Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

Very entertaining, great level design, beautiful art, music, gameplay... I cant say anything that havent been said before. This has been one of the best purchases Ive made. The full campaign updates it receives just keep it fresh. A must have

Shovel Knight is a magnificent game, a tribute to a gaming era, that builded the pillars of todays gaming. But Shovel Knight is not a cheap pixelated 8-Bit-wannabee. SK shows, that you can build an indie classic with 8-Bit style, wonderful chiptune music AND a flawless gameplay that feels not outdated: the pace is really well balanced and never stops because of motivating rewards for the player. SK borrows elements from several NES games like Duck Tales, Castlevania III, Mega Man 2/3, Super Mario Bros. 3 or Zelda, but it's really not a cheesy rip-off of those classics! Why? Because SK transforms all the gameplay elements to a new, well designed formula: The shovel combat is fun and offers various attacks with only two button and two moves (jumping, special attack) and the upgrade system is so well crafted that you don't want to stop playing. Beside, the difficulty is not too high like in other "retro indie games". SK never frustrates and is never unfair. Still, you can be challenged buy playing through the game one time or destroy checkpoint to loot gems. So yes, SK can be considered as an casual 8-Bit-reminiscence for todays "checkpoint gaming generation". But I think, it's a wonderful attribution to the GOG library and the game is worth 15 bucks. You will be entertained for hours (~10h one playtrough if you don't want to rush the levels) and you will go back once again for new challenges. And you will recognise all the elements you loved when you were a child, sitting in front of your NES: The memories definitively will come back!

I like this game some much I bought it twice. This is certainly not Shovel-ware.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is worth the asking price. It is one of the best platformers I have played on PC and does the balance between enjoyment and giving a challenge very well. The level up of equipment is a bit weird, but it works and makes the end game easier.

This takes oldschool NES games and puts them together in a satisfying package with some modern design ideas, and that's just the base game: Shovel of Hope. The games are tough, but fun and rewarding, and you make it to the end by mastering the mechanics... and sometimes buying a few game-breaking upgrades, which usually is an option. Couple that with vibrant, colorful visuals and a KILLER soundtrack, and you've got a great game. And then, you get Plague of Shadows, which has you playing as the eponymous Plague Knight. It starts out overly difficult and awkward, but finish the first stage, buy the Float Burst, and the game gets a LOT better. Customizing your bombs (which are your main weapon) is super fun, and there are some stages that are actually easier as Plague Knight; just give it a little time. And THEN, you get Specter of Torment, which has you playing as the BEST character in redesigned stages with a wall-run and a context-sensitive air dash that is very satisfying to use. This one also takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, the mechanics are super satisfying. You also get King of Cards, which uses an air dash with a drill jump, and is also really satisfying to leap and twirl your way through the stages. Unfortunately, there's also a card game that's pretty unforgiving even early on; cards you win have an element of chance of even popping up, and tougher opponents can actually cheat. Maybe you like card stuff, and you'll enjoy it; I wasn't about to put myself through all that. On top of that, you get Shovel Knight Showdown, which is a Platform Fighter using Shovel Knight mechanics. I didn't care for this one either, because the win conditions are a little gimmicky, and the unlock conditions are asking way too much. All that said, even if there is a mode or two you don't like, what's here is excellent, and it's a great value for what you're getting; I highly recommend this to all fans of 2D Platformers.