The Knight of the Shovel turns ten years old, which is said quickly, but time does not pass by him: the exquisite retro appearance of Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope, inspired by NES classics, and its timeless gameplay made it both an instant classic and the best indie game of its year according to our own readers. Milestones that were validated with each new expansion, DLC, spin-of… Even Nintendo launched its own Amiibo! Now, in the middle of 2024, Yacht Club Games decides to make the next step for the franchise official, but first it will say goodbye in style to its masterpiece.
In the middle of the event season, the creators of Shovel Knight pulled their own digital event out of the hat, the Yacht Club Games Presentsto bring together in one place all the news and content that will come to its games already available and announced and, as a finishing touch, two surprises: it was presented Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX and, furthermore, the new installment of the saga has been announced, which aims to be much more than a sequel. Let’s go by parts.
The newly announced Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX It will be the definitive version full of new features of the title launched in 2014 and its subsequent content. Ahead, up to 20 selectable characters with their own styles, both online and local multiplayer, the return of all the essential functions of previous installments and even a stereoscopic 3D treatment to the settings. That said, whether you’ve never played the game or you’re stuck somewhere in the platforming adventure, two cool extras have been added:
- For the first time in Shovel Knight, the rewind option will be enabled, perhaps the feeling of challenge will be lost, which is fixed by not using it, but it is clear that it will pave the way for countless players in the most bloody sections.
- In addition, we will have access to more than 300 tricks that can be activated or deactivated easily and simultaneously from a special menu, which multiplies the degree of challenge, increases our destruction capacity or will give a complete twist to our way of playing.
The big plan behind offering Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX, still undated, is putting all the meat on the grill with a title that compiles all the milestones of the original game as a tribute and, from there, adds more options and perfect features to give infinite layers of replayability to fans and veterans , while a special welcome is given to those who are new. A double success no matter how you look at it, but also the definitive impulse before turning the page with the saga and the character.
Yacht Club Games has started working on the next Shovel Knight
Throughout these ten years the creators of Shovel Knight They have gone from launching a successful project born from Kickstarter patronage to working on new games, expanding the universe around the Knight of the Shovel and, between one thing and another, publishing new indie projects. The next big step? Create a new Shovel Knight. Something that, according to developer Sean Velasco, aims to be much more than a sequel.
“We are committed to creating an experience that not only pays homage to Shovel Knight’s legacy, but also pioneers innovative and revolutionary gameplay mechanics. This is not just another sequel – it is a bold new adventure that will launch Shovel Knight into the future. a completely new dimension of play.”
The game, still without an official name, seeks to generate the same impact that it once achieved Shovel Knight without giving up action, innovation and the feeling of being in front of a video game with the spirit of the classics. All in all, and despite the fact that according to Velasco it is too early to show it, we know that pixel art will be used again and that it has already been in development for four years.
Great promises, but if we have learned anything from Yacht Club Games it is that the cult of detail and its way of always aspiring towards excellence, even through 8-Bit graphics, is what ends up making the difference. We will take them at their word when the time comes, but we will stick with the essential: the Knight of the Shovel still has great adventures and feats to offer. And that’s always good.
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