Shovel Knight is a
2D side-scrolling platform game with an
8-bit graphical style. In the base campaign retroactively titled
Shovel of Hope, Shovel Knight can attack with his shovel, dig through dirt blocks, unearth treasure, or use this tool to bounce upon enemies and objects.
Levels are themed around the individual knights of the Order of No Quarter, feature several checkpoints, and end with a
boss fight against one of the order's eight members. Each section of the
world map contains three knights, and the player must defeat all of them to progress to the next area. Aside from the main quest, players are encouraged to collect treasure inside levels to improve Shovel Knight's abilities. By finding a salesman named Chester hidden inside levels, the player can purchase items called Relics with treasure. These Relics provide helpful effects and are powered using a resource called magic. The player can further use treasure to buy useful upgrades for Shovel Knight's
health, magic capacity, armor, or shovel. For example, an upgrade for the shovel allows it to shoot damaging projectiles whenever Shovel Knight is at maximum health. As an optional challenge, players have the choice of destroying
checkpoints to be awarded treasure, at the risk of being sent back to an earlier location in the level should they die.
Downloadable content and platform-exclusive features Free
downloadable content (DLC) updates add new features to the game, including a "Challenge Mode" where the player can complete difficult tasks such as
speedrunning or repeat battles with the game's bosses. A local cooperative multiplayer DLC allows for two players to complete the main campaign in tandem, and co-op on
Nintendo platforms is compatible with
Shovel Knight series
amiibo figures, allowing players to store customized characters or summon cosmetic fairies. A
body swap mode allows players to alter the genders or identifying pronouns of certain characters in the
Shovel of Hope campaign.
Plague of Shadows casts players as Plague Knight, who uses bombs to attack enemies and can use both a
double jump and a powerful "burst jump" to launch himself through the air.
Specter of Torment is centered around Specter Knight, who can run up walls,
jump off of them, and use his scythe to slash enemies and obstacles. In addition to the DLC campaigns,
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove features a multiplayer
fighting game add-on called
Shovel Knight Showdown. In
Showdown, up to four players compete in various game modes using playable fighters based around characters in the franchise. The game includes a single-player story mode which can be completed to unlock new fighters and levels.
Shovel Knight has several version-exclusive features such as unique boss battles; a boss version of
Kratos from
God of War appears in the
PlayStation ports, while
Rare's
Battletoads are included as enemies in the
Xbox One and
Windows versions. The Nintendo 3DS version features a
StreetPass arena mode, which lets players record themselves moving around an arena and attempting to defeat an invisible enemy. The recording is then sent to other players connected through StreetPass, allowing the recorded player characters to fight each other in combat. ==Plot==