Shovel Knight |OT| The 8-bit adventures of Butt Butt Goes to Europe & Australia

Five

Banned
Game is hard. Can't beat the levels for mole Knight or treasure Knight.

How do you get new abilities?

The relics are hidden in each of the order of no quarter stages. If you miss them, you can buy them from Chester in the first village. Go to the building in the middle, climb down the ladder, go right, and he's on the far right. Replay one of the first couple levels if you need more money to buy the relics.
 

SovanJedi

provides useful feedback
lol I didn't expect them to reply to my tweet and video, but they actually did:

Really enjoying the game so far especially that Specter Knight fight where I had just one hit left on my life and destroyed all checkpoints earlier to that. I just wish I had more time to sit down and play it some more.

...your video made me buy this game, about 5 hours ago.

I just beat it.

Thank you, it was such a good purchase.
 

RaginRoss

Member
Oh man, doing lots of traveling next week and was looking forward to downloading Shovel Knight for 3DS to keep me entertained. Logged onto the eShop only to discover it's not out in Europe yet :(
 

Kard8p3

Member
Bought the game last night after watching TBF play an hour or so of the game... Needless to say, I fucking love it. Definitely something I needed in my life(and got me away from DOTA 2).
 
Jeez, some of these music pages are really well hidden. I can't even find both of them in King Knight's stage. Only found the one near the end.

I only missed out 8 of them in my first playthrough surprisingly

1 from the first level

that 1 sheet in the
troupple pond

1 from the
first tower stage in the part with the shifting blocks that crush you

and
those 5 sheets at the very final level
 
Watched a friend play through this and now I want it.

Gonna pick it up for 3DS at some point since this seems like the type of game I'd enjoy more on the 3DS than my PC.
 

AwShucks

Member
I really don't want this game to end. I hope Yacht Club Games take what they learned and make more games on this style and a sequel. Of course after they wrap up all the Kickstarter obligations.
 

Neiteio

Member
I beat it. Took 9 hours (wtf?!) and 100 deaths (3 of those were me suiciding in the Topple King pond!) with 79% item completion. I'm soooo bad at this lol. The final battle was ~amazing~. Great game, glad I backed it, really happy with the result. :D

I guess next is.... New Game Plus?
And I'm glad you backed this game. You, and all of the others. I didn't even know of this title until after it was already developed. Even if I had known, I'm not sure I would've backed it. I've always been skeptical of Kickstarter, but I'm glad people like yourself had faith in the project and supported it accordingly.

This is easily one of my favorite platformers I've ever played. It's just so pick-up-and-playable, and replayable. The levels are perfectly paced, one inventive setup after another -- and you learn everything organically, without any intrusive tutorials. The game is challenging in all the right ways, where quick thinking can get you through on your first try but anyone will prevail with a few attempts, since you're always learning and the levels don't require exacting execution, but rather have wiggle room for a variety of approaches.

Shovel Knight feels like if Mega Man, Zelda II, Ducktales and NES Castlevania all continued to evolve and converged at the same point -- one more flexible and refined and less frustrating than any of their predecessors. And it adds smart new elements like the Souls-style risk/reward mechanic of treasure drops, and the destructible checkpoints. This game is a real gem, with pixel-perfect mechanics and perfect pixel-art. The latter evokes a masterful simplicity where the characters feel charming AND cool, something rare outside of Nintendo games.

My only critique so far, as I approach the grand finale, is I'd like to see them put more work into memorable enemy designs. The bosses and minibosses are all fantastic, but the cannon fodder enemies are a bit bland, even if they're cool in concept (I.E. the green exploding plague rats, etc). Hardly an issue, though, all things considered. Similar to the Souls series, the real stars of the game's bestiary are the boss characters, and in that department this game does not disappoint. The Order of No Quarter are as fun and iconic as the best of Mega Man's Robot Masters. Really nailed it out of the park there!
 

Neiteio

Member
Not something super impressive, and I haven't learned the patterns of most bosses yet, but I finally managed to beat the Boss Rush/Gauntlet without any upgrades or items. Took me about 1-2 hours to do.
As far as I can tell, the bosses have sets of moves, but they don't have patterns. What moves they use, and when, is entirely randomized. I say this because when I've attempted some bosses multiple times, they did things in a different order each time.
 
I'm closer to Tain/Dark Schala's opinion on this game than everyone else, I suppose. Its a fine enough game, but I don't think it approaches being great. Too unbalanced in its various game mechanics, long levels that don't nearly earn their length especially in the first half, lopsided difficulty curve with the checkpoint system, money becoming irrelevant 2/3rds of the way through the game, a primary method of attack that frankly isn't very satisfying(especially with the pushback on any enemy that takes multiple hits so ALL of them as you waddle into attack range). A bit less than the sum of its parts and inspirations, I'm afraid.
 

Dario ff

Banned
As far as I can tell, the bosses have sets of moves, but they don't have patterns. What moves they use, and when, is entirely randomized. I say this because when I've attempted some bosses multiple times, they did things in a different order each time.
Well it's a mix of both randomized and them answering to your position/attacks. In that one I abused Polar Knight's technique where he lifts his arms to counter your pogo bounces, to stun him in place and be able to get more hits in on his sides. The only one I found with a consistent pattern is Mole Knight and Tinker Knight I think.
 

Regiruler

Member
http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articl...l-knight-release-date-interview-wii-steam.htm

Q: Tell me all the cool secrets so I don't have to find them myself!

YCG: We added a ton of secrets and to tell you all of them would take all day! Besides the enormous amount of in-game secret areas, collectable items, and sub-weapons, the team also implemented 300+ additional secret codes that unlock very different, crazy things from cool abilities to Shovel Knight being 4 times his normal size! These were mainly done as a fulfillment of one our Kickstarter rewards: the "Gimme the Dirt" tier.

The pledgers who backed this tier will be rewarded with a letter from the team, a sample of dirt from one of the locations in the game and a secret that only they know! Those secret codes are going to be theirs to do with as they see fit, and we are really excited to see what happens to them. Will they be out online within a week? Or will somebody take their precious secret to the grave? We'll have to wait and find out!​


Anybody keeping track of the codes that have been posted to the net?

These are the only 2 I know that have been shared on the net so far


QUOTE to see:




^ You enter them into the name section of a new profile


Anyone know of anymore?

The second code you posted is new to me. Where did you find it?
We do know that Butt Mode is another, and that YCG will eventually release the code themselves for it. What it does is anyone's guess.
As far as I can tell, the bosses have sets of moves, but they don't have patterns. What moves they use, and when, is entirely randomized. I say this because when I've attempted some bosses multiple times, they did things in a different order each time.
Some bosses do have patterns, but with context-sensitive attacks thrown in. Phantom Striker and Mr. Hat are good examples.
 

Neiteio

Member
I'm closer to Tain/Dark Schala's opinion on this game than everyone else, I suppose. Its a fine enough game, but I don't think it approaches being great. Too unbalanced in its various game mechanics, long levels that don't nearly earn their length especially in the first half, lopsided difficulty curve with the checkpoint system, money becoming irrelevant 2/3rds of the way through the game, a primary method of attack that frankly isn't very satisfying(especially with the pushback on any enemy that takes multiple hits so ALL of them as you waddle into attack range). A bit less than the sum of its parts and inspirations, I'm afraid.
There are definitely options to cheese the difficulty if you want -- the Troupple King refills your chalices for free; Phase Lock can be exploited; and you can grind to expand your HP and magic early -- but I see those as options to personalize the difficulty. The same holds true for increasing the difficulty -- breaking checkpoints, sticking to the core moves, etc.

I find the combat plenty satisfying, especially once you're flinging fireballs (ranged horizontal) or anchors (ranged vertical) and unleashing charged hits and spark shots. You can also bounce enemy projectiles with your shovel. But aside from the occasional annoyance where an enemy's knockback will send you down a pit, I find the core combo of swiping and pogoing to be satisfying, especially when you can bounce repeatedly on the head of a screen-filling mini-boss or anticipate a boss's movements to stay in the air.

As for the level length... It seems just right to me. The checkpoints err on the side of "forgiving," each bookending a section that offers some inventive new gimmick or layers together previous gimmicks to test your skills. It feels right, with the space between some checkpoints shorter than others, but filling that space with an especially fast-paced or perilous passage that you wouldn't necessarily want to repeat too many times. It feels sensible, where they've placed the checkpoints. And I think it'll be fun retrying some levels and trying to get through with every checkpoint destroyed. A "max cash" run.

Just my two cents on some of the items you mentioned.
 

Regiruler

Member
I'm closer to Tain/Dark Schala's opinion on this game than everyone else, I suppose. Its a fine enough game, but I don't think it approaches being great. Too unbalanced in its various game mechanics, long levels that don't nearly earn their length especially in the first half, lopsided difficulty curve with the checkpoint system, money becoming irrelevant 2/3rds of the way through the game, a primary method of attack that frankly isn't very satisfying(especially with the pushback on any enemy that takes multiple hits so ALL of them as you waddle into attack range). A bit less than the sum of its parts and inspirations, I'm afraid.

I feel that your and Schala's criticism regarding the shovel not being satisfying is frankly untrue. It's up to the player to either A) determine the optimal position so that you can continue your attack in some way or be safe from the next attack or B) dodge immediately after your attack and save the followup for another attack. You only need to move a small amount to get back in range, and your opponent is most likely coming back towards you anyway.
For the situations where the self-pushback will send you over the edge, you have to try and manipulate your opponent into giving you enough ground to anticipate his moves and counterattack.
 

Gsnap

Member
There are definitely options to cheese the difficulty if you want -- the Troupple King refills your chalices for free; Phase Lock can be exploited; and you can grind to expand your HP and magic early -- but I see those as options to personalize the difficulty. The same holds true for increasing the difficulty -- breaking checkpoints, sticking to the core moves, etc.

I find the combat plenty satisfying, especially once you're flinging fireballs (ranged horizontal) or anchors (ranged vertical) and unleashing charged hits and spark shots. You can also bounce enemy projectiles with your shovel. But aside from the occasional annoyance where an enemy's knockback will send you down a pit, I find the core combo of swiping and pogoing to be satisfying, especially when you can bounce repeatedly on the head of a screen-filling mini-boss or anticipate a boss's movements to stay in the air.

As for the level length... It seems just right to me. The checkpoints err on the side of "forgiving," each bookending a section that offers some inventive new gimmick or layers together previous gimmicks to test your skills. It feels right, with the space between some checkpoints shorter than others, but filling that space with an especially fast-paced or perilous passage that you wouldn't necessarily want to repeat too many times. It feels sensible, where they've placed the checkpoints. And I think it'll be fun retrying some levels and trying to get through with every checkpoint destroyed. A "max cash" run.

Just my two cents on some of the items you mentioned.

The only thing I feel lacks balance is the way health/magic is handled. Being able to buy meal tickets from the goat or buy magic upgrades can make the game much easier than it should be on a first playthrough. The levels get more difficult as you go, but the bosses get easier. The actual platforming ramps up in difficulty at a good pace, I feel, but the combat becomes a bit too easy if you aren't limiting yourself. It probably would have been better if health and magic upgrades were handed out only at specific points of the game, and you only ended up fully upgraded at the end. Because I did find
both forms of the final boss to be adequately challenging and the boss did enough damage that having full health didn't make her too easy, unlike the last 3 bosses. And my magic didn't do so much damage that I felt too strong.
 

Delt31

Member
so they're are two pages per level? Also - anyone find it somewhat unique that shovel knight looks to be taller than our main hero? You very rarely see the woman taller than the main hero in a game so good for them to buck the trend.
 
For people trying to do the no deaths thing, I really recommend purple armor. Easy phasing, ranged attacks, and tons of fishing opportunities, which is a great way to recover health if you really need it.

What are the differences of NG+?
More damage done on you, food is now bombs.
 
so they're are two pages per level? Also - anyone find it somewhat unique that shovel knight looks to be taller than our main hero? You very rarely see the woman taller than the main hero in a game so good for them to buck the trend.

Mario? It's not exactly a old trend to have a comically proportioned man with a realistic proportioned woman on his side. Just look at Popeye.
 

GuitarAnthony

Neo Member
Have beaten the game and now just cruising around looking for missed music sheets (of which there are 2). Honestly, very enjoyable game. There were some cheap tactics by some bosses (when isn't there in 2d platformers?) and sometimes didn't know you should do (like go left on some stages at the start. Go left??? What is this...Pitfall on Atari 2600?) but overall very good.

If you need cash fast, you can always mod the savegame.bin file in Notepad to up your fortune (and other silly things like mod the amount of times you died). I didn't do this (least, not till after I bought everything) but it's there if needed by someone.
 
I want to quit. I've lost to Specter Knight three dozen+ times today and yesterday. I'm stuck here with nothing to do and it's making me not want to play the game.

Edit: Annnnnnnnd I just kind of whooped his ass somehow. Pogo'd like crazy and got lucky with his teleports.
 

CitrusStorm

Unconfirmed Member
Don't know if anybody else has written about or came across this problem, but if you're playing the Wii U version, be sure to keep your gamepad charged. I was using my controller pad pro at the time. The gamepad ran out of battery in the middle of the battle with Specter Knight and the game froze with the "Communication with the Gamepad has been lost" message. I plugged the pad into the wall and got it charging, but when I tried to resume the game, it was well and truly locked up. All that progress lost.

Great game, aside from that nasty glitch.
 

Moff

Member
finished it in 5 hours, which was a good length for a game like this

absolutely wonderful, I think its everything you can expect from such a project, and quite more honestly. so many good ideas, diverse mechanics and supersmooth gameplay. absolutlely worth it and I am very glad this got kickstarted.
 
I want to quit. I've lost to Specter Knight three dozen+ times today and yesterday. I'm stuck here with nothing to do and it's making me not want to play the game.

Edit: Annnnnnnnd I just kind of whooped his ass somehow. Pogo'd like crazy and got lucky with his teleports.
Pogoing and items are both good ideas for bosses until you get the patterns down. That and two red igors.
 

Rran

Member
There are a lot of little nice touches sprinkled throughout the game (e.g. the boy's reaction from the first town after super slashing his wheel, the frog's face from your terrible puns). This sucker's polished.
 

Neiteio

Member
so they're are two pages per level? Also - anyone find it somewhat unique that shovel knight looks to be taller than our main hero? You very rarely see the woman taller than the main hero in a game so good for them to buck the trend.
Peach has historically been taller than Mario. :)
 

Toki767

Member
Oops. I'm so glad this wasn't a death lol

iO860RbrmTgEY.gif
 

thefro

Member
NG+ definitely is quite a bit harder than the first run, at least as far as the enemy combat. I don't feel bad abusing my relics.
 

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
If anyone would like to play the game with classic scanlines, I made a SweetFx config for it!

Example belooooow~

shovel_knight_sweetfx_crt_by_aloo81-d7oixuw.gif


You can get the download here!

Just extract it to the Shovel Knight executable directory and it should be good to go. It's designed for 1080p screens. It took a LOT of time to get those colors to stay true to the originals!
 
Disappointed with the lack of a Wii U version in Australia. I was really eager to play it on that system. Hope the wait won't be as long as getting the original version of Cave Story on 3DS, which took years to come here.
 

Regiruler

Member
Being the total, irredeemable scrub who can't find secrets worth a damn that I am, I was unable to find The Defender, so I referred to the IGN guide. I followed it to the Crusher Section in the tower ascent, and the piece I picked up was The End of Days. Is the guide incorrect?
 

joesmokey

Member
Mole Knight stage was quite frustrating to get through the optional content. I think most of the problem was that money would almost always respawn in an inaccessible location. For a stage like this, things are a little too unforgiving with the controls. If you play things perfectly and anticipate how to adjust your movement when you are able to, things are okay. However, it's not always enjoyable to have to be that precise with such a limited control over movement.

So far the game has been fun most of the time, however it isn't that exciting for me. Not sure what expectations I had going into the game, but so far it isn't quite what I had hoped for. I think I am most disappointed in that it isn't really doing anything new, though that seems like an unfair criticism since it's clear that isn't what they were going for.
 
can you save and quit this mid stage? And come back to whatever checkpoint you were on? Or do you have to actually finish a stage before wanting to quit?
 
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