I just had to double dip on Shovel Knight when I got my Switch because of the whole hybrid console/handheld deal.

Gotta say that I didn't enjoy Plague of Shadows as much as the original campaign, though. I liked it and everything (I 100%'d it both on my Wii U and my Switch after all) but I never quite got into controlling Plague Knight. Maybe it's just a symptom of my own suckage, but it just feels less precise than Shovel Knight to me.

Specter of Torment on the other hand -- ooooh, boy! That campaign I loved just as much as Shovel of Hope! A big reason is probably that the levels themselves feel so different this time around (including the new, lovely hub world), and Specter Knight himself is absolutely gloriously fun to control, so I have to say I wouldn't mind a direct sequel to his campaign, even if that isn't likely to happen.

I will double dip, eventually. As soon as it goes on sale. (I didn't want to buy it with a Mexican account when it was $12 over there, though. It seemed wrong, somehow.)

I'm really looking forward to Specter of Torment. The slashy-slashy-jumpy stuff looks more my speed than the original Shovel Knight.

@r_hjort

I thought the way Spectre Knight controlled was really fun. Some unique challenges. Overall I feel bosses were easier in that campaign than others but still, it was a great run through. I ended up beating the campaign this morning so now I have beaten all three on the Switch. It was super fun to have portable.

What else is next from these guys in this franchise? Anything? Something totally new?

@r_hjort

My thoughts almost exactly. In fact, your post is so close to my own thoughts it's kinda scary!

@DrFinkelstein

I know the 'King Knight' campaign is next. As for other games, I know the team there is interested in doing more "modern retro" games. One of their ideas was a Mega Man-like title. Which I would gladly welcome.

@GameDadGrant

Whoa, so my Treasure Trove is going to get bigger some day with King Knight? Wonderful! Then that's it right? They aren't doing one for each Knight are they?

@GameDadGrant
I knew you were going to say that.

Yacht Club Mega Man clone? Yes please and thank you! I've also seen them throw ideas for kart racers and 3D platforming collectathons around, but neither of those interest me as much. Well, not right now anyway.

@DrFinkelstein
I could see them doing great stuff with Tinker Knight being able to mount all sorts of robots and vehicles, or building new equipment for himself, and I think some hookshot action from Treasure Knight could be sweet too, but at some point I guess we might actually get too much Shovel Knight. Maybe.

What do you guys think King Knight will bring to the table in terms of gameplay, btw? He's probably the one I would have seen as the one with the least potential for switched up gameplay, but maybe I'm overlooking something obvious.

@r_hjort

I'm in your boat. Not sure what he would bring. Gotta be treasure-heavy though. He has that quick down-slash right?

@DrFinkelstein
Yeah, I guess. And confetti.

Finished Specter of Torment! Honestly, I think this might be my least favorite of the campaigns, though I still liked it quite a bit. I wasn't in love with the dash-slash mechanic, and that's a huge part of Specter Knight, so yeah. Really didn't expect them to totally remix all the levels though, so that was a really nice surprise.

DrFinkelstein said:

Whoa, so my Treasure Trove is going to get bigger some day with King Knight? Wonderful! Then that's it right? They aren't doing one for each Knight are they?

Nope, their Kickstarter stretch goal included three playable boss knights, as decided by a fan vote. After they finish the King Knight campaign and the 4-player Battle Mode, they'll have fulfilled all their Kickstarter obligations, I think. Back in January they said those are still on track for 2017, but we'll see. And then they'll finally get to work on something brand new!

As for how King Knight might play...here are the ideas Yacht Club brainstormed from way back in the fan vote:

King Knight is an overconfident coward that relies on trickery and minions to do his dirty work. As such, his campaign will be full of self aggrandizing and humor!

Play Style Ideas
-- Build meter with a Kingly Strut, and spend meter for special moves
-- Cutting dash attack can propel King Knight across large gaps.
-- Cape Flip Reflect – Projectiles are not a problem!
-- Royal Decree – Spend money to issue royal decrees and cheat on the level.

It's interesting reading their ideas for Specter Knight and Plague Knight and seeing how many (or how few) of the ideas made it.

I think it's official. I'm pretty confident that the Specter of Torment is my favorite of all the Shovel Knight campaigns so far. It's a blast with all the zipping and slashing that Specter Knight does, and it feels fantastic. He's like the Alucard of the 'Order of No Quarter' - just awesome to play as.

Also, now that Treasure Trove has been updated for 3DS, I've started over on that system. I love that the Switch is portable, but 3DS is much easier to carry around. (Oh yeah, that reminds me! My 3DS is back from Nintendo's repair shop! So life is good again. )

@DrFinkelstein

After King Knight, they're all done. Well, plus a 4-player battle mode I guess. Which I'm kinda "meh" on. After that, they should be moving on to other things. Can't wait to see what they'll have next!

@r_hjort

I knew that you knew that I was going to say that!

And yeah, bring on more Mega Man-stuff! Especially since...Mighty No. 9 wasn't...like...all that much...*ahem*

@GameDadGrant

I'd agree. While Plague Knight's campaign felt more like an alternate story, this felt like a full-blown new game. I liked the remixed music and locales, and his tragic tale was quite interesting. Though I am curious why Specter Knight was still looking for the locket at the end of Plague Knight's game since Specter of Torment resolved that plot line, and that was technically a prequel...

Bump, because we're mere days away from Yacht Club Games finally fulfilling all the promises of the Kickstarter campaign that started it all so many years ago.



I'm still shocked that the $10 I kicked in almost seven years ago is still paying off*. I was there for the Kickstarter, and I'll be there day one for the Shovel Knight suite's last hurrah. Alpha and omega, man.

Who else is digging in next week?

*I did re-buy Treasure Trove on Switch when it was on sale for like $12.50, but that's still chump change for all these games...

I don't think I'm smart enough for Joustus. Having a much tougher time with it than I expected!

@nate38

Me too!

After beating the original game, I've only played about a third of Plague Knight's scenario and I started King Knight's today. I think I should put more time into this, since I definitely enjoyed the original romp and I did just get all this stuff for free on the Wii U. Only problem is that my GamePad lasts, like, less than an hour now on a full charge.

TriforceBun said:

Only problem is that my GamePad lasts, like, less than an hour now on a full charge.

Yeah, same! What's up with that?

Secret_Tunnel said:

TriforceBun said:

Only problem is that my GamePad lasts, like, less than an hour now on a full charge.

Yeah, same! What's up with that?

I think it's part of a larger problem that's been plaguing Nintendo for most of this millennium. To put it in old person terms, "They don't make 'em like they used to." Pretty much every Nintendo system since the Wii has had at least one major malfunction for me, and the Wii U gave me the most issues of all. Maybe it's the cheaper parts/labor in China? I dunno.

How do I download King of Cards on 3DS?!?

EDIT: Oh, I see. 3DS version hits the eShop on Friday the 13th.

Finished the story! I actually think I did everything in the game aside from Joustus, which I've basically ignored since the first Joustus House. Now that I've acquired a bunch of strong cards from the main quest, I can go back and prove that brawn beats brains! (or more likely I'll just lose all my valuable new cards...)

It's hard to compare all the different flavors of Shovel Knight, considering how far apart they were all released, but I think King of Cards might be my favorite of the bunch. The shorter but more plentiful stages are a welcome change, and there's just so much detail and love packed into every corner of it. It definitely has some unfair advantages being the fourth of four DLC campaigns, with plenty of assets to re-use and feedback to consider. It could have easily been overcooked (and in the first hour or so when I was struggling with King Knight's ram-and-bounce style I thought it might have been), but it came out just right in my opinion.

So yeah, I think I'll go back for Joustus vengeance, maybe check out some of the Missions, and then move on to Showdown. Anyone else put some time into King of Cards yet?

Just did the updates for the Switch and Wii U versions today. 3DS tomorrow. Then gonna try my hand at this card game. Thing.

Impressions to come!

Good article about Shovel Knight's long development saga and the developers' relief of being done with the series (for now).

I tried out Joustus again yesterday and did much better! It starts to sink in eventually, especially if you take care in making sure your deck has a decent variety of arrow directions and stuff. It would be nice if there was some kind of indicator of what legal moves you can make when you select a card. As it is you pick a card and have like a few dozen spots to put it, most of which are probably illegal and you don't realize that until the game starts to make more sense. A guide/indicator would help a lot in the early going, I think.