{"id":19770,"date":"2020-01-06T00:01:56","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T00:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=19770"},"modified":"2019-12-25T05:45:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-25T05:45:44","slug":"shovel-knight-treasure-trove-switch-ps4-xbox-one-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/06\/shovel-knight-treasure-trove-switch-ps4-xbox-one-pc\/","title":{"rendered":"Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Yacht Club Games really made a name for themselves with Shovel Knight, one of the most successful indie games ever.\u00a0 It\u2019s an 8-bit styled 2D action platformer starring a knight with an unusual weapon: a shovel!\u00a0 But it proves to be an effective way to defeat enemies, dig up treasure, and pogo bounce over obstacles.\u00a0 The game takes the best of the most memorable 8-bit classics, like Mega Man, Castlevania, DuckTales, and Super Mario Bros. 3.\u00a0 Shovel Knight has even appeared in other games, like an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or even a playable fighter in Blade Strangers<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 To celebrate Shovel Knight\u2019s success, this week is going to be Shovel Knight Week here at GamerDad.com!\u00a0 I\u2019ve got three articles and reviews based on recent Shovel Knight releases!\u00a0 First up is Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, which takes all the DLC and side games from the Shovel Knight franchise and puts them all into one game!\u00a0 It\u2019s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Shovel Knight has amassed a bevy of side games starring other characters in the series, and we\u2019ll go over each one of them included in this collection.\u00a0 But there are some things every game has in common.\u00a0 Solid and tight controls, charming 8-bit graphics, and fantastic tunes.\u00a0 The 8-bit music is so good and I liked it to much that I bought the Shovel Knight soundtrack at Yacht Club Games\u2019 booth one year at PAX (actually I bought a bunch of merchandise from them that year).\u00a0 But all the games on this collection also share the same problems.\u00a0 For one, I wish the games weren\u2019t so gosh darn hard!\u00a0 I\u2019m not a super pro player, but I CAN beat MOST Mega Man games, so I\u2019m not too shabby.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t beat Shovel Knight.\u00a0 I wish it had an Easy mode or something.\u00a0 The other problem I had with the games is that each one uses the same graphics, level design, and most of the music.\u00a0 I just wish they\u2019d make a new Shovel Knight game, maybe Super Shovel Knight with 16-bit graphics, and then after that they could make a 3-D Shovel Knight 64 game!\u00a0 Surely I\u2019m not the first person to think of that.\u00a0 But anyway, with that out of the way, let\u2019s take a look at each of the titles in Treasure Trove.<\/p>\n

Shovel of Hope<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the original game starring Shovel Knight.\u00a0 You must battle the eight knights in the Order of No Quarter, defeat their leader, the Evil Enchantress, and save Shield Knight.\u00a0 You\u2019ll tromp through 2-D stages with a boss knight at the end.\u00a0 Hidden in each stage are special weapons you can use if you have enough magic, and they are effective against bosses, like Mega Man.\u00a0 You\u2019ll travel around a world map and can select levels like Mario 3.\u00a0 You can even use your shovel to bounce on enemies for height like DuckTales\u2019 pogo cane!\u00a0 If you die, you\u2019ll only lose some money, but it flies out in winged money bags you can collect if you make it that far again.\u00a0 There are checkpoints in each stage, but you can break them for more treasure if you are feeling brave.\u00a0 Use the treasure you\u2019ve earned to buy upgrades and health and magic extensions back in town. The Switch version even adds amiibo support for this and the other games on here.<\/p>\n

Plague of Shadows<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the bosses in Shovel Knight is Plague Knight.\u00a0 His stage is a chemical lab and he uses explosive bombs and potions to attack you.\u00a0 And now you can play as him in this reworking of the original game.\u00a0 He\u2019s out to steal the essences of the other members of the Order of No Quarter for his own nefarious deeds.\u00a0 He throws bombs, so it becomes more of a long distance attacking game.\u00a0 Collect special green coins and you can buy new bomb parts that effect how you throw them and how they explode, so there is a wider level of customization.\u00a0 Also, while he can double jump, his jumps are so tiny that he has a special move where you press down on the jump button to build up power, then release it to explode into the air.\u00a0 The only problem is he is flung so fast that it\u2019s hard to control him in this state.\u00a0 It made the game much tougher for me.\u00a0 Also, aside from some slight changes, the stages are basically the same as in Shovel of Hope.<\/p>\n

Spectre of Torment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another boss you can play as here is Spectre Knight.\u00a0 His stage has a spooky theme and he\u2019s kind of a Grim Reaper guy with a sickle and everything.\u00a0 In this prequel game, he\u2019s out to recruit the other members of the Order of No Quarter for the Evil Enchantress.\u00a0 He swings his sickle to attack, and while in the air he can do a dash move on enemies and certain targets.\u00a0 Because of this, his game reminds me of Mega Man Zero.\u00a0 Most of the upgrades are hidden in the stage themselves, and you don\u2019t explore a world map.\u00a0 Instead you visit the tower after each stage and can select the next one at a mirror portal.\u00a0 The stages are arranged a little differently and have a darker, spookier mood to them, as does the remixed music.<\/p>\n

King of Cards<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last of the bosses you can play as is the self-proclaimed King Knight.\u00a0 This prequel game tells how he got his title.\u00a0 In the game there is a popular card game called Joustus, and King Knight wants to win a tournament so he can be crowned the King of Cards.\u00a0 Most of what you do is still 2-D platforming, though.\u00a0 King Knight has a shoulder thrust move to defeat enemies and break blocks, and it kind of reminds me of Wario Land games.\u00a0 But when he hits an enemy or certain walls, he twirls upwards, gaining height to his jumps and lets him hit enemies from below.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to solve a lot of jumping puzzles with those moves.\u00a0 Also the stages are shorter, which is fine with me because the stages in the other games could get rather long.\u00a0 And because of that, there are more levels here, too.\u00a0 You can play the Joustus card game, but you don\u2019t have to in order to beat the main game.\u00a0 But you may want to play it because to buy your upgrades, you must spend Merit Medals, and many of them are found by winning the card game.\u00a0 The card game reminds of some of the Final Fantasy card distractions.\u00a0 Only problem is the learning curve here is a bit too steep.\u00a0 The rest of the game is a bit easier, though, which is a plus.<\/p>\n

Shovel Knight Showdown<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a four player fighting game featuring Shovel Knight characters.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also a stand alone game so because of that, I\u2019ll be reviewing this one separately next time on this Shovel Knight Week.\u00a0 So stay tuned for that one!\u00a0\u00a0 And that\u2019s all there is on Treasure Trove.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never played a Shovel Knight game before, this is definitely the way to go.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kid Factor:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.\u00a0 You can hit enemies with weapons and magic, and downed characters just fall over, disappear, or run away when defeated.\u00a0 Reading skill is helpful for the text, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yacht Club Games really made a name for themselves with Shovel Knight, one of the most successful indie games ever.\u00a0 It\u2019s an 8-bit styled 2D action platformer starring a knight with an unusual weapon: a shovel!\u00a0 But it proves to be an effective way to defeat enemies, dig up treasure, and pogo bounce over obstacles.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19770"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19772,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19770\/revisions\/19772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}