I really think they're barking up the wrong tree here. Not once playing the original Shovel Knight did I wish he had more movement. All I ever wanted in this world was to walk forward and jump, and that game made those starry-eyed dreams a reality. Yet in all three expansions, it's the thing Yacht Club feels they must iterate on. I just don't get it! Was the tight level design built around the limited movement/boss fights tailored to the primal thrill of bouncing not the whole appeal?

Whatever, I can read, I'm clearly on a lonely island when it comes to this one. I might find this moveset frustrating and limiting. I might feel constantly confined to overdesigned isolated movement options at any given point. I might say the combat feels unsatisfying and reduces bosses to APM tests. But tons of people say it feels great, and I can't do anything about it! The beauty of free will.

And you know what? I'm about to say it. I don't care that you sold your soul to The Enchantress.

I'm happy people dig this, but I honestly cannot tell why. Apart from the admittedly gorgeous gothic aesthetic spinoff, its light years away from what I'm looking for in a platformer of any kind, especially one in this series.

The best entry in the series. It's the easiest one but also the most fun. Specter Knight feels amazing to control, and while the customization is not as in depth as Plague Knight's, it still has a big impact on the game. All the stage remixes are awesome, and the new music helps re-contextualize each stage in this new light. The rail grinding mechanic is so badass and I think made for the best levels. This game also has the first good water level in a 2D platformer (can't discount my goat Buoy Base Galaxy). Specter Knight's story is also really compelling, and it gives his character new meaning in the context of the series. This game is peak Shovel Knight and I enjoyed it a ton

The second expansion for Shovel Knight REALLY changes things up as you now play a prequel to the main story as Specter Knight. He plays really differently, and Yatch Club Studios toted this as more of a brand new game compared to Plague of Shadows, and they weren't kidding.

Specter Knight once again controls quite differently from the other two playable characters. No pogo-hopping or bomb-exploding for him (and this is a prequel, so he also can't outright fly or teleport yet :P ). Instead, he can run short distances up walls and launch off of them, as well as use his scythe melee attack in the air to do angular dashes up or down at enemies or nodes nearby to go in for quick attacks or to get some quick altitude. To accommodate this radical new way of play, being that it's more Ninja Gaiden than Ducktales, all the levels have been radically redesigned from the original game, and even all of the bosses have been altered, sometimes very significantly, and it all plays and feels GREAT. Zooming around with the scythe dash feels awesome as you repeatedly try to slash through enemies to take down their health bars before they can smash at you back.

On top of the great new levels and playstyle, the new music is some of the best they've done. There was more than once that it just straight up grabbed my attention away from playing the actual game, and I'm almost never one to do that (especially in Tinker Knight's stage). The new story is a touch more serious than the other two, but it's not exactly a tear-jerker. It's more than serviceable though and never irritating, so there's no need to worry about that UwU.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. If you don't want something as similar to Treasure Trove as Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment is an absolutely fantastic use of your time. This game is like Shovel Knight's level design and gameplay crossed with Ninja Gaiden's, with a smattering of Casltevania's aesthetic thrown in for good measure (Specter's fashion armor is even a SOTN reference <3) and it was one I enjoyed the whole way through.

(And if you own any of the physical versions of Shovel Knight or bought the digital release back around when it came out, Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment are just totally free downloads :D )

Specter of Torment is far from a masterpiece, but back when it released, and even now, it's clear that it was the step in the right direction that these additional Shovel Knight campaigns needed. With stellar vibes, even more new music made specifically for it than Plague of Shadows, and fantastic new gameplay thanks to both Specter Knight's intense reaper mobility and the almost completely new level designs, it truly makes Specter of Torment stand out among the crowd as a fantastic expansion to Shovel of Hope in every regard...

well, almost.

This game is easy, y'all. I hate to break it like that, but it's simply the truth. It almost feels like overcompensation after how hard Plague of Shadows was, but it loses a LOT of the difficulty that I loved in Shovel of Hope. This applies to both the level structure itself, which is... not simplistic, but rather just a bit more straightforward than either of the prior campaigns, as well as the collection element. Getting Red Skulls is incredibly simple in this game compared to Music Pages in both of the prior games and particularly Cypher Coins in Plague of Shadows. Even after not playing this game for several years, I was able to find every single Red Skull in every stage first try. And I genuinely did not remember the placements either, it just wasn't difficult. It's a slight stain that doesn't necesarily make the game less enjoyable, but does make it a little less engaging than Shovel of Hope unfortunately. Still, despite all that I 100% love Specter of Torment for everything it does. It's a truly wonderful experience from top to bottom and I'm glad I went through it again.

É impressionante como a qualidade dessa campanha praticamente se equipara a história original. Fiquei de cara.

A ideia aqui é contar a origem do Specter Knight, e como isso inicia o plot de Shovel of Hope. E vou te falar, ficou muito interessante. Tudo é bem amarradinho, cada personagem tem sua importância e você consegue ver o lado do protagonista na história.

Por motivos de enredo, as fases são """as mesmas""", mas com twists para acomodar melhor as mecânicas do protagonista. Isso somado às habilidades maneiríssimas do Specter deixaram a experiência tanto original quanto familiar. As próprias boss fights são outra parada com o kit desse boneco.

Existem dois pontos que talvez sejam negativos pra alguns, que são a duração curta da campanha e a dificuldade levemente reduzida. Pra mim, esses foram aspectos que, na verdade, eu gostei. O tempo foi o necessário pra contar o que precisava ser contado e a dificuldade se encaixou melhor no meu nível.

Como nada é perfeito, vou dizer que eu achei uma certa fase e um certo chefe que foram notoriamente mais difíceis que o resto, até estranhei.

Resumindo: gostou da Shovel of Hope? Pode vir pra Specter of Torment de boa que tu vai gostar tanto quanto (eu até achei o enredo dessa mais daora). Só não se deixa levar pela duração, por favor.

My friends said this was a step up from Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows but holy shit. A step up is an understatement. Sure the campaign is a lot easier than the others, but it makes up for it by having the sickest movement in a platformer to date. It's absolutely insane the shit that you can do in this game. Plus, every single level is completely redesigned from the ground up to accommodate Specter Knight, rather than running through the same game like Plague of Shadows. It's incredible and I think anyone that likes platformers should play this. Also NEW MUSIC!!!

Segunda expansión del juego y la segunda cronológicamente.

El personaje de Specter Knight tiene claras referencias a Mega Man X, con un sprite más grande a comparación del de Shovel Knight, pudiendo escalar paredes y lanzarse contra objetos en el aire para impulsarse.

Sigue la línea de gameplay de MegaMan de que cada nivel acaba con un jefe, cada nivel tiene de coleccionable unas calaveras rojas que sirven para comprar objetos que harán más fácil la aventura, como poder recuperar vida, lanzar ataques a distancia o flotar un poco en el aire.

La historia tiene un tono más dramático respecto a las demás, aunque sigue con sus toques de humor característicos.
Hay varios flashbacks del personaje que te muestran más de cómo ha acabado como está y varios momentos del juego si que te pueden pillar por sorpresa.

My Shovel Knight replays come to a close as I wrap up Specter of Torment. Specter Knight's campaign was what I would've called my favorite until this session of replays. Now I'm not sure quite what to think, given how much I've enjoyed all of them X3. It took me around four and a half hours to complete the game and get all the collectibles.

Specter of Torment isn't a side story, but a prequel to the main game. As a servant of the Enchantress, Specter Knight must travel throughout the land to recruit the members of what will become the Order of No Quarter. Throughout, he is haunted by memories of a tortured past of how he came to be in these circumstances in the first place, and has to choose what he is ultimately fighting for. Specter of Torment still has its silly and lighthearted moments, but it's certainly the most serious and somber out of the four campaigns in Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.

The construction of the game itself is also quite different from the other expansions. Instead of a kind of post-level shopping center (or a main village like Shovel of Hope has), Specter of Torment doesn't even have a world map. You operate out of the Tower of Fate (the Enchantress' base), and while you can talk with the NPCs there to upgrade your equipment and play a mini-game or two, you also talk to the magic mirror's operator, who gives you a list of playable missions. There are no side-levels like in the first two campaigns, but you can play any of the 8 main stages in any order you like. Certain ones have higher bounties than others, implying a kind of intended order of play, but the ultimate choice of in which order to do most stages is up to the player. The music is also pretty drastically remixed, and I prefer it significantly over the first two expansions' soundtracks.

Also a first for the expansions (which King of Cards would later continue and expand on further) is no more reused levels. Specter Knight plays very differently to Shovel Knight and Plague Knight, as he has a wall run as well as a homing slash. The levels are sorta familiar and have some areas to them that are recognizable to a point, but they've been drastically altered and added to to make them compelling and challenging to operate with this new set of controls. There's been a few new bosses added, but just as in Plague of Shadows and King of Cards, the new fighting mechanics you have to use make old fights feel as new as ever. The sub-weapon system is even changed again, with it being a bar that refills as you do combos to enemies or do pick-ups (and in hard mode your mana bar and health bar are the SAME THING, so you need to constantly be going fast and doing combos just to stay alive). I really love how Specter Knight's combat plays. It has a really fun fluidity and tempo to the action given by his homing strikes, and it makes for really satisfying boss fights.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. I think I might like King of Cards just a little bit more than Specter of Torment, but I still love this expansion a lot. The mechanical action and level design feel great and are some of the best in the Treasure Trove. The writing may not be my favorite, but damn if this isn't an impressive piece of modern retro platforming goodness.