Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight has everything. It’s fun, the soundtrack is ridiculously good, the difficulty curve feels just right, there’s smart level design, funny writing, a story that’s surprisingly touching, and so much more.

Shovel Knight is delightful, amusing, and oftentimes challenging. It’s surprisingly deep, with enough secrets and charm to warrant at least one more run through on New Game+. The game controls like a dream, is simple enough to pick up immediately, and knows just when to up the ante to make you a more skillful player over the course of its six to eight hour campaign.

It's been a while since we've seen a game like this that's been this good.

Shovel Knight is a modern classic that takes the 2-D platforming genre and modernizes it.

A glorious, funny, occasionally touching and often maddening tribute to the 8-bit platformer. [July 2015, p.87]

A well-written love letter to the classic games of the Eighties that blends a variety of classic platformers into a game that works regardless of any nostalgia. We dig it. [Issue#258, p.72]

It is at once a love letter to the classics that came before it and a gorgeously unique collection of clever ideas, all wonderfully packaged into an 8-bit style game that looks like it jumped straight out of the NES era.

Shovel Knight on PlayStation is just as spectacular as it was last year and the extra content, while minor, is a welcome addition to an already awesome game.

Capturing the spirit of the past, Shovel Knight once again shines on PlayStation platforms with one of the best platformers in recent years, made even better with the inclusion of cross-buy.

Shovel Knight is a true contemporary classic game with an excellent level design, sublime art direction, memorable soundtrack and addictive gameplay. It’s a wonderful tribute to a golden age of platform games and an indie that will be remembered for many years.

Shovel Knight is a declaration of love to some of the best NES games. Its mix of mechanics makes a lovely game with its own personality. Even better with the cross-play and cross-save features with an excellent QPR.

Make no mistake, Shovel Knight is a classic, side-scrolling, retro platforming, and if that’s the kind of game you’re looking for, it’s one of the best out there.

Between the tight platforming, nostalgia-inducing graphics, and pitch-perfect sound design, old-school gamers need look no further for their fix.

Shovel Knight isn't just a nostalgic copy of the games of the medium's youth; it's an ultimate advancement, a fever dream of what the 8-bit era was capable of.

Shovel Knight perfectly encapsulates what is so great about playing modern-retro games inspired by the 8-bit era of the 1980s and early 90’s without being derivative or trapped in the past.

Seven hours of sweet nostalgic nectar. The true old-school needs to be dug up in NG+ however. [June 2015, p77]