through Shovel Knight was still a blast. I loved seeing what each new level and boss were going to throw at me. I never felt like I was seeing the same screen twice, and even when I was overpowered, I was still having fun. Most will blow through the game in 6 hours, but many will feel the urge to replay on higher difficulties.

My questions about the game's difficulty wouldn't matter if were talking about a lesser game, though. I simply wanted to love Shovel Knight even more than I already do. Shovel Knight is an exceptionally well-made action platformer, one worthy of being celebrated far beyond the nostalgic foundation it's built upon. Shovel Knight won't be the last old school game made in the modern age, but it's unlikely many others will be as much fun.

Indie throwbacks to video games of the early ‘80s are a dime a dozen, but Yacht Club Games successfully rises to the top. The tried-and-true game design principles and elegant checkpoint system make Shovel Knight worth a try no matter which era of gaming you prefer.

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.

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.

There is a reason we can all remember so much from games that are almost 30 years old, and Shovel Knight has tapped into that reason in a profound way. We don't love the brands of our youth; we love the characters, the settings, the way actually playing those games made us feel. Shovel Knight doesn't settle for acknowledging those aspects; it includes them around every single corner. Shovel Knight is so much more than a love letter to the genre — it is, in fact, the kind of game people write love letters about.

Shovel Knight is a nice homage to old 8-bit games and it is so well done it is impressive. I was so addicted to Shovel Knight; I played it from beginning to end in two days and went back and started the more challenging new game plus right away. It has the charm of old school games while still remaining as accessible as possible with checkpoints and no need for lives/continues.

It's challenging, it's faithful to the era Shovel Knight is recreating, but I don't think it's good design. Consider by comparison how Rogue Legacy, another take on retro platformers, handled death. It's also a difficult game where you fail a lot, but each failure is an invitation to roll the dice again and play as a new character. Shovel Knight is clever in all the ways mentioned above and more, but at times chooses tradition over its best interests.

Shovel Knight is a loving homage to an era we left behind long ago. The graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack are all pitch-perfect for an NES game... all you're missing is the original cartridge. Yacht Club Games has crafted an amazing experience from beginning to end.

Am I saying it's a great game? Yes. Am I saying it's, like, “Game of the Year” level great? Yes. Yes I am. I would without hesitation put it up next to AAA titles like Watch Dogs as a serious contender for Game of the Year. The controls felt a bit slippery in the first level, and even that was solved by un-pairing and re-pairing my Pro Controller with my Wii U console. It deserves wholeheartedly to be on a list of nominees later this year. Play Shovel Knight. It is a damn delight.

In addition to the main levels, there are also several bonus levels that revolve around the usage of specific relics; extra boss characters that suddenly pop-up on the world map and move around, blocking off specific areas exactly like the Hammer Bros. would in Super Mario Brothers 3; a New Game+ mode that allows you to keep all of your upgrades from your previous playthrough, but limits the number of checkpoints in each level to two.

The game has a light, fresh appeal, even for those who never played 16-bit platform games the first time around, skewering the old publisher lie that only the latest, loudest, most technologically accomplished video games are worthwhile. There is gold in these old genres, and Shovel Knight is a successful dig.

Pero lo que termina de hacer muy grande a este juego es que no se queda ensimismado en el homenaje y aporta sus propias ideas y personalidad, por ejemplo adaptando la dificultad a los tiempos que corren, o poniéndonos en la piel de un caballero armado con un pala, algo de por sí muy original y simpático, en una aventura plagada de humor y sobre todo amor por este tipo de juegos.

Shovel Knight es más que retro-nostalgia. Sus autores se fijan y cogen cosas de la época, pero a la par le insuflan al juego sus propias ideas siendo justos y todo un honor decir que Shovel Knight es un aspirante con todo lo que necesita para ello. Podemos achacarle cosas como que algunos Jefes Finales son demasiado facilones, pero este título es uno de esos que sale cada mucho tiempo, cada demasiado tiempo, de los que no se ven a menudo.

Con el mismo espíritu que los clásicos de hace más de 20 años, pero también con gran personalidad propia, Shovel Knight se ha convertido por méritos propios en una sorpresa con mayúsculas. Su fantástico diseño de niveles, los emocionantes combates contra los jefazos finales y lo depurado de su sistema de control son solo una pequeña parte de esta joyita de estilo retro que no deberíais perderos.

Técnicamente soberbio y a nivel jugable muy clásico, Shovel Knight es un homenaje andante a la era de NES que bien podría haber salido hace 20 años y ser ahora una leyenda. Un imprescindible en cualquier catálogo digital que se precie.

Shovel Knight bietet einen Nostalgietrip, der alle magischen Momente aus den NES-Klassikern in einen großen Topf wirft, die unnötigen Frustmomente auskocht und sie mit großartig modernem Gamedesign ersetzt. Das Checkpoint-System erschafft eine Fairness, durch das ich mich sich selten betrogen fühle. Auch das viele Geld, das sich während dem Abenteuer ansammelt, kommt durch bedeutsame Upgrades zum Tragen und nie fühlt sich der Spielverlauf nach stumpfen Grinden an.

In manchen Punkten übertreibt Yacht Club Games es aber mit der Liebe zur Vergangenheit: Fiese Stürze bei gegnerischen Treffern und einige übertrieben schwere Bosse haben mich fast zur Weißglut gebracht. Wirklich übel nehmen konnte ich es dem Spiel aber nicht, denn der Rest des Abenteuers macht einfach zu viel Spaß. Hierzulande ist das Spiel bislang nur als Download für den PC erhältlich.

Sei es drum! Shovel Knight ist trotzdem das reinste Destillat allen, was uns damals lieb und heilig war, ein Spiel, das weiß, wo es herkommt, aber auch eine genaue Vorstellung davon hat, wo es hin will. Mich würde nicht wundern, wenn das hier nicht das letzte Mal bliebe, dass wir den Schaufelritter zu sehen bekommen. Wenn sich ein solches Spiel selbst während des Steam Summer Sales noch eine ganze Weile unter den 20 bestverkauften Titeln hält, dann hat es eine Menge richtig gemacht.

Ainsi qu'un tout nouveau mode "Challenge" constitué de 50 niveaux, et l'accès aux différents contenus téléchargeables gratuits prévus pour le futur (mode duel, nouvelles campagnes dédiées à d'autres chevaliers, etc.). Il y a donc de quoi s'éclater pendant de nombreuses heures, et retrouver à coup sûr les sensations de notre enfance !

N'importe quelle personne ayant grandi avec les jeux vidéo des années 80, en particulier ceux sortis sur NES, aura du mal à rester insensible face à tout l'amour prodigué par Shovel Knight. Impossible de ne pas prendre en compte l'effet de la nostalgie dans l'appréciation du titre, mais Yacht Club Games a su digérer ses idoles en allant plus loin que les références et les bons souvenirs. Le level design est astucieux et fourbe, ça se contrôle au doigt et à l'oeil, l'humour est omniprésent, les ambiances cartonnent et la bande son aussi.

A dispetto delle tante ingenuità, qui più volte sottolineate, Shovel Knight esprime un suo pensiero ben argomentato e si rivela una scelta indicata, soprattutto per chi vuole rispecchiarsi in un passato oggi più lontano che mai. È splendido trovare una piccola oasi come questa, un angolo di pace in cui si bada solo al sodo, senza perdersi in chiacchiere.

In effetti Shovel Knight è un campione nel non prendersi troppo sul serio, rendendo l'intera esperienza estremamente piacevole. Tutti questi aspetti contribuiscono a sottolineare come questa sia una riuscita lettera d'amore nei confronti dei videogiochi "del tempo che fu", un titolo al tempo stesso divertito e divertente, impegnativo e capace di regalare delle belle soddisfazioni.

Pengalaman bermain Shovel Knight jelas bukan merupakan pengalaman yang bisa dilewatkan begitu saja. Tidak hanya game ini menyajikan gameplay yang menarik, grafis yang indah, atau musik yang cukup menghipnotis, Shovel Knight juga menyajikan banyak sekali dialog-dialog yang lucu dan dijamin akan mencerahkan harimu, walaupun kemudian kecerahan itu akan langsung hilang akibat tingkat kesulitan yang dimiliki.

Shovel Knight is een mooi kijkje in het verleden van videogames, maar tegelijkertijd ook een voorbeeld van geslaagde moderne sidescrollers. Door strakke controls, een fantastische stijl en een moeilijkheidsgraad die precies hoog genoeg is, kan Shovel Knight met gemak in één adem genoemd worden met de klassiekers waar het een ode aan brengt.