Velocity Ultra (PS Vita, 2013)

Rating: 9/10

Another unplanned review. Well... not that unplanned. I planned on writing a review of Velocity X2 when I got to it in my backlog, and maybe write a review of the first game afterwards. I know it's a weird approach, but I played this game before and I must say it's pretty hard.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards (PS Vita, 2019)

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (PS Vita, 2017)

Rating: 10/10
Once again, I don’t know how to talk about this campaign without sucking Yacht Club’s dick. Specter of Torment was a very pleasurable experience for me over the past week. Specter of Torment is a prequel to the base game (and Plague of Shadows to an extent) and it does that job well. So much so that I actually recommend playing this before Shovel of Hope. This goes unsaid, but Specter of Torment has new mechanics and supporting characters. Playing as Specter Knight was a blast with his Ninja Gaiden-esque controls. The whole soundtrack was redone with a Castlevania-like feel. The levels are completely new, and even the bosses have new moves.

Pros:
+ Virtually everything is redone to make anew experience for the player

Cons:
- Specter Knight’s health goes down fairly easily
- The gameplay is linear


Final Thoughts:
Out of the three Shovel Knight games I’ve played so far, I really enjoyed Specter of Torment the most! The story didn’t really pick up until the first flashback level. Yes, you even get to play through flashbacks. One of my favorite parts of the game was the shop. Whenever you purchase a new curios, there’s a level made to teach you how to use the selected item. I don’t have many things that I hated about the game. The only thing I “hated” was Specter Knight’s poor defense. It really wasn’t a problem until the final boss. So do I recommend this game? Hell yeah! If you haven’t played any of the Shovel Knight games, definitely play Specter of Torment first.

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (PS Vita, 2015)

Rating: 9.5/10
What can I really say about Plague of Shadows that hasn’t already been said in my Shovel of Hope review? Shovel Knight is already a well made indie title, and this expansion is no exception. Plague of Shadows is pretty much the base game with a new story, new mechanics, and of course, you play as the devious eponymous villain.







Pros:
+ A new playing style
+ There’s a few new songs exclusively for this campaign

Cons:
- Plague Knight’s mechanics definitely takes some getting used to
- There isn’t a lot of new content

Final Thoughts:
Like I said before, there isn’t much to talk about that hasn’t been said before. It had a lot of interesting ideas that I liked, but I honestly wish it did more. Being underneath the first village is one of those ideas and I really wish there was more to do aside from shop and talk to a few people. Yes, I know Shovel of Hope was similar, but at least there were more people and even a minigame you could play. Another neat idea was having Plague Knight’s story happen concurrently to Shovel Knight’s. Aside from a few battles, all you do is say “hi” to Shovel Knight. It’s fair since you never interacted with Plague Knight aside from two battles, but I wish you could do something to meddle with the blue hero from afar. So do I recommend Plague of Shadows? Definitely! Even though I have a few gripes, it was still a fun game. Give it a try if you’re a completionist or even just want to get more from Yacht Club’s flagship indie title.

Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (PS Vita, 2014)

Rating: 10/10
This was “technically” my second time playing Shovel Knight and I enjoyed it like I did back in 2017. The only reason I didn’t beat the game three years ago was because life got in the way. There’s just so much about this game to love! From the NES-style graphics, level design, to just having the right amount of tedium to be difficult, but fair. Like most NES games, it has a simple story, but who needs a complex story for a platformer? The plot isn’t worth caring about until the last three levels in my opinion, but that’s due to a twist. Also if you play a PSN version of the game, you get to battle Kratos from God of War. Defeating him earns you some great armor that’s kind of hard to explain what it does if you haven’t played a God of War game.


Pros:
+ Amazing sprites
+ The level design is incredible and is very reminiscent of a title from the 8-bit era
+ Loots of hidden goodies and even a Yacht Club logo Easter egg
+ The soundtrack is fantastic!


Cons:
- Some areas can be difficult if you’re going for 100% completion, like I did


Final Thoughts:
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope is a gem nevertheless, but I couldn’t have expected anything less from former WayForward members. I knew about this game when it was still being crowdfunded and I still regret not backing this game. There aren’t many things to complain about with this game. Enemy hitboxes and even Shovel Knight’s own hitbox are perfect, the game is never messy or ugly, and the writing is good. Even the NPCs are creative. If you couldn’t tell, I highly recommend playing Shovel Knight by any means necessary! Even if you aren’t a retro gamer like I am, I’m sure you’ll have fun playing Shovel Knight. I will be playing all three expansions for the game, so stay tuned for those reviews.