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.