The word “retro” is bandied around a lot of things these days, especially when it comes to video games. Typically, when a game is described as “retro,” it means that it has some pixel graphics, maybe some chiptune-y music, simplistic gameplay and is probably far harder that it needs to be.
Indie developers like to claim that their games are just like the NES, SNES, Genesis and arcade games people remember from their youth, but the truth is that no matter how hard they bang the retro gong, these games have as much resemblance to the games of the 80s and 90s as a brand-new Mustang has to the one Steve McQueen rode around in “Bullitt.”
“Shovel Knight” is different. It looks, sounds and plays like a game from the 8-bit era, with a few modern touches such as checkpoints and achievements. Everything about the game looks like a simple platformer, but that simplistic look belies a surprisingly complex game that pushes all the right buttons, providing a thrilling old-school experience.
There are only two buttons—jump and attack—but players can use those two buttons in a variety of ways. The player’s primary weapon is a shovel, but when it’s not being used for whacking baddies or pogo-ing off their heads to reach tall places it can be used for more shovel-ly tasks, like digging up dirt piles for gems and opening up secret passages. Collecting money is an important part of the flow of gameplay. The checkpoints that are scattered throughout the levels will allow the player to re-spawn if they die, but they can also be broken in order to collect the considerable sums of money that are inside. The tradeoff is that they won’t function as checkpoints anymore—break them all, and players will have to start the level off all over again when they die.
The gold players earn in levels finds a use in town. Between levels, players can upgrade their health and magic in town, a unique place in and of itself, where players can buy new magic items to help their progression through the game and turn in the music sheets that are scattered throughout the level, filling out the game’s soundtrack and earning them a bit more money.
For further help, players can take a trip up to the swamp to visit the troupple king, half fish half apple, who can provide the player with ichor (pronounced eye-core) that has a multitude of effects, such as temporary invincibility or health restoration. Players will need the help if they wish to get through the game.
“Shovel Knight” was developed by Yacht Club Games, a developer made up of former employees of WayForward, developers of the “Shantae” series and a bevy of licensed games, including the remake of Duck Tales. The game itself is one of Kickstarter’s success stories. Originally, Yacht Club Games asked for $75,000. They got over $300,000, enough to secure some post-release extra features and two songs by legendary Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae to fill out an already excellent soundtrack by Jake Kaufman. Kaufman, also known as “Virt,” also produced music for “Double Dragon Neon”, “Retro City Rampage” and “Shantae: ½ Genie Hero.”
“Shovel Knight” is available for $14.99 on PC, Mac and Linux through Steam and on the Nintendo WiiU and 3DS through the Nintendo EShop.
