Jared reviews Shovel Knight.
| Shovel Knight Review | |
|---|---|
| |
| Upload Date | June 26th 2014 |
| Series | Reviews
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| Link | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTHvN9v55qA |
| Score | 10/10
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Synopsis[]
Jared talked about Shovel Knight before, and this was the first Kickstarter that Jared became a backer for.
This is one of the finest platformers Jared has ever played. It plays similar to Mega Man, DuckTales and Zelda II. You can hit enemies with the shovel, jump on top of enemies with the shovel proving a boost, and dig up treasure and secret areas.
The jumping is fluid, and any mistakes made are the player's fault. At no point did Jared feel cheated into death. There are 8 bosses with their own levels, and every level feels unique. This makes every stage memorable, and feels like anything from Capcom or Nintendo during the NES era if not better.
There are a lot of mechanics that Jared has never seen before. The bonus stages use item specific puzzles, and these are among Jared's favorites, and he would like to see more of these - or challenge rooms where the player has to switch between items. The boss fights have their own fighting styles and looks. Some of them are pretty tough, but not impossibly hard.
They don't have set patterns either. It's not the same every time. There are also roaming bosses (like Super Mario Bros 3), and there is constant variety. Gold and jewels can be used for scoring and upgrades. There are a few towns allowing talking to townspeople and getting upgrades. Jared likes how the upgrade change how the player plays. Jared likes the super swing ability after two successful down stabs. This is far more interesting than a simple take less damage upgrade.
There is New Game + where Shovel Knight has all his upgrades, but takes more damage. That makes it more challenging, and wanting to play again.
It's some of the best platforming he has ever seen. This game leads easily for speed runs. Jared can't think of anything that Shovel Knight did wrong. Everything is fantastic. 10/10 This game nails everything - or in this case, shovels everything!