Ever since Super Smash Brothers Ultimate was announced, people kept routing for Shovel Knight (and cohorts) to be included in the game. No such thing happened (until the day of writing), but we did find our Blue Shovely Hero in Brawhalla, a Smash Spinoff. Since Yachtclub also heard those shouts of shoveling pleasure, they decided to give in to popular demand. Welcome to Shovel Knight Showdown!
Strike the earth! For rubies and glory!
Duel with up to 4 players and scramble after gems as your favorite heroic or villainous knight in Shovel Knight Showdown. All the classic Shovel Knight characters you know and love are playable, many for the first time ever! Gather your pals for endless multiplayer clashes, or take control of your favorite character and dig into Story Mode. Familiar controls, items, and mechanics return, making this a platform fighting game that anyone can jump into and try.
As stated by Yacht Club on the website for Shovel Knight, the game features an arcade-style fighting setting, which can be seen as a mixture between Street Fighter-ish games and Smash Bros-ish games. In Showdown, you can pick between the regular battle setting (like any other fighting game), a story mode, which takes you down a path to break free from the ominous environment (more on that later), or practice some moves.
Story mode?
Yes, story mode! In Super Smash Bros Melee, you had a linear fighting line, on which you traversed through stages (some moving, some free-for-all setting, etc.), combined with a target practice stage and a boss fight. Shovel Knight Showdown has a similar setup, in which you pick a fighter and go head to head with an enchanted mirror. Each character has a unique enemy/ally, which they will encounter during this linear battle-setting. The meeting triggers a cutscene, which sheds some light on the events in both the original game as the DLC.
Other Showdown features
- Play as all the key heroes and villains from Shovel Knight, many for the first time! Master over 16 playable characters, including Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, The Enchantress, and all of the Knights of the Order of No Quarter!
- Compete in one-on-one duels, frantic four-player free-for-alls, and cooperative team battles against AI opponents or your friends in modes like Gem Clash, Showdown, and more!
- Shovel Knight Showdown features local only multiplayer and arrived as a free update to all existing versions of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove on consoles and PC. However! It will not be available on portable platforms (3DS and Vita). You can also opt to buy the game as a standalone version if that’s more your style.
Showdown-clusion
Shovel Knight Showdown is a fun, party brawler. If you want to try and get all the feats, you are in for a real treat. Most of the challenges thrown at you, demand precise finishing moves in battle, or not losing any lives, etc. Completing these can be a demanding feat, even in the most comfortable setting. The controls are easy to use and match well with what you are used to from playing the original games. Side note here is that I was used to how King Knight moved and only felt comfortable playing as him. However, I was delighted to be given a chance to play as other Knights of No Quarter. Since there won’t be any more DLCs, this is probably the only place you can play as Propeller Knight (for example). Let’s hope Yacht Club is working on Shovel Knight 2 or something. Until then, this is an excellent midnight snack.
