The 2D side-scrolling adventure and platforming game Shovel Knight is releasing its long –awaited campaigns: Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Shovel Knight: Showdown, and the physical edition for Treasure Trove. Announced by publisher and developer Yacht Club Games, the critically acclaimed platformer will come out in December.
Shovel Knight is an 8-bit styled platformer that was originally released in 2014 following a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. The game puts you in the shoes of the titular Shovel Knight as he collects treasure and fights against the villainous Order of No Quarter. With his trusty shovel in hand, players guide him as he digs for treasure, whacks enemies, and bounces off of them to progress through each level.
The upcoming releases include final campaign in the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove saga, titled Shovel Knight: King of Cards. The game will see players shoulder bash and spin jump through all who oppose the King Knight’s reign. King of Cards includes four new worlds to travel through and 30 all new courses, all on a journey to assert your supremacy and best the “Three Kings” who rule over the land. With the Shovel Knight now a King Knight, players will discover what it truly takes to become a monarch, either by encountering colorful characters and friends, or by amassing a King’s ransom in items and loot. Shovel Knight: King of Cards will still contain the beloved 8-bit art style that caused its initial success, but now with much more refined platforming mechanics, improved visuals, a poignant story, action-packed courses, and all new glorious bosses to defeat.
Another addition to the Treasure Trove saga is what was formerly known as BattleMode, now called Shovel Knight: Showdown. This additional content pits up to four players in either platforming free-for-alls or one-on-one duels. Showdown has players outplaying each other in a frantic scramble for gems, assuming the roles of over 16 playable characters from the Shovel Knight saga. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the nicer or naughtier side, players will be able to choose from a number of heroes and villains such as Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, The Enchantress, and all of the Knights of the Order of No Quarter.
Aside from King of Cards and Showdown, Yacht Club Games has also included several new features and improvements for the Treasure Trove saga. These changes include a third option for character pronouns in Shovel of Hope, which is presented in the options screen where players can choose from the two body types for every main character. Feats can now also be earned while playing in co-op mode, although achieving these is made more challenging in comparison to playing solo.
As for Plague of Shadows, an Alchemy Quick Select option has been added. This should make selecting your spells and bombs much more convenient.
In Specter of Torment, five additional platforming challenges have been introduced to its Challenge Mode. Tread carefully though, as these new levels are not meant to be conquered by mere casuals.
Yacht Club Games has also added three new language options: Korean, Traditional, and Simplified Chinese which will be available for all current games and the upcoming King of Cards and Showdown. Other improvements include expanded accessibility, which will provide the option to reduce the intensity of screen flash and shake events.
King of Cards has added optional color palettes to improve colorblind visibility. A number of cheats have also been added. Lastly, for those who can’t wait to flaunt their 100% completion for a game, a small flag on the title screen will now be displayed signifying the player’s dedication. For purists who have conquered every Challenge for a specific game, a medal will also appear alongside the flag.
The December launch for Shovel Knight: King of Cards is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PlayStation 3, Wii U, PS Vita, 3DS, PC, Mac, Linux, and Amazon FireTV. Shovel Knight: Showdown will be available on all aforementioned platforms with the exception of PS Vita and the 3DS.
As for the physical edition of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch will receive those releases. The physical version will contain Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, and Shovel Knight: Showdown
