Shovel Knight is a side-scrolling platformer game with an 8 bit aesthetic, reminiscent of NES platformers, developerd by Yacht Club Games . You play as the Shovel Knight, a knight who wants nothing but to defeat The Enchantress and save his beloved.
Game Flow
Shovel Knight is divided into stages that are accessed via a world map, which is segmented into four different parts. The main stages culminate in a boss battle with one of the Order of No Quarter. Players have to go through these main stages to unlock more of the map, which allows the player to fight more bosses. Once all of The Order of No Quarter have been defeated, the player can battle The Enchantress.
There are also towns and other things available on the world map, like extra stages that contain a lot of treasure, or extra bosses outside of the main ones. This functions similar to the world map in Super Mario Bros. 3, where these things pop up at certain times.
General Gameplay
Shovel Knight, the game's main protagonist, uses his shovel as his main weapon. Pressing the Y or X button will make him swing his shovel, and he can jump with B or A buttons. While in mid-air, Shovel Knight can swing his shovel normally and can also point it downwards to bounce on enemies and certain types of blocks (similar to Scrooge McDuck in Disney's DuckTales).
Checkpoints
Shovel Knight has a conventional checkpoint system, with a rather unique twist. Scattered throughout the main stages are lamp-like posts that will light up when the player passes them. These are the checkpoints and Shovel Knight will respawn there whenever he dies.
Whenever Shovel Knight dies, he loses a portion of the gold he has collected, which is displayed on the screen as floating bags at the place of his death. This allows the player to recollect that gold, but should he die before recovering it, that gold will be lost forever. This is similar to the souls system used in the Dark Souls series.
The twist with checkpoints is that you can destroy them for gold. This is done by hitting them three times with your shovel. The color of the flame inside the checkpoint indicates how much gold you receive. If you decide to destroy it, then you can no longer use that checkpoint should you die. You'll notice that particular checkpoint will have an "X" on the screen that appears when you die.
Relics/Collectibles
Besides his trusty shovel, Shovel Knight will be able to find and purchase items that allow him to perform extra attacks, called Relics. These range from a fishing rod that lets Shovel Knight fish for items in pits, to a wand that shoots fireballs. These Relics consume magic power (indicated with blue numbers) that can be replenished by picking up jars from fallen enemies and/or from destroying blocks.
Other Items
There are other items in the game, such as the gems you collect for gold, as well as armor/weapon/health/magic upgrades. Shovel Knight begins with 4 health and this can be upgraded by bringing Meal Tickets to the Gastronomer in the Village. Shovel Knight's magic can also be upgraded by paying for them at the NPC to the right of the Gastronomer.
Hidden throughout the various stages, as well as from other sources, are the game's hidden collectible, the Music Sheets. Collecting these will enable you to listen to the game's music tracks by visiting the Bard in the Village. Some will require the use of Relics, while others are simply hidden in the various stages.
