Shovel Knight got a mention in just about every 2014 gaming roundup. It's existence seemed so well supported by just about everyone that I concluded it must be an obligatory purchase and bought the Wii U version in the recent sale.
I fired it up for the first time last night and completed the first stage, arriving at some village.
I was underwhelmed. Everything was 'ok', but it just seemed like a generic game from the 80s/90s, with nothing in it to make it show any promise of being anything greater.
I acknowledge the first stage could well just be there to warm players into the game's controls and basic mechanics, but there really was nothing in it to compel me to jump straight on into the next stage.
Without any spoilers please, when does it get good?
You guys had me at blood and semen.
What better way to celebrate than firing something out of the pipe?
.............yes, I'd say you are easily judging a game too harshly from just a first level. One thing people always do is hype themselves up too much, it happens all the time with games like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy 7. Remember this is a game that is made by normal people and that you should just let the game do its thing and not think about what you think the game should be doing, that usually helps me with that kind of problem.
Boss Conquest and Epic Gamers on YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCr-BdNM7x84aTBodCXQNlOg Also Majora's Mask is the best game ever! Search your feelings you know it to be true!
It gets good the moment you jump into the game and hear the music.
Shovel knight isnt an amazing game because it is revolutionary; it is an amazing game because it has tight gameplay, great music, and is just just challenging enough to feel like you are being challenged but not frustratingly so.
Personally, I loved it as soon as I booted it up. It's not that it's a perfect game, but more that everything just feels right: the art style, the music, the controls and the game mechanics all work really well together. This doesn't mean that everyone is guaranteed to enjoy it though.
As for when it gets good, I'd say pretty much where you are now. You start playing through the proper stages, which are pretty well designed, collecting some new equipment that can change how you play the game and go up against some pretty cool bosses. All while the game introduces new mechanics along the way, gently easing you into them. Overall, it's a good example of good game design.
.............yes, I'd say you are easily judging a game too harshly from just a first level. One thing people always do is hype themselves up too much, it happens all the time with games like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy 7. Remember this is a game that is made by normal people and that you should just let the game do its thing and not think about what you think the game should be doing, that usually helps me with that kind of problem.
Usually I'd totally agree with you, but with a game like SK, that has deliberately pitched itself as a retro game, I just feel it needs to do something to distinguish it as a modern title worth going back in time for. The opening level was so mundane. The only positives I can scrape from the first stage is the novelty of the hero being armed only with a shovel (but that doesn't even prove particularly fun/different) and the retro soundtrack (nice to be transported back, but nothing immediately memorable about it).
I don't wanna seem like I'm down on the game, but it's not like I was expecting an immediate 9/10 game and am only seeing 7/10, the first stage is more like 5/10 - totally dull. I just wanna know if there's anything significantly better waiting for me.
You guys had me at blood and semen.
What better way to celebrate than firing something out of the pipe?
.............yes, I'd say you are easily judging a game too harshly from just a first level. One thing people always do is hype themselves up too much, it happens all the time with games like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy 7. Remember this is a game that is made by normal people and that you should just let the game do its thing and not think about what you think the game should be doing, that usually helps me with that kind of problem.
Usually I'd totally agree with you, but with a game like SK, that has deliberately pitched itself as a retro game, I just feel it needs to do something to distinguish it as a modern title worth going back in time for. The opening level was so mundane. The only positives I can scrape from the first stage is the novelty of the hero being armed only with a shovel (but that doesn't even prove particularly fun/different) and the retro soundtrack (nice to be transported back, but nothing immediately memorable about it).
I don't wanna seem like I'm down on the game, but it's not like I was expecting an immediate 9/10 game and am only seeing 7/10, the first stage is more like 5/10 - totally dull. I just wanna know if there's anything significantly better waiting for me.
Well to be fair, how many platformers do you know that don't start off on a grassy plain to get the player used to the game, I can only think of like 2.
Boss Conquest and Epic Gamers on YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCr-BdNM7x84aTBodCXQNlOg Also Majora's Mask is the best game ever! Search your feelings you know it to be true!
It's not the greatest game of all time. But if it was released in 1990 people would still be talking about it as a classic. It's a fun game to play through once and enjoy it for what is: a loving tribute to the NES days.
Keep at it man,the game really is fantastic.The first level is pretty uneventful but it just keeps getting better and more challenging as it goes on.Each stage is unique and some of them last for ages,but in a good way.The game clicked with me as soon as I heard the village music,couldn't get enough of it haha.Love this game.
Get back to playing games and stop prematurely posting on message boards is the best advice I can offer. Do you need our permission to dislike it? Should we be shocked and offended? Can our Shovel Knight experiences now be deemed a fallacy since you played the first level and failed to enjoy it?
There are many issues at play whether you or I, or anyone else, may or may not enjoy both good and bad games at any given time. Rather than asking us whether you've been duped, I'd suggest looking inward and playing on to attempt to discover the game's virtues. Not that you have to, as you are of course allowed to dislike it... Just a suggestion to get the most out of your purchase. (And please think twice about posting after playing one level of a game.)
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Topic: Shovel Knight - have I been duped?
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