Shovel Knight: King of Cards

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 32
  3. Negative: 4 out of 32

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  1. Scoville
    Dec 10, 2019
    10
    It’s more shovel knight. If you liked the other campaigns you will also like this one. It changes the formula enough to keep things interesting. The card game in it is also surprisingly fun.
  2. MaximMillennia
    May 27, 2020
    10
    Grew to one of my favourite games. Just goat material. Wonderful characters, soundtrack, level design and humour. The game itself has some depth and many reasons to play it again. Moving ending. 10 out of 10 crowns!
  3. jeffbizloc
    Jan 27, 2020
    9
    What a well done game. Shovel Knight: King of Cards has some truly fun platforming and an above average card puzzle game.

    Game(s) like: Shovel Knight, Ducktales (NES) Pros: - The platforming stood out, it was difficulty but the levels were short enough to get over difficult parts - I enjoyed the card game after I figured it out Cons: - Why doesn't Switch have achievements so I    What a well done game. Shovel Knight: King of Cards has some truly fun platforming and an above average card puzzle game.

    Game(s) like: Shovel Knight, Ducktales (NES)

    Pros:
    - The platforming stood out, it was difficulty but the levels were short enough to get over difficult parts
    - I enjoyed the card game after I figured it out

    Cons:
    - Why doesn't Switch have achievements so I could validate my time by going back and getting 3 medals on every level!    … Expand
  4. tom974
    Apr 23, 2021
    9
    The most complete campaign of Treasure Trove. The card system is simple but effective and will make think twice. The rest is made on the already solid assets of Shovel Knight, it's nice to "deeply" discover King Knight and the game is still quite challenging, with a very nice OST and neat pixel art.
  5. NewcomerCool
    Dec 15, 2019
    10
    Shovel knight the gift that keeps giving 10/10 wefhiuwehfuihweufhwuehuwhehweuhfuwefhuiwehfwuhwiuehf sorry had a quick stroke
  6. Setzer_G
    Dec 15, 2019
    9
    King of Cards is yet another solid expansion to the Shovel Knight collection following the character King Knight shortly before the events of the original Shovel Knight storyline. Overall, the game is a very positive experience and lives up to the quality standards set by the series.
    The gameplay, like every other expansion, is fresh and unique from the base game. I found myself really    King of Cards is yet another solid expansion to the Shovel Knight collection following the character King Knight shortly before the events of the original Shovel Knight storyline. Overall, the game is a very positive experience and lives up to the quality standards set by the series.
    The gameplay, like every other expansion, is fresh and unique from the base game. I found myself really enjoying King Knight's movement and attacks, which once I mastered them were some of the more satisfying movement mechanics I've experienced in a platform. King Knight uses a shoulder bash/charge as a primary attack, which can be canceled into a damaging roll or combo into a destructive spinning leap upon impact to most surfaces and enemies. The movement is fluid and surprisingly deep from the three base moves, aided by various new weapons and armor sets that can be found along the way. The gameplay alone is a ten out of ten.
    It's also worth noting that King of Cards features a card game called Joustus in the story mode, which is a decent enough little addition to the game. I myself don't really care for card games within video games, however once you unlock higher level cards and understand the surprisingly deep mechanics of Joustus it's alright. And if you happen to hate it, it's actually not required to play it in order to complete the story.
    Speaking of story, this one fails to live up to the story told in the previous campaign, Specter of Torment in my opinion. However, that by no means makes it a bad story, and I found myself really getting into the more silly and lighthearted tone of this one. If anything, the characterization of King Knight and the side characters alone was plenty enjoyable to me.
    Closing:
    Gameplay, story, art, music, and characters were great. My only nitpicks is that the new card game definitely leans on RNG at times, there wasn't much new music, and levels were very short. However, there were exponentially more levels than previous entries. Overall, this one is absolutely worth buying.    … Expand
  7. Themeta55
    Dec 16, 2019
    10
    As a shovel knight fan for some years now, it's no surprise that I was eagerly waiting for this game for what felt like forever. I must've beat the 3 campaigns in treasure trove more than a dozen times since 2017, and I couldnt wait for king of cards. King knight was my favorite character from the start, and after delay after delay, my expectations could literally not be higher for thisAs a shovel knight fan for some years now, it's no surprise that I was eagerly waiting for this game for what felt like forever. I must've beat the 3 campaigns in treasure trove more than a dozen times since 2017, and I couldnt wait for king of cards. King knight was my favorite character from the start, and after delay after delay, my expectations could literally not be higher for this game. Yet somehow king of cards blew me out of the water in every way. The copious amount of platforming challenge youd expect from a shovel knight game is paired up perfectly with this new card game, Jostus, and it just works to an incredible degree. Yet what makes King of Cards stand out is its amount of content compared to the previous campaigns and its originality throughout the entire experience. While the first 2 games basically reused the same levels, and specter of torment switching things up but still keeping a lot of certain aspects of said levels, king of cards is a completely different experience, with dozens of levels each with completely different level designs, enemies, hazard, etc., while still retaining some of the classic enemies and designs from the original that worked so well. I cant reccomend this game enough and if you domt have treasure trove as a whole yet, really, what's wrong with you?… Expand
  8. Moah
    Mar 28, 2020
    10
    Shovel knight Treasure Trove is a fantastic saga o of games, with each feeling different from the last. That hasn't changed in the last campaign, King Of Cards. Although King Knight's movemment may seem limiting, it quicly becomes empowering with you gliding across the screen, almost in a trance and snap to once finishing a level and thinking about how fantastic it was. The graphis areShovel knight Treasure Trove is a fantastic saga o of games, with each feeling different from the last. That hasn't changed in the last campaign, King Of Cards. Although King Knight's movemment may seem limiting, it quicly becomes empowering with you gliding across the screen, almost in a trance and snap to once finishing a level and thinking about how fantastic it was. The graphis are nothing to sneeze at, with it feeling like a modern NES game. Overall, King Of Cards is a great way to end this amazing game, and I can't wait for Yacht Club's upcoming releases.… Expand
  9. voiceofreason69
    Jul 22, 2023
    8
    king of cards is a tiny step down from specter of torment, it has great but not excellent controls, it has same graphics, same-slightly better bosses, and unlike the last three pro-tags in shovel knight, I feel no particular incline to cheer for the despised king knight, as he has the same mannerisms of a spoiled brat. still solid game though, as always, with yacht club games. 8/10 would recommend

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 1, 2020
    100
    All told, this is the biggest, most well-crafted, funniest and, in some ways, most emotionally potent game from Yacht Club yet. [Issue #45 – March/April 2020, p. 20]
  2. FNintendo
    Mar 18, 2020
    90
    Shovel Knight: King of Cards is a marvelous expansion to the collection of expansions that the original game has been blessed with since its release. Featuring a set of very original levels and a new character with new mechanics and the art style and soundscape that have been consistent with the Shovel Knight series, this is an essential title that should feature in the collection of any owner of a Nintendo Switch.
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  3. Edge Magazine
    Jan 31, 2020
    80
    It's wonderfully refined, boasting a glut of ideas without ever feeling overstuffed. [Issue#342, p.114]
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