Shovel Knight: King of Cards

This is a great platformer, which cements the status of the Shovel Knight franchise as the undisputed best in the genre when it comes to a retro-NES style game. It's full of ideas, constantly introduces new mechanics (both in the levels, and via character upgrades) which are very intuitive and fun, and it's quite challenging but almost never frustrating (maybe the last part of the penultimate level a tiny bit - but it was the very end so that's fair). The music is pretty good and there are a couple of tracks which are superb even. The characters and the graphics in general are lovely. I hope the developers will be successful with the incoming Mina the Hollower which, judging from the demo I tried, should be another very well done game and I will certainly get at some point.

King of Cards surprised me with how distinct it feels from the rest of the Shovel Knight lineup — King Knight's shoulder bash gives the platforming a bouncy, aggressive rhythm that takes a little getting used to but clicks in a deeply satisfying way once it does. The shorter, densely packed stages are a smart design choice that keeps the experience feeling fresh rather than exhausting, and I appreciated how the game rewards you for committing to chaining moves rather than playing cautiously. Joustus, the in-game card game, could have easily felt like a throwaway gimmick, but it's genuinely strategic and fun enough that I found myself seeking out matches rather than avoiding them. The writing leans fully into King Knight's pompous, self-absorbed personality for consistent laughs, though I'll admit his character doesn't have quite the emotional depth of Plague or Specter Knight's stories. Still, as a complete package — tight platforming, a surprising secondary game mode, great chiptune soundtrack, and a fair price — this is absolutely worth picking up, especially if you've enjoyed anything else in the Shovel Knight universe.

Got destroyed in the card game until my brain expanded and now I enjoy it more than the great platforming sections.

Mm, pretty good. I haven't played Plague Knight yet but this definitely is not nearly as good as Shovel of Hope and Specter Knight. I'm talking gameplay. The bash is fine. Oh, but the artifact things..? Wow were they a snoozefest this game. SOH despite having the ridiculous Invisible amulet, had cooler gear. I don't feel they served much other than to show them off. The one I used 95% of the time was the Heart hammer because it's cheap, and great effect. But mostly, the others were just mid that I wouldn't actively use them over the hammer. If you're playing casually, I BEG you, equip the rat armor, I swear I couldn't fathom playing the rest of this game without it starting from the point I got it. Final boss is pretty unfun, to be honest. It's not really difficulty, I got used to it but it doesn't feel good fighting it. Story is I guess what you'd expect if you played SOH. King Knight is greedy, grass is green bruh. I do think he deserved what seemed like his *spoiler* leaving him, so deserved. That and you-know-what getting destroyed, at the most King Knight deserves pity, but not more than that. Anyway, a fine shovel knight game, but play SOH and Specter instead. As an achieveme…

meow

The best Shovel Knight campaign