September2022
Review Shovel Knight Dig (Switch) - A Finely Formed Roguelite That Strikes 16-Bit Gold
"Now dig on this"
Since the last 8-bit-style game came out, Shovel Knight has been branching out more into other genres as developer and publisher Yacht Club charts a course for where its eponymous nobleman will go next. In December, we got the wonderful Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, which smartly blended falling block puzzle mechanics with...
December2021
Review Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (Switch) - A Super Addictive, Combat-Driven Puzzler
Diggin' it
Sometimes just before his boss battle, Specter Knight will warn you, “All who play Pocket Dungeon’s deadly game will be consumed by it.” He’s certainly right. Yacht Club’s newest spin-off of its critically lauded Shovel Knight franchise is, in a word, addictive. It’s easy to look at Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon and think...
January2021
Review Cyber Shadow (Switch) - A Blisteringly Brilliant Action Platformer
Go, ninja, go!
Nearly seven years ago, the world was first introduced to Shovel Knight, a passion project that aimed to emulate some of the most legendary game releases of the 8-bit era. Since then, Yacht Club Games has gone on to extensively expand on the base Shovel Knight game, and now the studio has begun to look to the future to its next big...
May2020
Review Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope - Seven Years On, This Action Platformer Still Dazzles
Strike the earth!
About seven years ago, a small indie studio comprised of some ex-Wayforward staff began the Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight, a delightful love letter to fans of 8-bit gaming. The project was a fairly big deal at the time, but few could have guessed just how much staying power it would prove to have. Several spinoffs and...
December2019
Review Shovel Knight Showdown - A Smash Bros. Challenger That's Perfect For Switch Parties
Have at you!
After completing its record-breaking Kickstarter run for Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games had its work cut out in terms of keeping the promises it made with stretch goals. The much-lauded three additional campaigns were what drew the most reaction from press and fans, but one other mode was announced which didn’t seem to grab nearly as...
Review Shovel Knight: King Of Cards - A Worthy Swan Song To A Legendary Platforming Series
The closing chapter of five years of shovelry
Nearly seven years ago, Yacht Club Games launched the Kickstarter for Shovel Knight, thus beginning the long journey towards building one of the most recognizable characters in the indie gaming space. After a record-breaking response from the community, not only did the game receive the funding it...
March2017
Review Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (Switch eShop)
Triple threat
There isn't much one can say about Shovel Knight that hasn't already been said. We at Nintendo Life universally love the game and its two expansions, Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment, so when a collection of the three in one download on the Switch was announced, we were quite excited. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the...
Review Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (Switch eShop)
Hauntingly good
When Shovel Knight launched in 2014 it was already an indie darling. In our review we called it "utterly satisfying and wonderful." Shovel Knight became a massive critical and commercial success for Yacht Club Games, which is now a household name among gamers all over the world. Not content to rest on their laurels following Shovel...
June2014
Review Shovel Knight (3DS eShop)
This is the kind of shovelware we can dig
Shovel Knight is the adventure of Shovel Knight, a knight with a shovel. That simple — and gloriously absurd — premise has somehow resulted in some of the strongest hype the 3DS eShop has seen yet. The good news is that the final product absolutely lives up to the lofty expectations; the even better news...
Review Shovel Knight (Wii U eShop)
Digging for gold
Yacht Club Games' faux-retro platformer Shovel Knight has become one of the most anticipated titles to come out of the crowdfunding craze. It's frightening to think that Shovel Knight might not have come to fruition without Yacht Club Games' highly successful Kickstarter campaign — games like this don't come around often. Yacht...
