One of the best retro platformers ever made, an immensely charming and goofy story in a very silly world. Tight platforming controls with lots of little secrets and magical relics, along with 3 full other campaigns with their own stories and main characters with unique movesets. A fantasy-style Mega Man with Earthbound writing. I really dig this one. (Get it? GET IT?!)

Pros:
- Charming, colorful world with a goofball sense of humor.
- Excellent platforming and creative level design.
- Stellar, memorable music. In-game jukebox is fun!
- Great pacing, levels aren't too short or too long. Single campaign lasts around 5 hours.
- Tons of optional content, 4 characters to play as that change up how you need to approach levels.

Cons
- Money loss on death is lame considering how important money is to progression and you can basically grind for more anyway. Death mechanic just really wastes your time.
- Some late game bosses can be annoying and spam hard to dodge projectiles. Some are way, way easier than others. Plague Knight is especially bad to fight.
- Main Shovel Knight character moveset a little dull. Other characters radically change up the formula to much better results.
- Some mechanics are downright terrible (the rainbow horse platforms in later levels are particularly awful). Our favorite platforming annoyances, instakill spikes and wind, also make an appearance.

One of the best retro platformers ever made, an immensely charming and goofy story in a very silly world. Tight platforming controls with lots of little secrets and magical relics, along with 3 full other campaigns with their own stories and main characters with unique movesets. A fantasy-style Mega Man with Earthbound writing. I really dig this one. (Get it? GET IT?!) Pros: - Charming, colorful world with a goofball sense of humor. - Excellent platforming and creative level design. - Stellar, memorable music. In-game jukebox is fun! - Great pacing, levels aren't too short or too long. Single campaign lasts around 5 hours. - Tons of optional content, 4 characters to play as that change up how you need to approach levels. Cons - Money loss on death is lame considering how important money is to progression and you can basically grind for more anyway. Death mechanic just really wastes your time. - Some late game bosses can be annoying and spam hard to dodge projectiles. Some are way, way easier than others. Plague Knight is especially bad to fight. - Main Shovel Knight character moveset a little dull. Other characters radically change up the formula to much better results. - Some mechanics are downright terrible (the rainbow horse platforms in later levels are particularly awful). Our favorite platforming annoyances, instakill spikes and wind, also make an appearance.