I got pretty frustrated with nostalgia-fueled pixel games. 8-bit games were never really as good as we remember them, and new games made in the same style are often just as mediocre.

Where Shovel Knight succeeds is that it doesn't strictly adhere to the 8-bit identity. Shovel Knight is a game that's as great as you remember 8-bit games being. It perfects the formula established by classics like Castlevania, Mega Man and Ducktales. The full edition of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is a strong contender for the Greatest 2D Platformer of All-Time.

There is no other 2D platformer I would recommend as heartily as Shovel Knight.

Also, the soundtrack is BANGIN'.