Shovel Knight: King of Cards Review
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Publisher/Developer: Yacht Club Games
Platform: PC (reviewed), Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Sony PS3, Sony PS4, Sony Vita, Xbox One, Mac, Linux, Amazon FireTV
Price: $9.99 standalone or as part of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Shovel Knight: King of Cards is a “Neauvo-Retro” 2-D platformer that focuses on the inventively named King Knight in his pursuit to become an actual king. Fortunately, the card game Joustus is the rage throughout the kingdom. Predictably a tournament is afoot, and the winner will become King of Cards. And so King Knight must travel the paths of his 2-D world defeating foes, making new friends, and playing cards, all while uncovering an evil plot behind the scenes. So if you like playing cards, retro video games and clanking about dressed like Thomas The Tank Engine I have just the game for you. Let’s get clanking with Shovel Knight: King of Cards.
The story is lighthearted and goofy with some genuinely funny moments. King Knight’s signature move is a shoulder tackle, charging forward to attack or to jump to the next platform. Once he tackles an enemy or a wall, he twirls into the air and can attack from above. It does take a bit of practice to get combination moves correct. Levels are short with one or two checkpoints. This might seem to be a significant change from the previous incarnation, but I find these bite-sized chunks serve the causal player well.
As you progress, new members can be added to the crew of Kind Knight’s airship. These characters provide upgrades, such as a meal to increase your health, or a quick armor mod to add new abilities. New special moves are scattered across the map, but while helpful and fun aren’t required to progress.
Apart from the usual 2-D platform fun, you get to play the card game Joustus, which is a game by itself. Players must capture a majority of the crystal on the board to win. Each card features arrows to show what directions it can be moved across the board and from what direction it may defend against other cards. This can be a bit frustrating, especially at first, as each time you lose, your opponent gets to take one of your cards. As the game progresses, new cards and playfields are added while opponents get new abilities. It should be noted that playing Joustus is optional, and you don’t need it to beat the campaign.
Bottom Line, if you like the other Shovel Knight titles or pseudo-retro games or 2-D platformers in general, King of Cards is going to be your cup of Meade.
The Good:
Amusing Execution
Music
Joustus minigame
The Bad:
No major flaws to report
Short levels may be a turn-off