Shovel Knight Treasure Trove (Switch) Review

STRIKING INDIE GAME GOLD

Shovel Knight caught my attention back when I was watching Game Grumps daily. Even at that early stage of development, I knew that this was a game that understood its retro inspirations while also pushing forward something great. I’ve been playing Shovel Knight since it was released on the Wii U and it was one of the first games I picked up on Switch. Yacht Club Games have truly struck gold with this game, quickly establishing the Shovel Knight brand as a mighty flagship of indie game design. Now that this chapter of Shovel Knight has closed with the release of the King of Cards and Showdown expansions, it is time to review the full package and reflect upon the impact Shovel Knight has had on the gaming world. 

An area that has always impressed me is the dedication Yacht Club Game has to keep its Kickstarter promises. They had set a humble goal of $75k but ended up making huge waves that resulted in over $300k raised. Multiple stretch goals were hit including additional playable characters. These gameplay additions quickly evolved into entirely new campaigns with their own story, extras, and more. When Plague of Shadows dropped to every version of the game for free it was a statement and that goodwill has carried throughout the entirety of Shovel Knight’s development. Shovel Knight now has four campaigns: Shovel of Hope (Shovel Knight), Plague of Shadows (Plague Knight), Specter of Torment (Specter Knight), and King of Cards (King Knight). Each campaign stars that knight and their unique gameplay mechanics with level design that perfectly complements those moves. King of Cards also features a full Trading Card Game called Joustus that’s woven into the main path with lots of optional challenges. Lastly, Shovel Knight Showdown brings the cast into a multiplayer arena in a fashion similar to Smash Bros albeit in a much simpler execution. 

If all of this wasn’t enough, Shovel Knight features Challenges, Cheat Codes, and Amiibo functionality that enriches the experience with things like new costumes, fairies, and Custom Knight. There is so much crammed into this title that it is absurd that Yacht Club Games was able to keep providing these updates for free for their current players. It’s also important to point out that every release of the game got the same treatment and it’s one of the most available games out there. 

There are a few unique boss fights held to certain versions of the game. Kratos from God of War can be taken down in the PS4 and PSVita versions while the Battletoads appear on the Xbox One and PC versions. Touchscreen functionality is available for both Wii U and 3DS for item management. The 3DS release also featured the StreetPass Arena for players to battle other players’ characters. Co-op used to be a Wii U exclusive thanks to the Shovel Knight Amiibo but that mode is now available across all releases except PSVita and 3DS. There are a lot of official ways to enjoy Shovel Knight and the various speedrun and score chase options are plentiful for those interested in that style of play.  

Across all four campaigns, Shovel Knight is a retro-inspired platforming adventure that takes players across a fantasy realm, taking down various knights in the Order of No Quarter. This group works under the direction of a powerful Enchantress, whose tower belches forth monsters and misfortune. Gameplay and motifs are similar to the NES era of titles such as Mega Man, Duck Tales, and Castlevania. With each campaign comes more ways to play such as the acrobatic Plague Knight or the fierce strikes of Specter Knight. 

What surprised me about Shovel Knight is the heartfelt story at the core of each campaign. Shovel of Hope starts with the Cerulean Crusader taking a life of solitude after being defeated and losing his partner Shield Knight. When the Enchantress’ tower returns, Shovel Knight strikes out to find her and bring her home. Levels are interspersed with dream sequences where Shovel Knight has to catch a falling Shield Knight, often batting away enemies. By the end of the adventure, we see so many characters discredit Shovel Knight’s efforts. Yet, he never falters and eventually saves her in a heartwarming finish. 

Plague of Shadows is a tale of telling someone about romantic emotions. Plague Knight seeks out the essence of powerful knights to make a love potion for his assistant to notice him. Throughout the tale, it is made immediately apparent that they both harbor feelings for each other. Specter of Torment features motifs of living with decisions and betrayal. Specter Knight has these powerful moments of reflection which is also portrayed in the gameplay as the player must best challenges as Specter Knight before he turned to the dark side. King of Cards shows a more conceited story in which King Knight seeks power through the Joustus card game. He builds a large airship crew and ultimately establishes his place in the Order of No Quarter, all while throwing aside any sort of connection to others. 

Each of these stories hit deeper than their appearance would suggest. 

Gameplay and level design are incredibly tight and well-paced across all campaigns. I only really struggled with Plague Knight, who has a specific set of moves that can be hard to handle but with enough patience and practice, I made it through those challenges. By the end of the other campaigns, I felt like a wizard with these characters, even taking on some of the optional challenges for fun. Players who are careful and stay aware will find themselves getting access to more treasure to buy upgrades and additional tools that can make some areas much easier. Some of these moves grant access to new areas too. 

Learning how to play these characters carries a little bit into Shovel Knight Showdown, which is a party game with a ton of ways to play and things to unlock. I had a really fun time learning each character, taking them through a quick story mode, and getting a new character at the end. Characters feature simple movesets but they all feel unique enough to be interesting. There’s a bit of a balancing issue for anyone seeking to take Showdown as seriously as a traditional fighting game. However, in a casual setting, it can result in a ton of laughs. I especially enjoyed playing as some of the uncommon characters such as the Liquid Samurai or Baz. 

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove features some of the most memorable melodies in games. Each one features those crunchy sound suites that NES games featured, layered with various effects for different instruments. I find myself frequently humming the theme of the first level, a triumphant rally for adventure. I really hope we eventually get to hear some of these melodies performed by an orchestra in a later title. 

Controls are easy to learn in each Shovel Knight campaign while each character features unique properties for different approaches to levels. Players can get through most levels by just jumping, bouncing, and attacking but using the shoulder buttons to select relics or figuring out the most effective way to activate relic use can make the game feel more fluid for skilled players. After playing King of Cards, I found myself setting the relic usage to a button in the other campaigns rather than the default holding up while attacking. 

The number of replay options is staggering in Shovel Knight. There are so many challenges to try such as playing the game without getting treasure or going for a fast completion time. I also highly recommend spending time with the Co-op option in Shovel of Hope; through Steam, there is the Remote Play Together option for those that can’t find the time to share a couch. 

I just can’t get enough of Shovel Knight. While we wait for Shovel Knight Dig, there are also lots of Shovel Knight appearances that we cataloged on a featured post to explore and I’ve really enjoyed seeing the character pop up in other games. Finding Shovel Knight unexpectedly in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was a feeling of pure glee that I won’t soon forget.  

Standing tall as a bearer of the indie game banner, Shovel Knight is one of the best games of this generation with immense value for players. This game was clearly created with a ton of consideration, love, and grace. I only wish the best for Yacht Club Games as they move forward with Cyber Shadow, Shovel Knight Dig, and that secret project that could be a 3D Shovel Knight.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is available on most platforms. Individual campaigns can also be purchased. Find more information on the official website.

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 10/10

VISUALS - 10/10

SOUND - 10/10

CONTROLS - 10/10

REPLAY VALUE - 10/10

OVERALL - 10/10

A digital copy was provided to us for content creation and podcast discussions. Alex purchased a Wii U and Switch copy and therefore had access to the new content as it was released.