Shovel Knight: Showdown Review
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Publisher/Developer: Yacht Club Games
Platform: Steam (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, Sony PS4, Sony PS3, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux, Amazon FireTV
Price: $9.99 standalone or free update to Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Shovel Knight Showdown is my first foray into the Shovel Knight universe. Not that I’m disinterested, it’s simply there are so many games and only so many hours in the day. I was excited to see what it was about with Showdown. Whilst a wonderful little game, and a welcome addition to the universe, I’m a bit puzzled by the standalone option, as I feel you need to understand both lore and mechanics in order to appreciate this title.
Shovel Knight began nearly six years ago as a traditional platformer harkening back to classic 8-bit gaming whilst maintaining some modern graphical aesthetics, making for a beautifully designed love letter to that era. The original game became part of what is called the “Treasure Trove,” a collection of games that have led to further platforming adventures, primarily through the eyes of one of the enemy bosses of the first title. This culminated in December with the release of King of Cards (reviewed on The Gamer’s Lounge as well) and Showdown. Most all platforms with Treasure Trove as a purchasable option received all of these extra games as free downloads, with the loss of certain mobile platforms such as 3DS and Vita. Perhaps this is why the title is purchasable as a standalone, for those who miss out on the game due to dropping of platform support, or perhaps gamers who have moved on and wish to continue their experience in places like the Switch.
This all being said, though, Shovel Knight Showdown is an 8-bit take on what a Smash Brothers style game would have felt like. Combining several of the characters from through the series (many playable for the first time) into an arena-style brawler, you take the mechanics you learned through your time with other games in the Treasure Trove to either knock down opponents in full-out war or go for the gold through collecting enough gems to win. As you play, powerups and hazards will litter the field. Most levels wrap around on themselves, left to right and occasionally even top to bottom, which can lead to some fun strategy as I never found the AI to much care about that wraparound. The game is playable with up to four local multiplayer or AI opponents, with a good deal of options to make it fun such as difficulty or choosing which powerups are available. (I’m not much of a PC gamer at all, so this may be commonplace, but I did appreciate how the icons changed no matter the controller I was using. I played with my Xbox One controller, and recently learned how to pop a Switch JoyCon on, and found the icons changed appropriately with the system controller in question).
Showdown does actually have a story mode, and it is set within the canon Shovel Knight Universe. Sadly, it’s near the end and that’s where I found my difficulty. Through no fault of the developers (after all it’s part of the Treasure Trove that has been slowly leaking out for years) I feel as if both mechanically and storywise you are supposed to already know what is going on. There’s no real mechanical tutorial short of a moveset list, and platforms tend to be spread just right so you have to have your jumping skills down pat. In the plot, many characters are shown discussing a magic mirror and an ultimate evil that have apparently been plot points before, and Shovel Knight comes across another character (Shield Knight) whom I surmise has passed in an earlier title (sorry, this may be common knowledge to fans of the series). My point is that it just feels a bit off to be able to purchase this particular one solo. Convenient for some but if you were always wanting to try Shovel Knight like myself you should start at the beginning, even for the plot of a side story like this arena fighter.
Showdown is fun once you get the core gameplay down. It’s no Smash Killer, but will provide fun for fans of the series. Shovel Knight controls just like he would have in the platforming game. Not only do the characters who got a spinoff title get to be playable, but some more that have yet to stand on their own get a chance to shine. Characters do control like a platformer, which may be a little slower than your average twitch fighter. Most characters have a bevy of close up moves and something to do ranged attacks, though they are all unique enough to provide a fresh take on the game. They all have their own unique storyline as well, told through the game’s traditional 8-bit cutscenes.
Overall, I grew to enjoy Shovel Knight Showdown, though it took some time having not played anything else in the series. I can’t knock the game for wanting you to know lore, but I did have a bit of concern with having to find the control scheme to get any semblance of a tutorial. That’s how games were back in 8-bit, I suppose, but at least back then you had a paper manual to thumb through. I found the single player a bit lacking, but I’m sure that a crew of Shovel Knight diehards will have a grand time in a four player free-for-all.
Pros:
-Excellent culmination of the Treasure Trove into a fun multiplayer title
-Characters control exactly like they would in the main game
-Local multiplayer madness
-Variety of modes, stages, characters, and options will keep fans entertained
Cons:
-Not a good introduction to the universe with advanced story beats and expectation to understand controls
-Why buy this when you can get the massive value of the Treasure Trove (perhaps this is more a good thing for the entire series?)