In-Indie - Shovel Knight 

It seems that once in a while, there is always an indie game that comes out to be THE indie game. When it all started, Cave Story was that indie game. A couple years ago, that title went to Undertale. And as of recently, that title goes to Celeste. But the one that I want to talk about is real special. It wasn’t my first indie game, that goes to shitty indie games on Xbox Live Arcade. But this was the one that I loved so much that I wanted to start checking out more indie games like Night in the Woods and Undertale. And that game, once considered THE indie game, was Shovel Knight. Also for the sake of understanding, the version I played was the Treasure Trove version for PS4. So if I say some stuff that may have been missing from the version you played, well… there you go

Shovel Knight follows the tale of… Shovel Knight, as he has been disgraced after losing his companion, Shield Knight. But when a villain named The Enchantress threatens to take over the land, Shovel Knight takes hold of his shovel and begins striking motherfuckers. Motherfuckers such as The Order of No Quarter, a group of more knights. King Knight, Specter Knight, Plague Knight, Treasure Knight, Mole Knight, Tinker Knight, Polar Knight and Propellor Knight. Three of which have their own playable DLC. From there, Shovel Knights defeats the Order one by one in their own fun and challenging stages. Shovel Knight is a game that takes heavy inspiration from classic NES games without the limitations of the past. Limitations such as being outdated and just bad games. I joke, I joke… partially. NES games were fun, but with issues like bugs, cheap difficulty, and storage spaces too small to do any really impressive stuff unless a creative mind was behind it, Shovel Knight manages to take the charm from those games and tweek it with the advancements of today. You get amazing sprite work and a catchy chiptune soundtrack while also having a ton of variety and having a satisfying length without resorting to extremely cheap difficulty. Not to say the game isn’t without it’s difficulty, but we’ll get to that when we get to it.

Most of the game will be spent traversing through fun and unique platforming levels using your shovel to attack enemies and also to jump on them and to make it over bottomless pits. You can also use an assortment of abilities you buy from shops and use them to collect treasure for more upgrades and weapon unlocks. And can I just say that the music in this game is a banner. The amazing chiptune soundtrack really adds to each and every level of the game. And this guy ain’t no slouch. The composer for this game is a man by the name of Jake Kaufman, a man who has been doing video game music for almost 20 years back on Q-Bert for the Gameboy. So, yes, this absolute madman has been making video game music since he was 19. He’s also done tracks from the Shantae franchise, Crypt of the NecroDancer, and recently Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. How can one man be this talented?! But I’m getting sidetracked. The levels themselves are unique in style, and yet offer a ton of challenge. The Stranded Ship, Polar Knight’s level, has a ton of platforming challenges. It’s never unfair, but you gotta be careful and you gotta be cautious, cause one mess up can send you to your death. And Tinker Knight’s stage feels like a classic Mega Man level with tough jumps and a lot of stuff to avoid. And the music helps establish the Mega Man esque vibes.

Now that I think about it, the bosses themselves are a lot of fun. King Knight is just a jobber and hilarious at that. Can’t wait to see how he plays in the DLC. Plague Knight is an insane fight for an early game enemy, but a fun challenge nonetheless. Propeller Knight can be tricky as hell, but is probably one of the funner bosses in the game. And that’s just a few of them. They’re all fun in so many ways. And the boss rush near the end of the game. I know people hate boss rushes, but The Order of No Quarter had nothing but great boss fights, so fighting them a second time was no different than getting a second helping on a delicious dinner. And I’m ready to EAT some knight ass- Wait, no, that’s foul. I apologize. But aside from fun boss fights and platforming, you will also be going to town a lot to talk to NPCs, collect upgrades and bonuses, and partaking in some mini games and seeing if you can not waste all your money like an idiot like I did. But the real fun is when you wander the world map and come across travelling bosses. Bosses like Phantom Striker, Hat Knight, and The Baz. I swear, I see you in every indie game from Divekick to Bloodstained and apparently he is rumored to be in the upcoming Indivisible game. I guess the Super Best Friends had a hand in indie development more than I ever expected.

So with that being said, do I like Shovel Knight- Yes! I love Shovel Knight. Is it a perfect game? Critically, no. In my eyes, it’s perfect to me, dammit. And it is still a beloved indie game today, and for good reason. Not only is it getting a ton of support in the indie scene, as well as being able to have three more DLC coming out, but Nintendo, lending a hand to indie developers recently, has brought Shovel Knight into Smash Ultimate and has even released an Amiibo of him. Sure, he’s an assist trophy, but he is in fucking Smash in general. To be put into the hall of heroes alongside Mario, Link, Kirby, Snake, Cloud, Ryu, Simon Belmot and Bayonetta, that is a title few indie developers can claim. Once Shovel Knight’s DLC for King Knight comes out, Yacht Club Games will finally put Shovel Knight to rest. I don’t know what the future holds for Yacht Club Games, but I look forward to it. And as for Shovel Knight, it will always be a classic indie title in my eyes. One of the best even.

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