I fucking love Joustus I'd play the shit out of a standalone version of the game.
Still just as good as it was when I played it all those years ago when it first came out, if not better honestly.
Still just as good as it was when I played it all those years ago when it first came out, if not better honestly.
This was my first experience with Shovel Knight. This was the first game in the timeline, so I started with this one. I had fun playing through the game. I didn't like the card game. I was playing the card game through world 1 and 2 but I dropped it to only focus on the stages and platforming. The platforming is great and really fun! The stages is really what makes this game shine. I must say though, did not expecting that ending😧
Cards are primal. Card games have existed in millions of forms going back thousands of years. They are some of the earliest expressions of itemised 'games' as art in culture. Inevitably, everything will eventually become a card game. We feel something older than words looking into cards. They are a reflection of our inner selves. So why does Shovel Knight 1.75: King Knight's Bad Fur Day have the most fun single-player card game I've played in years?
Before I talk about the game proper, I need to talk about what it represents as a symptom of one of modern indie gaming's most pervasive illnesses. We trap our most exciting developers in gilded cages. The only way to break into this industry independently (which I'm glad is possible at all) is to get that one big hit. For most, it never comes, but some get lucky. You work on all these disparate projects for so long, and one finally hits! How can you not pour extra care in? Updates, DLC, merchandise, mobile spin-offs, cameos in other games, whatever. Now it's time for your next game. You've talked to financiers, you see the buzz on social media, and the right move is clear. It's the only way you'll get the freedom to fulfil your newfound ambitions and audience expectations. One big hit 2! By the time it's out you've suddenly dedicated a decade of your career to this property. It kills me to see! These exciting developers, the world at their fingertips, are stuck babysitting a game they already made. It happened to Yacht Club for nearly a decade (Part of the reason I'm so ecstatic for Mina the Hollower), and it happened to many of my favourite developers of the previous decade (please Relogic, I love Terraria but make a new game) it's happening to Team Cherry right now (bite me). It's my least favourite thing in the entire world! I understand it's just how surviving this industry works and is not limited to indie devs. But I am devastated to see talented studios strapping an iron ball to their foot by immediately pigeon-holing themselves as 'the people that do only that one big hit.'
So I'm coming into this with a bit of prejudice, is what I'm saying. But I'm by no means writing this off as entirely cynical. My expectations going in were that YC would be itching to spread their wings. I was right! There's a goddamn card game in this thing! They went in directions very different to what I'd have guessed.
The meat and potatoes, the running and gunning of these lean platforming stages, are lovely! Collectables are super findable but still satisfying. It's one of the few platformers I've ever felt compelled to go for all exits/medals on the first go around. But I'm not sure how I feel about King Knight's moveset. Calling movement needlessly abstract sounds like nonsense until you see how he moves. I just never fully got my head around it. It never clicked as satisfying.
And these shorter levels are way more at risk of the weaker elements of YC's level design. If ever, as a developer of games, you think you have a novel take on the autoscroller, remember these words. You don't, it still sucks. Trust me here. Overall, they're a great, very playable time, but does it ever shift into the high-gear lights-out fun of Shovel Knight? Does it ever feel as challenging or engaging as Shovel Knight? Do I ever feel as satisfied in the disparate boss fights (the final one is an homage to Donkey 94 IM NOT CRAZY) as in Shovel Knight's? No. They're always a small but firm step below what came before.
Joustus is the real star of the show here. I've had little chance to talk about it on this account (I'm in a real fallow period with the genre), but I'm a card game fanatic. In its ten years of existence, I have, at a lower bound non-hyperbolic estimate, ~2000 hours in Hearthstone, and many more split among games like Slay the Spire, PTCG, Runeterra, and whatever. So few card games make genuinely fun long-term single-player experiences. Joustus has elasticity (caused by its layouts) and constantly scaling encounters that make for a genuine single-player card game experience. Best in class since Hearthstone stopped doing proper adventures in my book (on that note, fuck you Blizzard). As a plus, it's simplistic. I was pleasantly surprised with Marvel Snap when I gave that a shake a year or so back, and this scratches a similar itch with finding its depth in player decisions rather than the cards themselves. If I have to complain, I'm never over the moon for cards that are straight upgrades of others, and you can absolutely bulldoze opponents by having 'better' cards (especially with how limited archetypes are here). But it's a single-player game. I'm not here for intricate balance. For the extra real ones out there, it reminds me of Skystones. If you know what that is then collect your complimentary 'real-one' stamp at the door. Anyway. It's great!
This is the first Shovel Knight expansion I've played (I've heard they get less similar to the base game as they go, and I want to give Plague Knight the fairest shake I can), so I had no idea what to expect with the storytelling. The writing retained the slightly arched comedy I've loved. New, was an increasingly disquieting level of psychoanalysis into the useful idiot / wilful psychopath you find yourself playing as. The final scene with Cardia is a fascinating revelation of his internal machinations. I don't even quite know what to make of it. It is far smarter than it may initially appear, though any reservations I had disappeared by the midpoint, so I was prepped for how intensely perfect Shovel Knight's second of screen time was. Couldn't have been better.
This is quintessentially lesser than the sum of its parts. I like almost everything about it, but it's oil and water. Sticking Joustus and capitalist Celeste together does neither favours. The pace of this thing is completely scattershot, almost random. I can't imagine ever wanting to play it again. It's a far cry from the genetically engineered perfection of Shovel Knight proper, a dev team desperately scrounging for more water to squeeze out of a rock they wrung dry years ago. Yacht Club games are so good that they still did it. But imagine how good it'll be when they get a new rock!
Before I talk about the game proper, I need to talk about what it represents as a symptom of one of modern indie gaming's most pervasive illnesses. We trap our most exciting developers in gilded cages. The only way to break into this industry independently (which I'm glad is possible at all) is to get that one big hit. For most, it never comes, but some get lucky. You work on all these disparate projects for so long, and one finally hits! How can you not pour extra care in? Updates, DLC, merchandise, mobile spin-offs, cameos in other games, whatever. Now it's time for your next game. You've talked to financiers, you see the buzz on social media, and the right move is clear. It's the only way you'll get the freedom to fulfil your newfound ambitions and audience expectations. One big hit 2! By the time it's out you've suddenly dedicated a decade of your career to this property. It kills me to see! These exciting developers, the world at their fingertips, are stuck babysitting a game they already made. It happened to Yacht Club for nearly a decade (Part of the reason I'm so ecstatic for Mina the Hollower), and it happened to many of my favourite developers of the previous decade (please Relogic, I love Terraria but make a new game) it's happening to Team Cherry right now (bite me). It's my least favourite thing in the entire world! I understand it's just how surviving this industry works and is not limited to indie devs. But I am devastated to see talented studios strapping an iron ball to their foot by immediately pigeon-holing themselves as 'the people that do only that one big hit.'
So I'm coming into this with a bit of prejudice, is what I'm saying. But I'm by no means writing this off as entirely cynical. My expectations going in were that YC would be itching to spread their wings. I was right! There's a goddamn card game in this thing! They went in directions very different to what I'd have guessed.
The meat and potatoes, the running and gunning of these lean platforming stages, are lovely! Collectables are super findable but still satisfying. It's one of the few platformers I've ever felt compelled to go for all exits/medals on the first go around. But I'm not sure how I feel about King Knight's moveset. Calling movement needlessly abstract sounds like nonsense until you see how he moves. I just never fully got my head around it. It never clicked as satisfying.
And these shorter levels are way more at risk of the weaker elements of YC's level design. If ever, as a developer of games, you think you have a novel take on the autoscroller, remember these words. You don't, it still sucks. Trust me here. Overall, they're a great, very playable time, but does it ever shift into the high-gear lights-out fun of Shovel Knight? Does it ever feel as challenging or engaging as Shovel Knight? Do I ever feel as satisfied in the disparate boss fights (the final one is an homage to Donkey 94 IM NOT CRAZY) as in Shovel Knight's? No. They're always a small but firm step below what came before.
Joustus is the real star of the show here. I've had little chance to talk about it on this account (I'm in a real fallow period with the genre), but I'm a card game fanatic. In its ten years of existence, I have, at a lower bound non-hyperbolic estimate, ~2000 hours in Hearthstone, and many more split among games like Slay the Spire, PTCG, Runeterra, and whatever. So few card games make genuinely fun long-term single-player experiences. Joustus has elasticity (caused by its layouts) and constantly scaling encounters that make for a genuine single-player card game experience. Best in class since Hearthstone stopped doing proper adventures in my book (on that note, fuck you Blizzard). As a plus, it's simplistic. I was pleasantly surprised with Marvel Snap when I gave that a shake a year or so back, and this scratches a similar itch with finding its depth in player decisions rather than the cards themselves. If I have to complain, I'm never over the moon for cards that are straight upgrades of others, and you can absolutely bulldoze opponents by having 'better' cards (especially with how limited archetypes are here). But it's a single-player game. I'm not here for intricate balance. For the extra real ones out there, it reminds me of Skystones. If you know what that is then collect your complimentary 'real-one' stamp at the door. Anyway. It's great!
This is the first Shovel Knight expansion I've played (I've heard they get less similar to the base game as they go, and I want to give Plague Knight the fairest shake I can), so I had no idea what to expect with the storytelling. The writing retained the slightly arched comedy I've loved. New, was an increasingly disquieting level of psychoanalysis into the useful idiot / wilful psychopath you find yourself playing as. The final scene with Cardia is a fascinating revelation of his internal machinations. I don't even quite know what to make of it. It is far smarter than it may initially appear, though any reservations I had disappeared by the midpoint, so I was prepped for how intensely perfect Shovel Knight's second of screen time was. Couldn't have been better.
This is quintessentially lesser than the sum of its parts. I like almost everything about it, but it's oil and water. Sticking Joustus and capitalist Celeste together does neither favours. The pace of this thing is completely scattershot, almost random. I can't imagine ever wanting to play it again. It's a far cry from the genetically engineered perfection of Shovel Knight proper, a dev team desperately scrounging for more water to squeeze out of a rock they wrung dry years ago. Yacht Club games are so good that they still did it. But imagine how good it'll be when they get a new rock!
i just hate the card game gimmick,
the jump and run sections are good tho
the jump and run sections are good tho
Excelente juego, algunos desafíos fueron un poco complicados.
La mejor campaña de Shovel Knight.
Es una precuela de todas las demás campañas del juego, donde controlas al primer jefe del juego, un caballero que se cree rey con una actitud muy creída.
Cuenta con niveles, a diferencia de las otras campañas que siguen una línea parecida a Mega Man de que al final del nivel siempre peleas contra un jefe, aquí hay 4 mapas con diferentes niveles, mini jefes, jefes y casas de Joustus.
Las casas de Joustus son bares donde tendrás que jugar a un juego de cartas ficticio contra varios rivales hasta llegar al "jefe" del bar, el cual tendrá poderes en la partida que cambiarán el mazo o el tablero.
No son difíciles de entender, pero es cierto que puedes tener un mal RNG o deberás de ir cambiando de cartas en tu mazo para tener cartas con más poder.
También hay varios niveles donde puedes obtener objetos que te servirán en varios niveles para hacer más sencillo el nivel, derrotar a más enemigos a la vez o llegar a zonas inaccesibles.
El personaje tiene un golpe de hombro para atacar, pero si lo usas en una pared, hará una voltereta y ganará altura, cosa que le da bastante más juego al movimiento, con varios niveles que te exigen saber cómo funciona esto para poder avanzar o conseguir los coleccionables, que son unas medallas que sirven para intercambiar por vida, magia o habilidades.
El juego tiene mucho humor y un desenlace bastante trágico que desencadena en lo visto en el juego principal, pero no destriparé nada.
Es una precuela de todas las demás campañas del juego, donde controlas al primer jefe del juego, un caballero que se cree rey con una actitud muy creída.
Cuenta con niveles, a diferencia de las otras campañas que siguen una línea parecida a Mega Man de que al final del nivel siempre peleas contra un jefe, aquí hay 4 mapas con diferentes niveles, mini jefes, jefes y casas de Joustus.
Las casas de Joustus son bares donde tendrás que jugar a un juego de cartas ficticio contra varios rivales hasta llegar al "jefe" del bar, el cual tendrá poderes en la partida que cambiarán el mazo o el tablero.
No son difíciles de entender, pero es cierto que puedes tener un mal RNG o deberás de ir cambiando de cartas en tu mazo para tener cartas con más poder.
También hay varios niveles donde puedes obtener objetos que te servirán en varios niveles para hacer más sencillo el nivel, derrotar a más enemigos a la vez o llegar a zonas inaccesibles.
El personaje tiene un golpe de hombro para atacar, pero si lo usas en una pared, hará una voltereta y ganará altura, cosa que le da bastante más juego al movimiento, con varios niveles que te exigen saber cómo funciona esto para poder avanzar o conseguir los coleccionables, que son unas medallas que sirven para intercambiar por vida, magia o habilidades.
El juego tiene mucho humor y un desenlace bastante trágico que desencadena en lo visto en el juego principal, pero no destriparé nada.
The end of last year brought us, at long long last, the final expansion to the base Shovel Knight game that the original Kickstarter promised. They really saved the biggest (and best?) for last too! King Knight's prequel campaign is one of the most different of the campaigns, and has proven that Yacht Club Games really can keep teaching an old dog new tricks. I spent a good few hours trying to just grind for the last of the playing cards, but all in all it took me 13-ish hours to 100% the collectibles.
King Knight is a foolish momma's boy and a selfish simpleton, but he's utterly driven by his desire to be a real king and not just some guy with armor still living with his mother. There's a tournament for the hot new card game Joustus going on, and whoever wins it will be declared King of Cards! All they need to do is defeat the three Joustus Judges. Seeing an opportunity for greatness, King Knight sets out on his entirely selfish and silly quest with his armor full of gold polish and his head full of hot air. Where the original Shovel Knight was a fairly typical but silly adventure homage to old games, Plague Knight's story was a silly but sweet side story to his tale, and Specter Knight's story was a bit more serious and somber at times, King Knight's journey is very much focused on being silly. King Knight is a selfish jerk and the game really doesn't bandy that point about as it continuously puts him in situations where he'll embarrass himself. Yacht Club's usual writing is as top notch as ever, and the story elements are very entertaining despite their ultimately surface-level importance.
The game Joustus, mentioned in the story isn't just for fun. It's an actual card game you can play against all kinds of opponents (over 40 different opponents) during the story if you want to. It's entirely optional to partake in it, but there's good fun to be had if you decide to. Joustus revolves around cards with arrows on each of their four edges. You place cards on a small board, trying to get them underneath specific gems that start out placed on the board. The thing is, you can't place your cards directly on them. You need to push your cards under the gems, and your opponent is trying to do the same thing. There's a lot of strategy involved with it, but the game ultimately has a fair bit of power creep with many later cards just being outright better than earlier cards. I'm sure there is SOME strategy to be used with the weaker earlier cards, but that is never a level of strategy needed to beat the in-game opponents. It's a fun diversion from the main action, and has a lot of pretty art to go with it.
The main action itself is as excellent as ever and mixed up once again. Where Shovel Knight had pretty standard platforming, Plague Knight propelled himself with bombs, and Specter Knight could home in on targets, King Knight has a shoulder charge not unlike Wario. Quite different from Wario, however, is that King Knight launches himself up in the air once he hits an opponent or a normal wall (there are some walls that he just bounces off of lightly, very similarly to how there are some walls that Specter Knight can't climb on). It takes a little getting used to through the first few stages, but it's a really interesting new way of maneuvering that really makes King of Cards feel like an entirely different game.
To go with these new movement mechanics are an entirely new set of levels, but many of these levels are just reaching the end of a stage with no boss at the end. Many of them even have hidden exits to unlock more stages, kinda like Super Mario World. The other members of the Order of no Quarter are just world map-roaming encounters without their own stages (for the most part), and the Joustus Judges are your real opponents to look out for (as you just defeat them in combat rather than at cards). Similarly to Specter Knight's campaign, you also have a home base of sorts where you can purchase upgrades and chat with characters you've gathered along the way. It's a nice convenence for a one-stop-shop for your upgrades, and it's where you can play Joustus with characters outside of the Joustus dens on the world map.
The graphics for the stages are the standard Shovel Knight-fare, and that is to say they are as beautifully animated as ever. The music is absolutely fantastic though. I don't have a brilliant memory for the old Shovel Knight music, but there was never a time I wanted to turn on anything but the in-game sound because the music is always so excellent.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. Shovel Knight's main adventure may finally be coming to a close, but dang did it go out with a bang. All 3 extra campaigns are included as free downloads with any physical copy of the game, so if you like retro platformers and somehow haven't picked up Shovel Knight yet, there's never been a better time. I can't wait to see what's next from Yacht Club games, as Shovel Knight has proven that they really know how to deliver on the projects they're passionate about.
King Knight is a foolish momma's boy and a selfish simpleton, but he's utterly driven by his desire to be a real king and not just some guy with armor still living with his mother. There's a tournament for the hot new card game Joustus going on, and whoever wins it will be declared King of Cards! All they need to do is defeat the three Joustus Judges. Seeing an opportunity for greatness, King Knight sets out on his entirely selfish and silly quest with his armor full of gold polish and his head full of hot air. Where the original Shovel Knight was a fairly typical but silly adventure homage to old games, Plague Knight's story was a silly but sweet side story to his tale, and Specter Knight's story was a bit more serious and somber at times, King Knight's journey is very much focused on being silly. King Knight is a selfish jerk and the game really doesn't bandy that point about as it continuously puts him in situations where he'll embarrass himself. Yacht Club's usual writing is as top notch as ever, and the story elements are very entertaining despite their ultimately surface-level importance.
The game Joustus, mentioned in the story isn't just for fun. It's an actual card game you can play against all kinds of opponents (over 40 different opponents) during the story if you want to. It's entirely optional to partake in it, but there's good fun to be had if you decide to. Joustus revolves around cards with arrows on each of their four edges. You place cards on a small board, trying to get them underneath specific gems that start out placed on the board. The thing is, you can't place your cards directly on them. You need to push your cards under the gems, and your opponent is trying to do the same thing. There's a lot of strategy involved with it, but the game ultimately has a fair bit of power creep with many later cards just being outright better than earlier cards. I'm sure there is SOME strategy to be used with the weaker earlier cards, but that is never a level of strategy needed to beat the in-game opponents. It's a fun diversion from the main action, and has a lot of pretty art to go with it.
The main action itself is as excellent as ever and mixed up once again. Where Shovel Knight had pretty standard platforming, Plague Knight propelled himself with bombs, and Specter Knight could home in on targets, King Knight has a shoulder charge not unlike Wario. Quite different from Wario, however, is that King Knight launches himself up in the air once he hits an opponent or a normal wall (there are some walls that he just bounces off of lightly, very similarly to how there are some walls that Specter Knight can't climb on). It takes a little getting used to through the first few stages, but it's a really interesting new way of maneuvering that really makes King of Cards feel like an entirely different game.
To go with these new movement mechanics are an entirely new set of levels, but many of these levels are just reaching the end of a stage with no boss at the end. Many of them even have hidden exits to unlock more stages, kinda like Super Mario World. The other members of the Order of no Quarter are just world map-roaming encounters without their own stages (for the most part), and the Joustus Judges are your real opponents to look out for (as you just defeat them in combat rather than at cards). Similarly to Specter Knight's campaign, you also have a home base of sorts where you can purchase upgrades and chat with characters you've gathered along the way. It's a nice convenence for a one-stop-shop for your upgrades, and it's where you can play Joustus with characters outside of the Joustus dens on the world map.
The graphics for the stages are the standard Shovel Knight-fare, and that is to say they are as beautifully animated as ever. The music is absolutely fantastic though. I don't have a brilliant memory for the old Shovel Knight music, but there was never a time I wanted to turn on anything but the in-game sound because the music is always so excellent.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. Shovel Knight's main adventure may finally be coming to a close, but dang did it go out with a bang. All 3 extra campaigns are included as free downloads with any physical copy of the game, so if you like retro platformers and somehow haven't picked up Shovel Knight yet, there's never been a better time. I can't wait to see what's next from Yacht Club games, as Shovel Knight has proven that they really know how to deliver on the projects they're passionate about.
a remarkable finale to the initial collection, though its content-rich nature does hurt replayability in a roundabout way. however what i would actually say brings the game down somewhat is the controversial final boss which doesn't do as good a job reflecting the campaign as a whole as the others do. still a classic, especially with joustus as fun as it is.
I don't know it's alright I guess
Legend has it that on the day that King of Cards released, an inexplicable sigh of relief could be heard in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid, Spain, as if Miguel de Cervantes was happy to finally find a worthy successor to his most famous work
Fazer o jogo ter vários níveis curtos ao invés de uns 10 níveis longos foi a melhor coisa a acontecer com Shovel Knight
King Knights moveset gets old, game really shouldve been shorter, Jostus is fuckin fire tho more fun than the main gameplay istg
YU-GI-OH ESTÁ COM OS DIAS CONTADOS
This review contains spoilers
Well, beating King of Cards marks the end of my Shovel Knight marathon (I don't have Dig and I got no interest in playing Showdown). Somehow, these DLC campaigns always found a way to surprise me, so it only feels fitting that this campaign was perhaps the biggest surprise of them all for me. I remember King of Cards got delayed and everyone was a bit disappointed, but now that I've finally played through this one for the first time, it definitely feels like something that needed the delay (not in a bad way); the mode overall feels much meatier in content than the others, with every idea included feeling fully realized. We have come a long way from Plague of Shadows mostly reusing the level design of Shovel of Hope. Admittedly, despite how good this was in my opinion, I did take some extended breaks. I kinda tired myself out of Shovel Knight from beating all these campaigns back-to-back, you know? Still, though, I had a great time with the whole thing, and I really think this was the best possible way to end it.
The gameplay of King of Cards tends to get compared to the Wario Land series a lot. I can kinda see why, since King Knight takes a page out of Wario's book by stealing his shoulder bash. King Knight is no Wario clone, though; this pompous blueblood's shoulder bash will also send him upward and make him start spinning in a drill-like fashion just below him. The spin can be used to hit enemies, dirt blocks, dig up dirt mounds, and be used for certain level gimmicks like spinning through tornados to warp to the next one, and King Knight will keep spinning until he touches the ground. If you bounce off an enemy or obstacle at least once, you can then bash again, which is a trick that gets used a lot in the game's platforming. Its nuts just how much this one mechanic adds to the game's feel; literally all King Knight has (aside from Heirlooms which are basically just Relics from Shovel of Hope again) is this one move in his repertoire, yet the game's combat still feels fun and the level design finds many creative ways to make use of it. That being said, I think this one attack is really where the Wario Land comparisons end. The structure of the game or the level design didn't remind me of the Wario Land series, unlike other indies that homage Wario Land much more blatantly like Pizza Tower, and I just had a marathon playing through all those games (except for Shake It and the one on Virtual Boy) this year. Speaking of the game's structure, this one seems to take more after the typical 2D NES era platformer than the other Shovel Knight campaigns did. Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and especially Specter of Torment were all more akin to a Mega Man game in structure, consisting of just a few levels that always end in a boss (plus maybe some bonus levels or bonus event fights ala Super Mario Bros. 3), whereas King of Cards actually has several levels - a good chunk of which have no bosses - and three different worlds of sorts. Playing through King of Cards reminded me a lot of playing through a 2D Mario game, especially with all the really awesome mechanics the game was constantly introducing to spice things up. Huge potion vials you need to bash into to shoot out corks you can use as platforms, continually spinning on tiny cannonballs, skating on small ice platforms while avoiding annoying wolves, long worm-like axolotls that move and you need to stand on (they reminded me of that one Battletoads level with the snakes)...there's a lot of really enjoyable and also really difficult mechanics thrown your way very often. I didn't think to check, but I would not be surprised at all if I died at least two times more often here in King of Cards than I did in any other campaign. Also, there's a card game called Joustus that the game pushes in both the narrative and in the game. I don't like card games and I am so grateful that I'm not forced to play this one, although admittedly I don't get why it feels like it had so much focus but you can also just completely ignore it. Most of the NPCs you talk to are folks you can play Joustus with.
Here's the obligatory story section here. In comparison to Specter of Torment, this one tones down both the general story tone and presence of plot by a lot, mostly using dialogue to be witty and funny (which it absolutely succeeded at in my opinion) more than anything else. Still, though, we do get a nice look into things just before the Order of No Quarter came to be. Apparently, everyone was obsessed with a card game called Joustus, trying to compete for the Joustus Crown. King Knight, of course, wants to claim that position for himself, so he sets out on a journey to bulldoze over anyone in his way. He must meet with the three Joustus Judges - King Pridemoor, the Troupple King, and a mysterious Birder King - and defeat them in a match of Joustus...or, well, that's what you'd think, but the game instead has you just fight them as bosses (big relief for me). It was pretty interesting that this gives the only opportunity to fight these minor supporting characters that show up in most of the other campaigns. King Pridemoor and the Troupple King eventually join a sizeable cast of all-new characters to make up King Knight's fleet, all looking to help him get the Joustus Crown for...some reason? I'm gonna be real here, King Knight is so unlikeable that it makes you wonder why anyone would want to help him, but that's something to discuss a bit later. As it turns out, the Joustus Crown is a farce. It was invented by the Enchantress to get all the most powerful kings to show up to her while she's disguised so that she can then reveal herself and take their powers for her own nefarious purposes. King Knight unknowingly falls right for the plan, but he could not care less, in typical King Knight fashion. When she creates a powerful monster out of everyone's life force, he does defeat the monster which returns everyone back to normal. The Enchantress gives him a choice: join her and get a lavish kingdom of your own or join back with your newfound friends (including both kings and King Knight's own mother). In an expected but still tragic act of betrayal, King Knight forsakes everyone and takes the king position he believes he so rightfully deserves...only to be defeated by Shovel Knight right after he gets to sit in the Pridemoor throne in the end credits scene. All in all, the story ain't much, but its really entertaining thanks to the funny writing. I think the best part is King Knight himself. I was worried that the King of Cards story would try too hard to make him sympathetic since it's all about him (and as far as we've seen in the other campaigns this guy takes every opportunity he can to be a trash-talking egotistical moron so it wouldn't feel right to make him sympathetic), but King Knight in King of Cards is a pathetic whiny prick with an ego the size of Jupiter the whole way through and I kinda loved it. He doesn't thank anyone, he doesn't say anything nice to anyone, he just barks orders and talks down to literally everyone he meets. I do wish more characters called him out for it, though; as funny as the guy's interactions are, it feels like everyone just joins him because the story says it should happen. Legitimately I find it hard to believe anyone except his saint of a mother (who he ends up spitting in the face of anyway) would want to associate with this man. He does not have anywhere near enough charisma to be getting away with all that. King Knight also does not take anything that happens in the story seriously, even as the other kings are genuinely trying to give him advice on how to be a good ruler. I found his dynamic with Specter Knight especially humorous; pair a overly serious edge-lord up with a petulant egomaniac and you're bound to get some funny results. While the story isn't much, I still think this was great because of how entertaining it was.
Overall, King of Cards is simply an excellent platformer. Throughout the DLC, it really felt like I understood how Yacht Club Games was improving them more and more, and this definitely feels like the triumphant culmination of Shovel Knight. Now, despite its content and the fact that it is completely different structurally from the other campaigns, I do think Specter of Torment is just a tad better. In my opinion, Specter Knight is much more fun to control than King Knight, and I prefer Specter of Torment's more straightforward short campaign over this more content-rich campaign. I will say that I loved how hard this one goes on making interesting platforming challenges. It seems to focus on that more than any other and pulls it off spectacularly. King of Cards earns a 5 star from me, a great send-off to this great indie going strong from 2014 to 2019.
The gameplay of King of Cards tends to get compared to the Wario Land series a lot. I can kinda see why, since King Knight takes a page out of Wario's book by stealing his shoulder bash. King Knight is no Wario clone, though; this pompous blueblood's shoulder bash will also send him upward and make him start spinning in a drill-like fashion just below him. The spin can be used to hit enemies, dirt blocks, dig up dirt mounds, and be used for certain level gimmicks like spinning through tornados to warp to the next one, and King Knight will keep spinning until he touches the ground. If you bounce off an enemy or obstacle at least once, you can then bash again, which is a trick that gets used a lot in the game's platforming. Its nuts just how much this one mechanic adds to the game's feel; literally all King Knight has (aside from Heirlooms which are basically just Relics from Shovel of Hope again) is this one move in his repertoire, yet the game's combat still feels fun and the level design finds many creative ways to make use of it. That being said, I think this one attack is really where the Wario Land comparisons end. The structure of the game or the level design didn't remind me of the Wario Land series, unlike other indies that homage Wario Land much more blatantly like Pizza Tower, and I just had a marathon playing through all those games (except for Shake It and the one on Virtual Boy) this year. Speaking of the game's structure, this one seems to take more after the typical 2D NES era platformer than the other Shovel Knight campaigns did. Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and especially Specter of Torment were all more akin to a Mega Man game in structure, consisting of just a few levels that always end in a boss (plus maybe some bonus levels or bonus event fights ala Super Mario Bros. 3), whereas King of Cards actually has several levels - a good chunk of which have no bosses - and three different worlds of sorts. Playing through King of Cards reminded me a lot of playing through a 2D Mario game, especially with all the really awesome mechanics the game was constantly introducing to spice things up. Huge potion vials you need to bash into to shoot out corks you can use as platforms, continually spinning on tiny cannonballs, skating on small ice platforms while avoiding annoying wolves, long worm-like axolotls that move and you need to stand on (they reminded me of that one Battletoads level with the snakes)...there's a lot of really enjoyable and also really difficult mechanics thrown your way very often. I didn't think to check, but I would not be surprised at all if I died at least two times more often here in King of Cards than I did in any other campaign. Also, there's a card game called Joustus that the game pushes in both the narrative and in the game. I don't like card games and I am so grateful that I'm not forced to play this one, although admittedly I don't get why it feels like it had so much focus but you can also just completely ignore it. Most of the NPCs you talk to are folks you can play Joustus with.
Here's the obligatory story section here. In comparison to Specter of Torment, this one tones down both the general story tone and presence of plot by a lot, mostly using dialogue to be witty and funny (which it absolutely succeeded at in my opinion) more than anything else. Still, though, we do get a nice look into things just before the Order of No Quarter came to be. Apparently, everyone was obsessed with a card game called Joustus, trying to compete for the Joustus Crown. King Knight, of course, wants to claim that position for himself, so he sets out on a journey to bulldoze over anyone in his way. He must meet with the three Joustus Judges - King Pridemoor, the Troupple King, and a mysterious Birder King - and defeat them in a match of Joustus...or, well, that's what you'd think, but the game instead has you just fight them as bosses (big relief for me). It was pretty interesting that this gives the only opportunity to fight these minor supporting characters that show up in most of the other campaigns. King Pridemoor and the Troupple King eventually join a sizeable cast of all-new characters to make up King Knight's fleet, all looking to help him get the Joustus Crown for...some reason? I'm gonna be real here, King Knight is so unlikeable that it makes you wonder why anyone would want to help him, but that's something to discuss a bit later. As it turns out, the Joustus Crown is a farce. It was invented by the Enchantress to get all the most powerful kings to show up to her while she's disguised so that she can then reveal herself and take their powers for her own nefarious purposes. King Knight unknowingly falls right for the plan, but he could not care less, in typical King Knight fashion. When she creates a powerful monster out of everyone's life force, he does defeat the monster which returns everyone back to normal. The Enchantress gives him a choice: join her and get a lavish kingdom of your own or join back with your newfound friends (including both kings and King Knight's own mother). In an expected but still tragic act of betrayal, King Knight forsakes everyone and takes the king position he believes he so rightfully deserves...only to be defeated by Shovel Knight right after he gets to sit in the Pridemoor throne in the end credits scene. All in all, the story ain't much, but its really entertaining thanks to the funny writing. I think the best part is King Knight himself. I was worried that the King of Cards story would try too hard to make him sympathetic since it's all about him (and as far as we've seen in the other campaigns this guy takes every opportunity he can to be a trash-talking egotistical moron so it wouldn't feel right to make him sympathetic), but King Knight in King of Cards is a pathetic whiny prick with an ego the size of Jupiter the whole way through and I kinda loved it. He doesn't thank anyone, he doesn't say anything nice to anyone, he just barks orders and talks down to literally everyone he meets. I do wish more characters called him out for it, though; as funny as the guy's interactions are, it feels like everyone just joins him because the story says it should happen. Legitimately I find it hard to believe anyone except his saint of a mother (who he ends up spitting in the face of anyway) would want to associate with this man. He does not have anywhere near enough charisma to be getting away with all that. King Knight also does not take anything that happens in the story seriously, even as the other kings are genuinely trying to give him advice on how to be a good ruler. I found his dynamic with Specter Knight especially humorous; pair a overly serious edge-lord up with a petulant egomaniac and you're bound to get some funny results. While the story isn't much, I still think this was great because of how entertaining it was.
Overall, King of Cards is simply an excellent platformer. Throughout the DLC, it really felt like I understood how Yacht Club Games was improving them more and more, and this definitely feels like the triumphant culmination of Shovel Knight. Now, despite its content and the fact that it is completely different structurally from the other campaigns, I do think Specter of Torment is just a tad better. In my opinion, Specter Knight is much more fun to control than King Knight, and I prefer Specter of Torment's more straightforward short campaign over this more content-rich campaign. I will say that I loved how hard this one goes on making interesting platforming challenges. It seems to focus on that more than any other and pulls it off spectacularly. King of Cards earns a 5 star from me, a great send-off to this great indie going strong from 2014 to 2019.
Basically a Wario Land-like. I like the card game
ألعاب مثل هذه تخليني سعيد لكوني قيمر
King Knight is the Jack Horner of the Shovel Knight universe.
Weakest entry in the series but still quite enjoyable. I love when games ask the bold question: what if there was a stupid little card game? Joustus is kind of fun, but it's kind of like if Gwent was not as good. I suck total ass at it so I stopped engaging with it about 1/3 of the way through. The levels are much shorter in favor of adding lots of joustus content and several ways to traverse the overworld. They are still challenging though, and despite this I actually spent the most time completing this game out of all four. At its core, its still the same old Shovel Knight, there's just less of the content that I'm in it for. King Knight's story might be the funniest of the four, and the flying ship is a great hub world. If I liked joustus more? This game might be a 5. But I don't.
Bizarro como esta DLC é um extremo desserviço para o jogo. É uma prequel fraca, com cenários fracos, level design horripilante e que não inova em absolutamente nada da campanha principal e das outras (boas) DLCs. Todas as mecânicas introduzidas são esquecidas no cenário seguinte e simplesmente não retornam no resto do jogo inteiro. A decisão de trocar as fases extensas e com um boss no final por mapas gigantes com mini-fases foi horrível. Os bosses são chatos e desinteressantes, e a gameplay do King Knight não é suficiente para me fazer querer explorar os fracos cenários dos mapas. Os upgrades que nas outras campanhas eram divertidos e úteis foram escanteados e simplesmente o jogo só te dá lixo. Nenhum power-up é bom ou aplicável em boss fights nem em exploração, exploração essa que é completamente jogada fora neste jogo. Praticamente toda fase tem uma sessão de auto-scroller gigantesca, feita apenas para criar a ilusão de tempo de jogo ou de dificuldade. O joguinho de cartas é até interessante, mas ele não dá incentivo para continuar sendo procurado pelo jogador, no máximo uma cartinha nova ou uns trocados. A parte da história e o próprio King Knight são o que carregam esta expansão. Não arrisca muito e se mantém fiel ao que é o personagem do King Knight no jogo original, mas mesmo assim adicionando camadas rasas no personagem. O humor continua ótimo como é de costume da franquia. Resumindo, péssima DLC. Espero que a Yacht Club esteja feliz nadando em rios de dinheiro enquanto sua galinha dos ovos de ouro morre de fome.
This guy is so silly. I need to beat this one still.
Joustus ain't my deck of cards
Excelente platformer, explora o excelente mundo de Shovel Knoght de uma maneira diferente. A divisão de vários níveis pequenos ao invés de níveis grandes com bosses, não sei se necessariamente prefiro, pois sinto falta dos bosses que parecem menos importantes como batalhas no mapinha, mas foi bem feito e trouxe muitas boas fases e bons mapas, sendo o boss de cada mapa muito bom. A história é boa, o hub é muito bom, os personagens e seus recruramentos também. O King knight, a mãe e o Pridemoor principalmente são cheio de personalidade, que trazem momenyos cômicos. O moveset do King Knight, gosto muito do pogo semelhante ao do Shovel, o shoulder bash quebrar o momentum me incomoda um pouco, porém o design das fases usou muito bem todas as possibilidades de uso desse moveset e maneiras criativas de limitá-lo, além de terem múltiplos caminho que faz querer coletar todas as medalhas. Os níveis de runas também sao muito bons e as exploram bem. Além das runas, os upgrades, armaduras e cosméticos são bons. Justus é desafiador e maravilhoso, também dá vontade de cumprir todos os desafios e ganhar de todos os oponentes. Boss final excelente, boss secreto maneiro. Por fim, é claro, a apresentação é linda, como pode se esperar em shovel knight, e a música é incrível. O final, além de emocionante, serve bem como prequel para os outros jogos.
Genuinely such a fall off compared to the rest. I mean King knight is mostly controls well but some of the platforming parts suck ass. Also genuinely the most bullshit final boss ever, worst designed hitboxs in gaming and it was just infuriating to go through.
Really funny story and King Knight has a pretty interesting set of attacking options. Joustus is a fine enough side game even if I didn't end up sinking too much time into it.
Finally a stepdadhatecore protagonist
Definitely worth the wait. The level design is probably the best out of them all imo. Granted it's been awhile since I've played SoT, but KoC is very imaginative and wild. I crave more, Yacht Club, I need m,orej
Decidedly in the middle. My 47/64 Joustus W/L is telling of how dumb I was, but the card game was an interesting diversion. The levels are short but numerous. The bump and twirl mechanics need some polish but are satisfying. Good, not great.
Muito Divertido.
really, really, really fucking good. the gameplay is just so amazing that this may just be my fav Shovel Knight DLC, even though I prefer the story and art directions of Plague of Shadows and Spector of Torment more. it’s hard to say tho, every Shovel Knight campaign is a masterpiece in its own way.
the differences in level design between this and Plague of Shadows really show you how Yacht Club picked their game up. all new levels with tons and tons of new mechanics, plus a whole fuckin card game. the gameplay in this campaign is seriously peak; King Knight’s shoulder bash is so satisfying and i love that you can only start a spin after you bash into something. his abilities are also all dope, though the Decrees are sorta lame. i never really used them sadly.
this one took me 8 hours going through it from start to finish while going for 100%, which is double the time Spector of Torment took me and +2 hours from both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. so yeah, they really went out with a bang here. i love the ending to this one too.
all around fucking amazing. now i’ve gotta 100% every campaign lol. oh, and i just realized i beat this on its 4th anniversary. cool.
the differences in level design between this and Plague of Shadows really show you how Yacht Club picked their game up. all new levels with tons and tons of new mechanics, plus a whole fuckin card game. the gameplay in this campaign is seriously peak; King Knight’s shoulder bash is so satisfying and i love that you can only start a spin after you bash into something. his abilities are also all dope, though the Decrees are sorta lame. i never really used them sadly.
this one took me 8 hours going through it from start to finish while going for 100%, which is double the time Spector of Torment took me and +2 hours from both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. so yeah, they really went out with a bang here. i love the ending to this one too.
all around fucking amazing. now i’ve gotta 100% every campaign lol. oh, and i just realized i beat this on its 4th anniversary. cool.
This review contains spoilers
This game is DENSE. I didn’t used to like Joustus, but it’s a genuinely well made card game, and optional if you wish to ignore it, but rewarding if you engage. I appreciate smaller stages from a collectible PoV because you’re not punished for missing something by replaying giant stages, and that’s huge. The WarioLand esque control scheme and relic selection are so fun here too, I found myself using the flame sword a ton. If I had to needle a flaw down, there’s a pretty severe grind. 50k for all of the cosmetics, which aren’t armor, necessary for the game to consider you fully upgraded is WILD. It’s cool to get, but you do need to grind. And trying to get every Joustus card is RNG, which also necessitates a grind. The story here is genuinely excellent as a prequel. While a comedy, it is a tragic one, as you see how widespread the impacts of King Knight’s folly and treachery are. A peaceful kingdom descends into one with a deposed king, Cooper goes from sailing around in the Glidewing to having a limp after being betrayed, the Troupple King is forced to hide, etc. Specter of Torment tells a personal tragedy, but King of Cards tells the tragedy that befalls the world, how the arrogance of a people’s champ spits in the face of them all, leading to the state of the world in Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. And yet, this is a tragic comedy, filled with witty dialogue and ample opportunity to laugh at King Knight’s buffoonery. It’s fun to laugh at the misadventures of such a manchild, but that manchild’s mistakes fall on everyone, not only himself. It’s what makes the ending, where after losing the support of his mother, the only person besides himself King Knight can muster care for, the game ends right before Shovel Knight gives him his pummeling, so satisfying. We watch one manchild’s descent into villainy, dragging the world to squalor with him. And though we know he’ll be deposed, that makes such an ending all the more satisfying.