I bought Shovel Knight on Steam this week to have it on a forward compatible platform (I already owned and beat it on Wii U), and boy, what a pure, unadulterated expression of joy that game still is. it's about as perfect a 2d platformer can get.
- intelligent, modular approach to difficulty that allows the player to tune the game to their liking. destruction of checkpoints offer risk/reward, multiple types of ichor to help you in a variety of ways if you need it, relics are helpful but inessential, health/magic buffs are there if you need it
- each level presents a new set of challenges. new gimmicks are introduced consequence free at first but the difficulty quickly ramps up with a variety of different challenges, like enemy placement, silhouetted segments, or other obstructions.
- that adorable propeller rat
- incredible attention to detail for artwork, music, characters. everything is so charming. the way NPCs dance when they have something to tell you. the merchant is named Chester, and he goes out in the field to find hidden chests before you do to sell them at a marked up price. characters say just enough to impress upon you general traits, but can still surprise you when you revisit them in new campaigns, like Plague Knight's
- level design that encourages player experimentation. you are always rewarded for testing your ability to reach seemingly unreachable places, and that feels great.
- great challenge mode and in-game achievement tracking provide more reasons to explore the world after you beat it once.
- did I mention the propeller rat
Really excited for the new campaign next month.
I think that's antithetical to what makes those games so good. Dishonored excels in environmental storytelling, and elaborately designed, open-ended levels. I wouldn't be opposed to a larger hub area like the Deus Ex games, however.
- intelligent, modular approach to difficulty that allows the player to tune the game to their liking. destruction of checkpoints offer risk/reward, multiple types of ichor to help you in a variety of ways if you need it, relics are helpful but inessential, health/magic buffs are there if you need it
- each level presents a new set of challenges. new gimmicks are introduced consequence free at first but the difficulty quickly ramps up with a variety of different challenges, like enemy placement, silhouetted segments, or other obstructions.
- that adorable propeller rat
- incredible attention to detail for artwork, music, characters. everything is so charming. the way NPCs dance when they have something to tell you. the merchant is named Chester, and he goes out in the field to find hidden chests before you do to sell them at a marked up price. characters say just enough to impress upon you general traits, but can still surprise you when you revisit them in new campaigns, like Plague Knight's
- level design that encourages player experimentation. you are always rewarded for testing your ability to reach seemingly unreachable places, and that feels great.
- great challenge mode and in-game achievement tracking provide more reasons to explore the world after you beat it once.
- did I mention the propeller rat
Really excited for the new campaign next month.
I think that's antithetical to what makes those games so good. Dishonored excels in environmental storytelling, and elaborately designed, open-ended levels. I wouldn't be opposed to a larger hub area like the Deus Ex games, however.
Not shorter but is a great companion piece to the original, I thought.
