Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows

15 May, 2018

Sometimes you purchase a game and after a number of hours the stamina to complete said game is lost, or another shinier game takes the previous title’s place. This series is rapid firing comments towards old titles I’m only just beating (often) years after the fact.

Today’s entrant is Plague of Shadows (2015) – the first expansion to be released from Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (2014), a crowdfunding project by indie developer Yacht Club Games.p>

Plague of Shadows offers an alternate storyline to Shovel of Hope, but takes place with slightly altered level design to accentuate Plague Knight’s eccentric play style. While Shovel Knight uses his shovel as a melee weapon, has a number of different sub weapons (not too unusual from MegaMan) and is able to pogo around (like Ducktales).

Plague Knight instead tosses bombs around the stage – every measure can be customised and fine tuned. The attack associated with the explosion, how long the bombs last and what type of throw Plague Knight does is completely up to the whim of the player’s choice. Alongside this Plague Knight can double-jump and utilise a burst move by holding the attack button, usually this functions as a leap with abilities attached, such as glide, dropping snowflakes that freeze enemies or a literal screw attack.

If reading that raises a few questions, this is not unexpected. Plague Knight controls so unlike any 2D side scroller I have ever played, the customisation options are simple at first but diversify as upgrades are bought. I would be lying if I said I didn’t stick with a basic load out until I got stuck at a difficult section and needed to experiment. While each stage stays fundamentally the same – 420 green coins are hidden throughout each area, as are completely new sections hiding relics that are traded with Chester, these additions create variety and interest to veteran players.

I enjoyed this second run-through of Shovel Knight, the gameplay is addictive and the new storyline is more enjoyable than Shovel of Hope’s campaign – expect the same dedication to charming dialogue and touching moments that make these titles feel far more important than simple faux-retro releases.

This is a game so good – I did buy it twice. Once on 3DS and another on Switch!