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?