I prefer the specter of communism but this was pretty good too
Easily the best Shovel Knight campaign I’ve played so far, and probably one of the best platformers I’ve ever played. The movement is addictively fun and unlike Plague of Shadows there is a unique story here, with new levels and all originals stage themes are now remixed. A must play.
It's a prequel to the goofy shovel throwback platformer WHY DOES THE WRITING GO SO HARD
What if we took Shovel Knight's fantastic gameplay and levels and made it really sad
the best out of all the shovel knights dlc, and in my opinion even better than the original game.
the gameplay is obviously the best part, having the best movement out of any other knight. the story is also very interesting, i hope the next dlc continues on that line.
the gameplay is obviously the best part, having the best movement out of any other knight. the story is also very interesting, i hope the next dlc continues on that line.
I can definitely see why this is many people's favorite Shovel Knight campaign. It's easily the most streamlined: it eliminates Shovel Knight's map and encounters, and simplifies the hub to a single location while keeping all the character found in these locations in the other games; it's not standing alongside Joustus or weapon management like King and Plague Knights' campaigns.
Specter Knight's kit manages to make for interesting, unique platforming that demands the player think about their positioning and how it impacts their movement options constantly. The stages are built near perfectly for his moveset, being challenging without ever being tedious in the way I found some moments in Plague Knight's run to be. Every stage is reasonably fair and approachable for Specter Knight at any point of the game...
...But I think that does make it a little flat, too. There's not as much of a difficulty curve in Specter of Torment as there is in the other games, and honestly, it almost feels too easy, between the main stages and the true final boss. I liked getting wrecked by Cardia and gradually getting the hang of Joustus in King of Cards, and just barely surviving my first bout against the final boss in Plague of Shadows - and I think this game doesn't have enough of those kinds of moments.
It's consistent, and compelling. The story's engaging (although it makes me wonder if Reize's creator bankrolled Yacht Club for it) and shows a gradual decline in redeemability for each of the Shovel Knight protagonists; I liked getting to see Shield Knight in her prime, although I think Yacht Club are better at making a plot than they are at telling a story, and the presentation suffers for it.
It's very, very polished, and very, very solid, but I don't know if I love it the way I love the other three Shovel Knight games. It's easily one of the best platformers I've played, right?
So why don't I find it as dear to my heart as the rest?
Specter Knight's kit manages to make for interesting, unique platforming that demands the player think about their positioning and how it impacts their movement options constantly. The stages are built near perfectly for his moveset, being challenging without ever being tedious in the way I found some moments in Plague Knight's run to be. Every stage is reasonably fair and approachable for Specter Knight at any point of the game...
...But I think that does make it a little flat, too. There's not as much of a difficulty curve in Specter of Torment as there is in the other games, and honestly, it almost feels too easy, between the main stages and the true final boss. I liked getting wrecked by Cardia and gradually getting the hang of Joustus in King of Cards, and just barely surviving my first bout against the final boss in Plague of Shadows - and I think this game doesn't have enough of those kinds of moments.
It's consistent, and compelling. The story's engaging (although it makes me wonder if Reize's creator bankrolled Yacht Club for it) and shows a gradual decline in redeemability for each of the Shovel Knight protagonists; I liked getting to see Shield Knight in her prime, although I think Yacht Club are better at making a plot than they are at telling a story, and the presentation suffers for it.
It's very, very polished, and very, very solid, but I don't know if I love it the way I love the other three Shovel Knight games. It's easily one of the best platformers I've played, right?
So why don't I find it as dear to my heart as the rest?
Pros: Tattered crimson cloak, supernatural scythe, immortality
Cons: Overly sentimental, tries too hard to act cool
Cons: Overly sentimental, tries too hard to act cool
When the Switch launched 4 years ago near this day, I wasn't the most excited to play Breath of the Wild as everyone else. Despite owning the game on 3DS already, I bought Shovel Knight on Switch again on LAUNCH DAY just so I could play Specter of Torment as soon as possible. I was still in my days of being obsessed with Shovel Knight, having played the original game back when I was only 13. I obsessed over the game and its world, and even with the issues I had with Plague of Shadows, I remained infatuated with the game. There was just something about this world, this aesthetic, this cast of characters that I loved seeing, and wanted to know so much more about. In that sense, it almost feels as if Specter of Torment was made specifically for me. As if they made a game just to make me happy.
Only 3 years seperate the releases of the base game and the Specter of Torment campaign, and yet it was enough to invoke such powerful nostalgic feelings for me at 16. Beyond me being the perfect person for the game, it feels as if I was also the perfect age to play it. So while I'm going to delve into the gameplay and the feelings I have on it, I cannot stress enough just how absolutely blindingly perfect the game is in its presentation from that perspective. The music, visuals, world, and story, all clicks into place so utterly perfectly. But its more than just nailing that execution: It isnt just great music, great locations, great writing, all of that on its own. Its that all of those elements were made to build off of that original game from 2014. That each part of the aesthetic is made as a love-letter to it. Take Lost City: A level with decent music and a generic look, is suddenly contexualized into this greater world. You get to see the icy plains outside, with music hitting an emotional, narrative chord. And it clicks into place due to the familiarity you had with the original.
Everything just...clicks. It feels like the game Shovel Knight should have been, and yet its elevated so much higher due to how much the game's presentation and story mines from the player's familiarity with what they're seeing. Its a near-perfect execution of a prequel game. Its thus really heartbreaking to me that, just like the original Shovel Knight, the challenge of the base game has almost entirely disappeared for me and I no longer find the basic movement fun enough. Note the wording and caveats here, because I'll get back to them. Like Classic Mega Man you move with a sort of rigidity and a fixed speed, lacking the fluidity and self-expression of a game like Mega Man X, Zero, Hollow Knight, etc. The game is undoubtedly more satisfying to play than Shovel of Hope due to the new moves that ARE here, but it almost feels like a game thats chained to the original game, an ironic tradeoff for how much it gains from that deal in terms of presentation. The game is still rigidly divided up into screens, with a controlled pace, and the "intended way" to play always so glaringly obvious.
That untapped potential can almost be tapped into, however, with the Rail Mail armor upgrade. Giving you a core new movement option that ups the pace and expressiveness of the game, it in a way transforms it into something far closer to my ideal kind of 2D platformer. Combining this with playing the game on New Game+, which balances out the special weapon lineup far more and encourages a brisk, aggressive playstyle, leads to something magical. Its strange: "the game I wish this could've been" is just unlockable within the game itself. Even with this, there are just too many restrictions still in place. Enemies are still far too simple and unaggressive, the per-screen structure still halts the pace, and the game overall still isn't difficult enough due to not having enough depth to its mechanics to challenge.
In the end, what I have here is a game that is absolutely magical to me, that I can ALMOST turn into the game that I want it to be, yet is shackled by its predecessor to keep so many elements that just dont align with my philosophies for 2D Action games. Its able to ride so hard on the enchanting presentation, pacing, and the side-options that nudge it closer to my tastes, that it still sits among my all-time favorites. Yet I'm always going to wish it could've been unrestrained.
[Playtime: 50 Hours]
[Keyword: Bittersweet]
Only 3 years seperate the releases of the base game and the Specter of Torment campaign, and yet it was enough to invoke such powerful nostalgic feelings for me at 16. Beyond me being the perfect person for the game, it feels as if I was also the perfect age to play it. So while I'm going to delve into the gameplay and the feelings I have on it, I cannot stress enough just how absolutely blindingly perfect the game is in its presentation from that perspective. The music, visuals, world, and story, all clicks into place so utterly perfectly. But its more than just nailing that execution: It isnt just great music, great locations, great writing, all of that on its own. Its that all of those elements were made to build off of that original game from 2014. That each part of the aesthetic is made as a love-letter to it. Take Lost City: A level with decent music and a generic look, is suddenly contexualized into this greater world. You get to see the icy plains outside, with music hitting an emotional, narrative chord. And it clicks into place due to the familiarity you had with the original.
Everything just...clicks. It feels like the game Shovel Knight should have been, and yet its elevated so much higher due to how much the game's presentation and story mines from the player's familiarity with what they're seeing. Its a near-perfect execution of a prequel game. Its thus really heartbreaking to me that, just like the original Shovel Knight, the challenge of the base game has almost entirely disappeared for me and I no longer find the basic movement fun enough. Note the wording and caveats here, because I'll get back to them. Like Classic Mega Man you move with a sort of rigidity and a fixed speed, lacking the fluidity and self-expression of a game like Mega Man X, Zero, Hollow Knight, etc. The game is undoubtedly more satisfying to play than Shovel of Hope due to the new moves that ARE here, but it almost feels like a game thats chained to the original game, an ironic tradeoff for how much it gains from that deal in terms of presentation. The game is still rigidly divided up into screens, with a controlled pace, and the "intended way" to play always so glaringly obvious.
That untapped potential can almost be tapped into, however, with the Rail Mail armor upgrade. Giving you a core new movement option that ups the pace and expressiveness of the game, it in a way transforms it into something far closer to my ideal kind of 2D platformer. Combining this with playing the game on New Game+, which balances out the special weapon lineup far more and encourages a brisk, aggressive playstyle, leads to something magical. Its strange: "the game I wish this could've been" is just unlockable within the game itself. Even with this, there are just too many restrictions still in place. Enemies are still far too simple and unaggressive, the per-screen structure still halts the pace, and the game overall still isn't difficult enough due to not having enough depth to its mechanics to challenge.
In the end, what I have here is a game that is absolutely magical to me, that I can ALMOST turn into the game that I want it to be, yet is shackled by its predecessor to keep so many elements that just dont align with my philosophies for 2D Action games. Its able to ride so hard on the enchanting presentation, pacing, and the side-options that nudge it closer to my tastes, that it still sits among my all-time favorites. Yet I'm always going to wish it could've been unrestrained.
[Playtime: 50 Hours]
[Keyword: Bittersweet]
The grind rails are so damn fun, why do they only appear 3 times?!?!
More challenges built around the grind rails and this would be an easy 10/10.
More challenges built around the grind rails and this would be an easy 10/10.
It's practically an entirely new game that was just given out for free to people that already owned Shovel Knight. It's definitely easier compared to the other 3 campaigns but the story is solid and the moment to moment gameplay is just so much fun. The levels in this are a real step up from Shovel of Hope's level design and Specter Knight's momentum is so much fun to spiral with.
Genuine perfection- I’ve tried desperately to see something I didn’t like about this campaign and I’ve come up with nothing. Specter Knight is smooth and satisfying to control, the remixed (basically new) stages fit him perfectly, I found myself actually using different sub-weapons unlike Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, and the remixed tracks are just as good as the gameplay. In general, this game does everything better than its two predecessors.
Unironically one of the greatest platformers of all time. The controls feel great, the level design and gimmicks are fucking phenomenal(YOU RIDE RAILS LIKE ITS PRO SKATER), the remixes are immaculate, and the story is extremely well told. This is an incredible game let alone a DLC from an already existing game.
Specter Knight is really fun to control, the music arrangements are great, the story a solid telling of Spectre's tale and tragedy, and you can go Pro Skater on Rails. This is the campaign to play!
I don't know who had the idea to make different games based on different bosses from the og but I deeply thank him for that
RAIL GRINDING
Phineas and Ferb - S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)
" [Intro: Candace]
There are squirrels in my pants!
[Verse 1: Street Performer 1, Street Performer 2, Background & Candace & Background]
Tell me what's makin' you jump like that
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
Ain't got no chickens, ain't got no rats
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants!
S to the I to the M to the P
Then maybe you can be moving like me
[Chorus: Street Performer 2, Candace, Background & Background & Street Performer 2]
Step right over and watch me put it down...
Squirrels, squirrels (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it
S to the I to M to the P
[Verse 2: Street Performer 1, Street Performer 2, Background & Candace]
Who you got back and watering your plants?
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
How can I qualify for government grants?
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants (Yeah)
Hypnotize me, put me in a trance
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
Got an Aunt Florence living in France
She can't see the squirrels in my pants
[Chorus: Street Performer 2, Candace, Background & Background & Street Performer 2]
Step right over and watch me put it down
Squirrels, squirrels (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it
S to the I to M to the P
[Verse 3: Street Performer 1, Background]
If you wanna know how I'm doin' this dance
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
There's somethin' in my trousers, you know it ain't ants
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
Yeah, proletariat and bourgeoisie
Baby, you don't need an academic degree
Everybody's smellin' my pot-pourri
S to the I to the M to the P
[Chorus: Street Performer 2, Candace, Background & Street Performer 1 & Street Performer 2]
Step right over and watch me put it down
Squirrels, squirrels (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it
Down, down on the ground
'Cause you know I got it goin' on
[Bridge: Street Performer 1, Street Performer 2, Background & Candace]
(S...) S to the I to the M to the P
(I...) S to the I to the M to the P
If your pockets are empty get a cash advance
(M...) S to the I to the M to the P
(Squirrels, squirrels) S to the I to the M to the P
If you're losin' your hair, get yourself implants
If you're wrestlin' a bear, then you ain't got a chance
Old Uncle Freddy just rages and rants
[Outro: Street Performer 1 & Street Performer 2]
Ain't about love, ain't about romance
I got squirrels in my pants "
" [Intro: Candace]
There are squirrels in my pants!
[Verse 1: Street Performer 1, Street Performer 2, Background & Candace & Background]
Tell me what's makin' you jump like that
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
Ain't got no chickens, ain't got no rats
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants!
S to the I to the M to the P
Then maybe you can be moving like me
[Chorus: Street Performer 2, Candace, Background & Background & Street Performer 2]
Step right over and watch me put it down...
Squirrels, squirrels (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it
S to the I to M to the P
[Verse 2: Street Performer 1, Street Performer 2, Background & Candace]
Who you got back and watering your plants?
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
How can I qualify for government grants?
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants (Yeah)
Hypnotize me, put me in a trance
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
Got an Aunt Florence living in France
She can't see the squirrels in my pants
[Chorus: Street Performer 2, Candace, Background & Background & Street Performer 2]
Step right over and watch me put it down
Squirrels, squirrels (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it
S to the I to M to the P
[Verse 3: Street Performer 1, Background]
If you wanna know how I'm doin' this dance
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
There's somethin' in my trousers, you know it ain't ants
S-I-M-P, squirrels in my pants
Yeah, proletariat and bourgeoisie
Baby, you don't need an academic degree
Everybody's smellin' my pot-pourri
S to the I to the M to the P
[Chorus: Street Performer 2, Candace, Background & Street Performer 1 & Street Performer 2]
Step right over and watch me put it down
Squirrels, squirrels (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it
Down, down on the ground
'Cause you know I got it goin' on
[Bridge: Street Performer 1, Street Performer 2, Background & Candace]
(S...) S to the I to the M to the P
(I...) S to the I to the M to the P
If your pockets are empty get a cash advance
(M...) S to the I to the M to the P
(Squirrels, squirrels) S to the I to the M to the P
If you're losin' your hair, get yourself implants
If you're wrestlin' a bear, then you ain't got a chance
Old Uncle Freddy just rages and rants
[Outro: Street Performer 1 & Street Performer 2]
Ain't about love, ain't about romance
I got squirrels in my pants "
>8bit platformer with influence from medieval tales :)
>8bit platformer with influence from medieval gothic esthetic :DDDD
>8bit platformer with influence from medieval gothic esthetic :DDDD
The American people deserve a they/them president.
Oh this game is good too wrong app.
Oh this game is good too wrong app.
had the ending for this game intentionally spoiled for me by some fuckin dicknose and when i called him on it he was like "lmao dude its the least plot-intensive shovel knight campaign" and like are you fucking kidding me dude thats literally as wrong as you can possibly be suck my balls. idiot. game was pretty fun tho and i can't beat ng+
Specter of Torment is the first time I've completely enjoyed myself playing Shovel Knight. Shovel of Hope didn't have any glaring issues, it just wasn't anything spectacular. Plague of Shadows had some issues, but they were ironed out by the finale. Specter of Torment is extremely fun from beginning to end. The whole mode is a serious of engaging platforming challenges where you're frequently using the enemies and obstacles as the answer to whatever platforming puzzle Yacht Club has laid before you. The story is fine, nothing spectacular, although I do like that SoT takes place before SoH and PoS. This is far and away the best Shovel Knight has to offer (unless King Knight mode really blows my socks off).
I really enjoyed this, but it didn't stay with me as strong as the other two I played. I think things leaning this far into "serious" took me out of things. Still great and satisfying as ever.
certified fucking gas. improves on almost everything they got right in the original shovel knight - awesome music, a great story for its length, and mostly perfect level design (-1/2 star for the tinker knight autoscrollers though). i think my biggest problem with shovel knight was that he controlled like total shit sometimes, but DAMN is it satisfying to do absolutely ANYTHING with specter knight. this is nothing short of an immaculate platforming experience.
This may be the best 2d platformer I've ever played, taking all the positives of the original shovel knight, and giving it a more fluid movement is possibly the greatest decision made in the last decade.
Well... one last reverie
Shortly after finishing Plague of Shadows, I started up a playthrough of Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, the third game in the Shovel Knight Treasure Trove collection. In this game you played as Specter Knight, one of the bosses in Shovel of Hope and in Plague of Shadows. I went into this game expecting it to be the same Shovel of Hope campaign as a different character, like it had been in Plague of Shadows, but was pleasantly surprised that this was more-or-less an entirely new adventure.
First off, the gameplay was completely different here. While Shovel Knight and Plague Knight felt somewhat different to play from one another, Specter Knight felt very different from both of them. He could slash enemies and projectiles mid-air which launched him across the screen, and he was able to run up walls too. This different style of movement really allowed for a lot of variety when traversing levels and made the combat feel very fresh and exciting too. As for boss fights, you still fight the same ones from the previous Shovel Knight games, but the new mechanics made them feel like brand new challenges here.
The biggest improvement over Plague of Shadows is that you aren't just playing through the Shovel of Hope campaign with a different playable character. If memory serves me correctly you play through entirely new levels here, not just reused levels from the original game (I could be wrong, feel free to correct me). These levels still used the same aesthetics (water stages, machine stages, etc.), but it was nice to be not just be retreading the same ground this time around.
As with the other Shovel Knight games, the writing in Specter of Torment was fantastic. I enjoyed this character's back story the most out of the entire lineup in the Treasure Trove collection. I found that this game had a generally more moody and sober atmosphere throughout which really fit the character so well. It was a nice change of pace from the first two games.
Specter of Torment was a great game and is probably my pick for the best game in the Treasure Trove collection. Specter Knight plays very differently from both Shovel Knight and Plague Knight, which I really enjoyed. Thankfully, this game still sports the same great retro visuals and soundtrack the series is known for. Fans of Shovel Knight or just retro platformers in general owe it to themselves to check this game out.
First off, the gameplay was completely different here. While Shovel Knight and Plague Knight felt somewhat different to play from one another, Specter Knight felt very different from both of them. He could slash enemies and projectiles mid-air which launched him across the screen, and he was able to run up walls too. This different style of movement really allowed for a lot of variety when traversing levels and made the combat feel very fresh and exciting too. As for boss fights, you still fight the same ones from the previous Shovel Knight games, but the new mechanics made them feel like brand new challenges here.
The biggest improvement over Plague of Shadows is that you aren't just playing through the Shovel of Hope campaign with a different playable character. If memory serves me correctly you play through entirely new levels here, not just reused levels from the original game (I could be wrong, feel free to correct me). These levels still used the same aesthetics (water stages, machine stages, etc.), but it was nice to be not just be retreading the same ground this time around.
As with the other Shovel Knight games, the writing in Specter of Torment was fantastic. I enjoyed this character's back story the most out of the entire lineup in the Treasure Trove collection. I found that this game had a generally more moody and sober atmosphere throughout which really fit the character so well. It was a nice change of pace from the first two games.
Specter of Torment was a great game and is probably my pick for the best game in the Treasure Trove collection. Specter Knight plays very differently from both Shovel Knight and Plague Knight, which I really enjoyed. Thankfully, this game still sports the same great retro visuals and soundtrack the series is known for. Fans of Shovel Knight or just retro platformers in general owe it to themselves to check this game out.
holy fucking shit this is awesome
Best Shovel Knight game so far. Plague of Shadows disappointed me with it's lackluster changes to the original game and confusing focus on crafting and awkward movement. Specter of Torment takes a different approach and completely revamps the game with very slick movement and level design. It's a blast from start to finish.
This review contains spoilers
After having been disappointed by how close Plague of Shadows is to Shovel of Hope, man am I glad to have a DLC campaign that feels truly unique. Specter of Torment is great, starring a very fun to control character, fun level design that takes advantage of said character's enjoyable mechanics, and a surprising amount of expansion into the lore and characters of the game. I'm thinking Specter of Torment is better than the base game, honestly, but we'll see if I still think its the best out of them all once I beat King of Cards and wrap up this Shovel Knight marathon I'm on.
The gameplay is better than Plague of Shadows by default just by actually having level design of its own. I was so glad I didn't have to go through what's basically the exact same levels again, lemme tell ya. The titular character, Specter Knight, has a really fun play style that seems to be speedier than both Plague Knight and Shovel Knight. He's not as weird to play as Plague Knight, but also not quite as simple as Shovel Knight, and his movement feels less floaty than both in my opinion. The main things that set Specter Knight apart are three unique abilities he has: he can position himself through slashing enemies or obstacles (when you're in the air there's a little slash that appears on enemies to indicate when you can propel yourself to cut through that enemy), grind on rails, and very briefly run up walls before falling off if you don't reach the top. The rail grinding is very situational since some levels don't have them at all, but you will need to familiarize yourself with his weak wall-run and positional slashing for every level since a lot of it is built around those mechanics. This contributes to Specter Knight generally feeling like a speedier character who gets a lot of use out of his movement options. Of course, he also gets a wide variety of Curios with spooky undead themed effects from giving red skulls to Red in the hub. They're basically just like Arcana from Plague of Shadows, except the meter used to use these spells is instead called Darkness. You get more Darkness and Will (health) from finding containers located in every level that have either Will or Darkness spirits that Specter Knight absorbs, and I found these weren't very difficult to find. If you miss any, you can just buy them from Missy in the hub; I only had to do that for two of the spirits. Speaking of the hub, I didn't talk about it much in my previous review, but it is worth noting that Specter of Torment ditches the whole Super Mario Bros. 3 overworld map system that both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows had; instead, this campaign goes full Mega Man by letting you pick directly which level + boss you wanna fight in any order you want (except for the Tower of Fate levels at the very end). Instead of having to go to Zelda II style villages to get upgrades, everything is just right there in the hub for you to grab before you set out to fight the next knight. The mode generally feels much cleaner and more streamlined as a result in my opinion, there's no need to fumble with an overworld or anything of the sort and you can just go straight to the next stage. Overall, the gameplay is significantly better than Plague of Shadows, and, although its a tough pick, I think I would say Specter of Torment is also better than Shovel of Hope, the base game.
I feel that Specter of Torment was the first of these campaigns to really try to focus on the story and characters. Perhaps that's because this is a prequel that sets up the events before both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, although seemingly not King of Cards since, from what I've heard, that one takes place before all the others. Nonetheless, I think it did excellently, showcasing Specter Knight's tragic and interesting story as well as fleshing out a surprising amount of characters, like Black Knight and Reize (I never mentioned the latter in my reviews so far because he's just a random traveling boss who was completely irrelevant before this game). You can kinda already guess what Black Knight's true motivations were by the end of Shovel of Hope, for example, but here you see them get expanded upon through Black Knight's connections to Specter Knight and the dialogue they have throughout the story; Black Knight serves the Enchantress as a front because he hopes he, or someone else, can get through to her and turn her back into Shield Knight (of course Shovel Knight ends up being the one to do that in Shovel of Hope). As for the actual plot, it gets pieced together mostly through flashbacks that Specter Knight has throughout the game. As it turns out, he was a thief named Donovan in life. He had a close connection to another thief named Luan (he's also the father of Reize), and the two went to the Tower of Fate to steal a magic amulet because they believed it would keep Reize safe from the perilous adventures he would try to go on some day. That amulet is actually the Phase Locket, the infamous invincibility Relic from Shovel of Hope and the same Relic that Specter Knight is guarding in that game. When Donovan and Luan raided the Tower of Fate and successfully reached the Phase Locket, Shield Knight stopped them, warning that it was too dangerous to be used. Luan hesitates, but Donovan assumes that she's only saying this because she wants to take it for herself. Boss fight happens, then the tower starts to crumble, and in a very rash decision he would soon regret, Donovan takes the locket and attacks Luan for trying to stop him. The ground gives way and Donovan falls, nearly dying. That's when the Enchantress arrives and persuades him to join her in his dying breath; she stabs him with a scythe to raise him as an undead. As the newly created Specter Knight who wields the same scythe used to kill him, Donovan's goal is now to find eight knights across the land to recruit to create the Order of No Quarter, for which his reward will be an amulet that grants life, presumably so he can bring himself back to life. After a bit of progress in the game, Reize appears, much to Specter Knight's horror. The Enchantress easily defeats Reize and corrupts him with dark power, and now he barks orders at Specter Knight under the Enchantress's authority. Near the end of the game, Specter Knight seizes the opportunity to fight back against the Enchantress after Black Knight appears and reveals that the Enchantress is actually Shield Knight. That was the last straw for him to break free from her control, since Donovan blames Shield Knight for everything and loathes her. In the end, Donovan fights a monster version of Reize created by the Enchantress, and Donovan ultimately gives up his freedom in servitude to the Enchantress after using the amulet to restore Reize back to life. He finally fulfilled his promise to protect Reize, but at what cost? The end credits scene shows him leaving the Phase Locket in a chest, hoping Reize will find it...though, as we all know, Shovel Knight goes and steals it after defeating Specter Knight.
So, yea, I'd say Specter of Torment is excellent. I'm kinda flip-flopping on if I think its better than Shovel of Hope, but I think I would ultimately give it to Specter of Torment. A great expansion to this game. Earns 5 stars from me.
The gameplay is better than Plague of Shadows by default just by actually having level design of its own. I was so glad I didn't have to go through what's basically the exact same levels again, lemme tell ya. The titular character, Specter Knight, has a really fun play style that seems to be speedier than both Plague Knight and Shovel Knight. He's not as weird to play as Plague Knight, but also not quite as simple as Shovel Knight, and his movement feels less floaty than both in my opinion. The main things that set Specter Knight apart are three unique abilities he has: he can position himself through slashing enemies or obstacles (when you're in the air there's a little slash that appears on enemies to indicate when you can propel yourself to cut through that enemy), grind on rails, and very briefly run up walls before falling off if you don't reach the top. The rail grinding is very situational since some levels don't have them at all, but you will need to familiarize yourself with his weak wall-run and positional slashing for every level since a lot of it is built around those mechanics. This contributes to Specter Knight generally feeling like a speedier character who gets a lot of use out of his movement options. Of course, he also gets a wide variety of Curios with spooky undead themed effects from giving red skulls to Red in the hub. They're basically just like Arcana from Plague of Shadows, except the meter used to use these spells is instead called Darkness. You get more Darkness and Will (health) from finding containers located in every level that have either Will or Darkness spirits that Specter Knight absorbs, and I found these weren't very difficult to find. If you miss any, you can just buy them from Missy in the hub; I only had to do that for two of the spirits. Speaking of the hub, I didn't talk about it much in my previous review, but it is worth noting that Specter of Torment ditches the whole Super Mario Bros. 3 overworld map system that both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows had; instead, this campaign goes full Mega Man by letting you pick directly which level + boss you wanna fight in any order you want (except for the Tower of Fate levels at the very end). Instead of having to go to Zelda II style villages to get upgrades, everything is just right there in the hub for you to grab before you set out to fight the next knight. The mode generally feels much cleaner and more streamlined as a result in my opinion, there's no need to fumble with an overworld or anything of the sort and you can just go straight to the next stage. Overall, the gameplay is significantly better than Plague of Shadows, and, although its a tough pick, I think I would say Specter of Torment is also better than Shovel of Hope, the base game.
I feel that Specter of Torment was the first of these campaigns to really try to focus on the story and characters. Perhaps that's because this is a prequel that sets up the events before both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, although seemingly not King of Cards since, from what I've heard, that one takes place before all the others. Nonetheless, I think it did excellently, showcasing Specter Knight's tragic and interesting story as well as fleshing out a surprising amount of characters, like Black Knight and Reize (I never mentioned the latter in my reviews so far because he's just a random traveling boss who was completely irrelevant before this game). You can kinda already guess what Black Knight's true motivations were by the end of Shovel of Hope, for example, but here you see them get expanded upon through Black Knight's connections to Specter Knight and the dialogue they have throughout the story; Black Knight serves the Enchantress as a front because he hopes he, or someone else, can get through to her and turn her back into Shield Knight (of course Shovel Knight ends up being the one to do that in Shovel of Hope). As for the actual plot, it gets pieced together mostly through flashbacks that Specter Knight has throughout the game. As it turns out, he was a thief named Donovan in life. He had a close connection to another thief named Luan (he's also the father of Reize), and the two went to the Tower of Fate to steal a magic amulet because they believed it would keep Reize safe from the perilous adventures he would try to go on some day. That amulet is actually the Phase Locket, the infamous invincibility Relic from Shovel of Hope and the same Relic that Specter Knight is guarding in that game. When Donovan and Luan raided the Tower of Fate and successfully reached the Phase Locket, Shield Knight stopped them, warning that it was too dangerous to be used. Luan hesitates, but Donovan assumes that she's only saying this because she wants to take it for herself. Boss fight happens, then the tower starts to crumble, and in a very rash decision he would soon regret, Donovan takes the locket and attacks Luan for trying to stop him. The ground gives way and Donovan falls, nearly dying. That's when the Enchantress arrives and persuades him to join her in his dying breath; she stabs him with a scythe to raise him as an undead. As the newly created Specter Knight who wields the same scythe used to kill him, Donovan's goal is now to find eight knights across the land to recruit to create the Order of No Quarter, for which his reward will be an amulet that grants life, presumably so he can bring himself back to life. After a bit of progress in the game, Reize appears, much to Specter Knight's horror. The Enchantress easily defeats Reize and corrupts him with dark power, and now he barks orders at Specter Knight under the Enchantress's authority. Near the end of the game, Specter Knight seizes the opportunity to fight back against the Enchantress after Black Knight appears and reveals that the Enchantress is actually Shield Knight. That was the last straw for him to break free from her control, since Donovan blames Shield Knight for everything and loathes her. In the end, Donovan fights a monster version of Reize created by the Enchantress, and Donovan ultimately gives up his freedom in servitude to the Enchantress after using the amulet to restore Reize back to life. He finally fulfilled his promise to protect Reize, but at what cost? The end credits scene shows him leaving the Phase Locket in a chest, hoping Reize will find it...though, as we all know, Shovel Knight goes and steals it after defeating Specter Knight.
So, yea, I'd say Specter of Torment is excellent. I'm kinda flip-flopping on if I think its better than Shovel of Hope, but I think I would ultimately give it to Specter of Torment. A great expansion to this game. Earns 5 stars from me.
i liked shovel of hope well enough when i played it and thought it was good but ultimately nothing that noteworthy, but man specter of torment is so fucking good. please make more games like this one
What if Shovel Knight could run on walls, air dash, and grind rails? Whoever decided to ask that question needs a raise.