3/5 ★ – Hill417's review of Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon.

I have always said that Shovel Knight is “the little game that could”. If we take a second to look back in retrospect, it is hard to argue. The Kickstarter game that unexpectedly became an instant classic with universal acclaim that has been released on almost every single platform. It then lead to multiple expansions, merchandise, and cameos in almost every other indie game under the sun. It is surprising that we have yet to see a sequel. However for those looking for that fix the look no further than Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon. While it feels more like a side story that has drastically different gameplay genre compared to the original platformer style, it still maintains the same charm that drew players in to the 2014 game. The story is pretty basic. Shovel Knight is trapped in the pocket dungeon. A mini dimension that no one has been able to escape from. So Shovel Knight, along with the Order of No Quarter, and three new characters: Scrap Knight, Prism Knight, and Puzzle Knight must find a way to escape. If you have played any puzzle games on your phone then the gameplay will see very familiar. With every step you take more enemies will fill up the screen. If every space is filled up then its game over. You can ram into your foes to drop their HP, but yours will take a hit as well. In order to free up more space then have the same enemy type form a row and take down just one for the entire row disappear at once. You will be rewarded with loads of gems and a higher score. Thankfully there are plenty of potions to go around that are easily obtainable on the stage. In order to complete the level, you just need one key (also scattered through the stage) and survive long enough for the exit to appear and voila. Now do that again in one successful run across eight levels. Yes it is quite a learning curve when it comes to strategizing and timing, but you are giving a few relics to even the odds. Because this is a roguelike, if your lucky then a special chest will appear that gives you access to Chester’s shop where you can buy relics to gain an advantage… if you have the gems for it that is. If you don’t then seek out the hidden bonus levels where accomplishing the objective will reward you with tons of money. Or you know what maybe Shovel Knight just isn’t that versatile of a character to play as. So become someone else. I mentioned the Order of No Quarter earlier because some of them will randomly spawn and if you defeat them then they will join your convoy. Each of them have their own special ability. Specter Knight can’t dink potions, but regains two HP for every enemy he slays. Mole Knight and Prisim Knight can swap places, Plague Knight has low HP, but can use bombs and inflict poison. Tinker Knight is incredibly weak, like its actually pathetic, but if he collects enough scrap then he can build a mech that increases his health and attack power. So feel free to experiment to get some more replay value. The runs are short, maybe a little to short because the hidden rooms to access to unlock the true ending will not always appear, so you better hope the RNG gods are merciful in your play through. Even if all of the different play styles are still proving to difficult, then there are options to tweak the gameplay. You can adjust the damage, your health, the speed of which everything moves, if you want a more lax experience. It is actually a little puzzling as to why these options are here because by enabling them you will lock yourself out of the trophies. Yeah, you’ll get a warning that states by adjusting the game to your liking will disable all of the feats. Why bother putting in them in if you are just going to punish the player? And your probably saying “Well its the developers vision. You have to get good and learn the mechanics”. That is probably the case, but may I remind you that this game is called “Shovel Knight”. A cartoonish looking knight who is accompanied by equally cartoonish knights. Does the tone Yacht Club is setting really reflect a game that wants to be hard as humanly possible? The original Shovel Knight and expansions were a reasonable challenge and received universal acclaim. Not because it was harder than the original Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania III, and DMC 5 Dante Must Die mode combined. It was because they prioritized fun.