Summary
Shovel Knightis often considered the king of indie games, and for a good reason. He’s often a go-to guest character for other indie titles, but also shows up as alternate costumes, exclusive gear, or an NPC players encounter randomly in another game (even once facing off against Kratos). Shovel Knight probably has more cameos than any other video game character, because everyone hopes for his kind of success.
Yet Shovel Knight has quite a few games of his own, with five appearing inShovel Knight: Treasure Troveand two somewhat spinoffs as well. Some of these games are shining pinnacles of the retro genre, while others are mediocre entries coasting on the IP.
A puzzle game that took the series to new and unfamiliar places
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Delve with Shovel Knight into the depths of the Pocket Dungeon in an action-packed puzzle adventure mashup like none other! Join your mysterious guide Puzzle Knight as you shovel through scads of foes, procure new equipment, and battle bosses both familiar and new. Explore a tale with endless twists and turns, quest as your favorite heroes, and even challenge a friend for fast-paced head-to-head competition in Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon!Enter a world of falling block puzzle games, with a dungeon-crawling twist! Bump into enemies to battle them and trade damage in a unique combat system. An all-new hybrid that’s never been seen before. Group foes together for massive chain attacks while grabbing keys, power-ups, and potions to refill your health!Take control of more than 10 of your favorite heroes from the Shovel Knight universe, each with a unique power and play style.Equip yourself on the fly with a treasure trove of items and equipment. Mix and match your loadout to prepare for any encounter.Play in a variety of ways with Adventure Mode, 2 player competitive Versus Mode, a Daily Challenge, and much more!A bold new visual style complements a new story. Learn the ropes from your pal Puzzle Knight as you attempt to escape the mysterious Pocket Dungeon. Shovel Knight’s signature storytelling and humor are on full display!Puzzler’s Pack UpdateSoar to new heights in Castle Quandary, equipped with new Refract abilities and Quests for every character! Puzzle Knight is now playable, there are dozens of new foes and finds, and Mr Hat’s Fancy Shop has appeared, brimming with transformative headpieces.Paradox Pack UpdateNew characters like The Enchantress and Chester step into the fray, accompanied by new stages Lost City and Explodatorium! Find new secret quests, cheat codes, and unlock over a dozen new relics and items. Unleash your creativity with Mod Support!
Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeontakes the world and characters ofShovel Knightand uses them to explore the puzzle genre.While receiving mixed reviewsupon release, there’s plenty to keep players busy, and the puzzles themselves are quick and sure to keep players on their toes.
Unfortunately, the main gameplay loop of the series (delving through levels, finding items, and fighting bosses) is largely missing from this game. While this should be expected, it still makes it one of the worst games in the series forShovel Knightfans, but gamers looking for a brain-teaser might still enjoy it.
6Shovel Knight Showdown
A fun Smash Bros clone
When Shovel Knight was revealed as an assist trophy forSmash Bros, many fans were thrilled, while others were disappointed (although he never really had a shot). Thankfully, they wouldn’t have to wait long for Shovel Knight to get his own platform fighting game. While less mechanically complex, it is still an amazing opportunity to play up to 20 other characters from across the series.
Unfortunately, this game doesn’t bring much to the table besides its initial wow factor; its local-only play means that players have to find otherShovel Knightenthusiasts to enjoy the game’s main mode. However, the game’s Adventure Mode has unique battles, dialogue, and narrative arcs for each character. Ironically, it’s for that reason, and not the multiplayer aspect, that this is considered a good game.
5Shovel Knight Dig
The long-awaited sequel that didn’t live up to the hype
WhileShovel Knightgot several side stories developed into full games, fans had to wait eight years to play as the Blue Burrower again. While not quite living up tothe dreams ofShovel Knight 64, this game changed the genre but kept the core mechanic of traversing levels based on a core theme while adding more player choice in what rooms Shovel Knight could go through.
However, even if the gameplay is fun and new, its bare-bones story means there really isn’t a reason to revisit the game after the credits roll. So, while it is an impressive game,it needs more than a few tweaksto be great, and will most likely be forgotten in favor of the other games in the series.
4Shovel Knight: Plague Of Shadows
Redefined what a Shovel Knight game could be
Being the first of the secondary campaigns, not many players had expectations forShovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, but the game certainly exceeded them. While it is the most similar to the original game, playing this game almost feels like looking behind the scenes of the original story: side characters are revealed to be doing important things off-screen, and Plague Knight (rocking theiconic plague doctorlook) often follows a step behind Shovel Knight’s original journey, picking up the pieces he needs for his experiments.
It also has a surprisingly compelling romance with the titular knight. Fans looking for more of what they enjoyed in the first game are sure to find it here in spades, but with a new twist in the form of a new playable character.
The weirdest entry in the series, and better for it
Shovel Knight: King of Cards
Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Make way for Shovel Knight: King of Cards, the grandest adventure in the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove saga! Step into the gilded boots of King Knight as you leap, Shoulder Bash, and twirl your way to a kingdom of your own in this regal prequel. Gather cards, take on challengers, and build a deck in the all-new card game, Joustus! Travel through strange worlds, gather new subjects, best the Joustus Judges, and become King of Cards! World-class platforming, exquisite visuals, a story with heart, action-packed stages, masterful music, glorious new bosses, and more await you in Shovel Knight: King of Cards.
The joke with this game is that Yacht Club Games got tired of makingShovel Knightgames and wanted to make a card game instead, but still had Kickstarter obligations to meet, so they just did both. While probably untrue, this strange combination sets King Knight’s campaign apart from other games of the series in a good way.
Not only doesShovel Knight: King of Cardshave a deep strategy card game to occupy players, but it’s also hilarious to watch King Knight strut throughout the kingdom, making decrees with absolutely no authority. While some may not enjoy the card game aspect, it doesn’t detract from the great and hysterical tale lying underneath.
The game that started it all still remains one of the best games in the series, lovingly renamedShovel Knight: Shovel of Hopeto differentiate it from the secondary campaigns. It faithfully reimagined a classic genre and added its own flair to it. While it could be thought of as “Mega Manwith knights,” this gameprovided more depth in both its characters and storyline (even revolutionizing the classic “princess locked in a castle” storyline commonly used in Mario and Zelda games).
In addition, it used beautiful pixel art and amazing music to create memorable locations worth revisiting in later games. If it wasn’t for the foundation this game built, the rest of the games on this list wouldn’t even exist.
Often considered the pinnacle of theShovel Knightfranchise,Shovel Knight: Specter of Tormentallowed gamers to play asthe grim reaperbefore it was cool, taking everything people loved about the original game and improving upon it. It takes the slow and steady pace of the original and speeds everything up with quick scythe slashes and a dash slash for fast aerial mobility.
In addition, it cleverly uses flashback levels to tell the backstory of the Specter himself, as well as Shield Knight, providing some much-needed information about the first game’s inciting incident in a tragedy befitting the fan-favorite Knight. Truly, if someone wants to see the best the series has to offer,Specter of Tormentis where to find it.
