My Thoughts Written Down On Paper: I've Got a Shovel and I'm About To Dig In! Lets Talk Shovel Knight.

Warning a few shovel puns ahead!!!

Ok with that little warning of doom out of the way we can dig into this (I did warn you), I am here to talk about a game. The game in question is...........

Shovel Knight by the glorious folks over at Yacht Club Games, bringing all the glorious fun of the nostalgia and one sweet shovel. The game released earlier this week and if you have been on any gaming sites over the past week you have heard people raving about this game and rightfully so. The game was and is a ton of fun to play. From the controls to the visuals, it is all so perfectly executed. Generally I don't do well with games like this i.e. Mega Man style games, but Shovel Knight has made me rethink my stance. I am here to break down some of the things I liked and the few very few things I didn't. So lets get to it shall we.

As we sit around the fire retelling our stories of the Knight with a shovel. I am reminiscent of my times of glory. I picked the game up after hearing some people talk about it, and boy am I glad I did. The game follows a familiar design save the girl. The journey to do so however is an impressive one.Our hero Shovel Knight has to go through the Order of No Quarter and the Enchantress in a quest to get back Shield Knight. The first level is usually a dull affair teaching you the tropes and skills necessary to play the game. While the opener for Shovel isn't mind blowing it did let me Shovel juggle a beetle for about 10 minutes so i'll give it a pass. Our hero is a man of few buttons, two to be exact, Shovel and Jump. That's all you need really, well until we get to the fun Relics. Really all you need is two buttons, I was able to dive (avoided dig there) right into the game and not have to worry about leaning combos or mastering touchy controls. The game controls perfectly, the times I did die in the game, were my fault not iffy controls. It is one part of the game I found so refreshing, I've said it a number of times. Controls and feel are way more important to me than graphics. I would much rather have tighter controls and muddy visuals, than gorgeous visuals and loose clunky controls. Thankfully I am able to get all the good with Shovel Knight, super tight control and charming visuals.

Precision is key to getting to the ladder.

Once I had finished the tutorial level I was brought to a Super Mario Bros. 3 inspired world map, complete with roaming enemies. The world was far larger than I went in expecting, after defeating a few bosses the fog would clear and reveal even more map to explore. It was great to see such a large world in front of me, I wanted to see it all. Also when you were on the map screen you got this sweet lower screen pic of the Knight.

You checking your map? Hey me too!

For the most part you had to see it all, as some paths were gated off until a particular boss had been defeated. I normally get bored of slogging through levels just to get from point A to B, but I found myself excited to beat every level as soon as they came up. I don't know exactly what it was but I kept coming back for more levels. I was a little surprised my 3DS didn't pop up saying "Why not take a break" as most Nintendo consoles tend to do after long sessions of play. I obviously would have ignored it but I thought it was interesting it didn't pop up. Speaking of long play and bosses lets get the Order of No Quarter introduced shall we.....

The Black Knight.

The Black Knight is your trusty nemesis throughout the game. You will fight him a number of times, he is basically the "Evil" Shovel Knight. Or is he??

Now Lets meet the other baddies you face, in order of whose grave I dug first haha.

1. The King Knight

2. The Spectre Knight

3. The Plague Knight

4. The Treasure Knight

5.The Mole Knight

6. The Polar Knight

7. The Propeller Knight

8A. The Tinker Knight (First Form)

8B. The Tinker Knight (Second Form)

9. The Enchantress

So many bosses to beat and for what? We can't forget about the lovely Shield Knight who we are doing this quest for after all.

Sorry back to the bosses. Oh man each was fun, I almost went in with a Mega Man vibe thinking I would get their powers when I beat them. I was of course wrong, and was taught a wise lesson "Shovel them all!". Because really your best tool against the forces of evil is the same tool for the forces of dirt, your shovel. What if I just want a little more punch or angles of attack? Good question voice in my head. If a more than a shovel is desired we have a trusty Relics to aid you in your glorious quest. I rarely used the relics, save for a few. How about we see some of those treasures huh? Wait a minute on where did I put those, ok hang on this is embarrassing.......

Hmm...Searching

Ah yes here we go, Relics!

As you can see there a number of Relics in the game. I dare not spoil them for you, as most of them are fun to use even if I rarely did. I can't lie my favorite of the bunch was the Fishing Rod. Seriously! You want to see what I did for a good part of this game?? Here you go.....

That's right! When shoveling becomes too much sometimes you got to fish. Often after a tough encounter I would take a seat, break out the old rod and see what I can catch. I know not the most exciting but seriously I would have gladly played Fishing Knight, just saying.

I have talked about a bunch of things about this glorious game but I have forgotten a crucial and awesome thing that needs to be discussed, the music. The music in this game is so good, I found myself rocking out while I shoveled my enemies. Don't believe me go SoundCloud or YouTube it and give it a listen it is some great tunes. It brings back memories of awesome classic 8 Bit game soundtracks like Mega Man 2. The guys over at Yacht Club put some love into this soundtrack and it shows.

I feel I am running out of things to say about this game, so how about I let a trailer try and show why this game is so awesome.

So that's it I've dug a big enough hole, you should buy this game if you have a 3DS, a WiiU, or Steam. It is easily the best $15 I have spent in a very long time. Well worth it!

This amazing game brought to you by the awesome folks over at