Welcome to our review of the latest addition to the Shovel Knight universe! King of Cards, the long-awaited expansion (or DLC), has been released alongside some fresh new amiibo. In this expansion, you travel back in time, way before the adventures of our favorite shoveling knight in shining shoveling armor. Take control of King Knight, an .. full-grown man, living with his mother and aspiring to become a king (hence his name and appearance). And how to complete it? Well, by playing cards, of course.
This game features as a prequel to the Shovel Knight storyline, in which the Knights of No Quarter are gathered under the evil Enchantress. So if you are a fan of the Shovel Knight universe, you are in for a real treat. Dive deep into the world of Shovel Knight, meet and recruit familiar faces and see how King Pridemoor tries to hit on your mother (and succeeds!). It is this sense of warmth, nostalgic family sense, and cringy humor that makes the DLC so fun.
A deck of cards for my kingdom
King Knight is one of the first villains you encounter in the original game. I personally always wondered what his story was, since he’s super flashy and over the top. The story of his origin is based around the Joustus card game, which is introduced in King of Cards. The world of Shovel Knight is hypnotized by this new card game, which can be compared with three-in-a-row and shuffleboard (with the strategic element of chess). To become the King of Cards is the ultimate goal, and this can only be completed by defeating the three Joustus Judges! They failed to mention, however, that the game has to be won by cards. So onwards, and steel thy .. shoulder bash!
King of Cards plays the same as the other installments of the Shovel Knight series. King Knight has a unique move set, which consists of shoulder bashing and pirouetting into his enemies. You can upgrade your armor with some fresh additions and collect heirlooms (which make the game way too easy) to fight your way through the three-and-a-half worlds the game features.
King of Cards – The Prequel
Since the game is a prequel, a lot of well-known characters make an appearance, like Plague Knight and Mona, Specter Knight, Tinker Knight, etc. You can battle, recruit, and play games with these characters. Once you meet certain conditions, you can add them to your ever-growing following of subjects – fit for a king. King of Cards leads up to the point were Shovel Knight starts. Since it’s not a long game, at least not story-wise, it’s a good idea to pick this up if you already finished the other three installments. This feat will make the completion of the story much more worth-while (and I will not spoil why).
Jous-what?
Each Shovel Knight installment had a gimmick. In King of Cards, it’s the card game of Joustus. I did not like it mostly because I sucked at it and did not have the patience to dive into the mechanics of it, which is frustrating since you will have to beat the Houses of Joustus to gain the merit medals to upgrade your King Knight fully. I play Shovel Knight for relaxation purposes. The levels are short and well build, and they give a certain sense of reward when completed. I did not have this with Joustus. It’s probably super fun and well constructed, just not for me.
Shovel-clusion
If you are looking for a super fun installment of the Shovel Knight franchise, you are in the right place. King of Cards took a while to arrive, but it came with a blast. It’s one of the best DLC’s I have played and can keep up with Specter & Plague Knight’s DLC. Next to the original, I think King of Cards makes a close second in the lines of favorite games. So onwards, to New Game+ and off to master some.. strange card game I don’t understand.
