Review: Shovel Knight Treasure Trove (Nintendo Switch)

Shovel Knight is a sweeping classic action adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic.

Pros:

• Retro 8 Bit graphics complete with colour set from the NES days.
• Classic bit tune soundtrack.
• 147MB Download size.
• Has its own in game feats/achievements.
• 20 save slots.
• Three games in one-Shovel Knight, Plague Knight and Specter Knight. Ok two are DLC but it feels like a new game.
• Can re bind controls.
• Action 2D platformer gameplay.
• Plague Knight mixes the game up by having you use bombs to not only kill enemies but for digging and indeed jumping. Its tricky but very rewarding. Specter Knight turns the game into an almost Ninja Gaiden affair, Fast aerial strikes and combos mean the whole game plays completely different, You have new markers in game used for chaining jumps together. Each new mode has its own new hub.
• Supports 2 player offline co op mode. You can share the joycons.
• Can be played handheld, Big screen or in table top mode.
• Earn cash by digging up gems,  defeating enemies.
• Use cash to buy upgrades to your health and mana.
• Upon death you drop your money and have that next life to re collect the cash before its gone forever. In short it’s like Dark Souls.
• Hidden music sheets which you can have played back to you by the musician.
• Central hub town where you can spend your cash,  check stats,  talk to characters and save.
• Hidden areas to find all over the game world.
• Huge big bad ass boss fights.  The key is to learn the attack patterns and strike.
• Checkpoints throughout.
• Opening tutorial section with ongoing help.
• New game plus mode.
• World map is akin to the Super Mario games with a world map, Pick your next level.
• You can kill enemies buy jumping on their head with your shovel out or the old fashioned way of laying the smack down with your shovel. In Plague Knight you kill enemies with bombs and in Specter Knight you have a scythe and can do aerial attacks and combos which look awesome.
• Whole presentation is that of a classic 8 Bit game.
• Controls are simple and easy enough to learn.
• PlayStation exclusive boss Kronos makes an appearance in the game.
• Many worlds to explore each with their own set of enemies and bosses.
• Collect and buy new magic abilities like fireballs,  bouncy balls etc.
• Night time levels which play as difficult as they sound.
• Fast loading times.

Cons:

• Cash dropping upon death can sometimes go to an unreachable point on the map.
• Hit detection can be a little off.
• Difficult game.
• Boss fights can sometimes feel cheap.