Shovel Knight: Four Quests for the Kingdom

 Shovel Knight:

Shovel Knight: Not Quite Like the Round Table

Shovel Knight: Four Quests for the Kingdom

Shovel Knight: A Duel to the Death, Or to the Diamonds

The final innovation of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the differentiation of the four campaigns. They share themes, mechanics, aesthetics, collectibles, and ideas, but alter, tweak, and adjust them for divergent results.

The eponymous Shovel Knight's story follows his quest to rescue his friend Shield Knight, who is held captive by the evil Enchantress. He challenges the sorceress and her collection of Knights; the Order of No Quarter. He beats down each enemy knight in their domain, before progressing to the Tower of Fate. Along the way he repeatedly encounters the Black Knight. The story features an oddly endearing love triangle.

The Shovel Knight carries a shovel as his weapon. He can attack sideways with it, but prefers to jump from above, shovel point down. Contact with an enemy, or certain surfaces, causes the knight to bounce, much like Scrooge McDuck in the classic DuckTales game. Shovel of Hope is a great introduction, the second best of the four installments.

Plague of Shadows occurs parallel to the events of Shovel of Hope. The player controls Plague Knight, a member of the Order of No Quarter. But unbeknownst to the Enchantress and Shovel Knight, he is seeking his own goal, the Ultimate Potion, all so he can impress his secret love. It's another unexpectedly cute romance in a deadly game. Through his adventure, Plague Knight subverts the events and mechanics of the original game. His base is under the town, he skulks behind Shovel Knight, laughing at his heroics. When Plague Knight finds the relics of the previous game, he tosses them aside in disgust, preferring to gather his own abilities. Even music sheets become a joke. The developer does this, while retaining exactly the same levels, but with new secret areas. This is important, because Plague Knight is more fun to control, with advanced mobility. He has an adaptable range of movement, with greater complexity. His extra areas test his extraordinary agility. The platforming is more difficult as a result, but bosses are even easier. Instead of a short range shovel, Plague Knight throws bombs. This weapon inflicts DPS at a higher rate, and with a range advantage. The variety of bombs is where Plague Knight bubbles. Bombs are comprised of four slots; Casing, Powder, Fuse, and Bomb Burst. Each of these can be augmented with one of six options. The casing affects how the bomb moves; does it bounce or boomerang back and forth? Powder alters how it explodes, with wall climbing flames or a cluster explosion. The fuse determines when it explodes, like a remote option or a few seconds after throwing. And the bomb burst propels Plague Knight into the sky like a bullet, or a snow cloud. Unlike relics, these options are easier to change in a moment's notice, a significant improvement.

Plague Knight's quirky behavior, and larger variety of options, improves on the original game, making it my favorite of the four. The greatest weakness is the obligatory scene; the player as Plague Knight defeats Shovel Knight, but the cinematic that follows shows Shovel Knight turning the tables on the player.

The third game, Specter of Torment, changes the formula. First, it's a prequel. Specter Knight, cursed by his human pride, serves the Enchantress. Under her orders he subdues the knights who become The Order of No Quarter. Only at the end does he seek redemption. Unlike the previous two games, there is no world map. Instead, Specter Knight travels directly to each knight's lair using a magic mirror. Since there is no predetermined order Specter of Torment can't increase the difficulty over time, or incorporate earlier mechanics into later levels. Though he visits the same locations as the other two knights, the rooms are radically different (it is a prequel after all), to highlight Specter Knight's skills. He climbs walls, surfs, and dashes through the air with a slash of his scythe. His story lacks the lightheartedness of the previous incarnations. And at this point, the series starts to feel slightly repetitive. But I would still strongly recommend this, as my third favorite game.

The same can't be said of King of Cards. The character, King Knight, is the first unsympathetic protagonist. In this pre-prequel, a grown up mothers boy, a selfish oaf, walks around in faux-golden armor and a crown. His only desire is to be the king of the land. When someone announces a card based tournament, with the prize, the title “King of Cards,” he takes it too literally.

King of Cards introduces Joustus, a card game. Each card game takes only two minutes, and the player needs to win them to unlock King Knight's collectibles. But the game (while unique) is so boring. It takes the player out of the platforming and fighting mechanics for some dull card-play. Thankfully, it's completely optional. When King Knight arrives at the homes of the Joustus Judges, he doesn't duel them with cards, but his fists. His main method of attack is a charge. When he hits something, he bounces into the air, spinning like a top to slam into anything beneath him. It is similar to Shovel Knight's attack, but more difficult to implement. Unlike the other knights, King Knight explores super short levels. The twist is that most levels include two exits, each with its own rewards. So players need to complete each level twice, which isn't a promising mechanic. King of Cards leans heavily on repeat gags. It also reintroduces the romance absent from Specter of Torment, though as a lesser element.

In the end, the Joustus tournament, which King Knight wins through violence, is revealed as a sham, concocted by the Enchantress. The story and new mechanics of King of Cards are at best, weird, and at worst, dull. It's as if the developer ran out of ideas but forced themselves to produce one final section. The only reason to suffer through King of Cards, after the fabulous three before it, is to enjoy the conclusion.

The only redeeming feature of this version is the comical absurdity of King Knight and his entourage.

Uniting the separate games is an epic story. The introductions, interactions, and epilogues fantastically characterize the actors. The plot is packed into each short scene. The dialogue-less epilogues wrap up each part of the series, revealing story elements that bind the four parts together.

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