King of Cards concludes the adventures of Shovel Knight with a campaign to the height, ideal to end the saga without saturating
We have barely noticed, thanks to a business model that many studies should apply, but it has been a while since Shovel Knight managed to bring neo-retro fashion to an infinitely wider audience than is usually interested in these launches, kneading the road a good amount of awards and nominations in what was the big surprise in 2014. Since then it has been dispatching several million copies in all systems, sales that have skyrocketed every time Yacht Club Games had to give a completely new game to those who bet on the project from the beginning. It is not bad for this return to the times of the NES carried out with the quality of now, but six years later the moment of the farewell has arrived: a goodbye that comes from the hand of a fourth campaign entitled King of Cards, conclusion that has left us very good taste in the playable … but that also comes at the right time to prevent the magic of Shovel Knight from wilting.
Tuition of honor in intuition
There is an interview, which has already become viral, in which Shigeru Miyamoto explains how the first level of Super Mario Bros was made. It is a real jewel for those who want to design video games, whose message seems to have been thoroughly studied at Yacht Club Games. In each of the campaigns, and this King of Cards is no exception, it is admirable how they explain what has changed in the game with an accuracy that makes it impossible not to learn it at first. It is crucial, since in a few seconds we master the new approximation necessary for these levels so remixed that they are really new again. If in Plague of Shadows we learned the effects of throwing potions and climbing the walls, in Specter of Torment we were taught with the same success to propel ourselves with the scythe and the different effects of that gesture in terms of screen movement. On this fourth occasion this abbreviated (but great) tutorial also appears on what our king of cards fanfare can do: the new protagonist can push forward, bounce on enemies and walls and, with it, push himself again. It seems like a small thing, but few games have managed to change so much with the few wicks. The point is that, unlike the first three campaigns, this King of Cards uses its new resources in a different way, something that is right in our judgment.
It is well known that this latest installment of Shovel Knight has been delayed because it had been acquiring a size much larger than the previous ones, probably due to the inclusion of the Joustus card game that we will talk about later. It is striking to see that this greater development time has not ended up resulting in a much longer campaign than the previous ones (if we go to the essential, of course), but a game to devote much more time if the idea is to complete it all, acquiring the complete pack of improvements on the way to the New Game Plus. Who only wants to see the poster of The End can do it in a few hours, since Shovel Knight has never been counted among the most challenging trips to the past, even far from being a walk in the countryside. The levels are much shorter this time, but are part of a much more open overworld, in which we will find many invitations to explore. In fact, it is from the search for these alternative routes from which the most difficult moments arise, which come in the form of clashes with several bosses or secret paths to secondary weapons that will have to be bought. We will also find a few coins to invest in the ostentatious armor, since somehow we will have to calm the ego of our protagonist.
Shorter, but no less ingenious.
Along with that masterful presentation of the mechanics of each character, there is an aspect that has also remained unchanged throughout all the adventures of this world of endearing characters that live within a NES. Actually, if Shovel Knight has climbed to the heights he is now in, it is largely due to the masterful design of his levels and the game they have always taken from their protagonists. It is convenient to read the newspapers that Yacht Club Games is publishing to assess the level of zeal with which this aspect has been treated in the study, since they are a declaration of intent. The consequence of this pampering, which has come in the form of monstrous sales and recognition figures, is none other than to prove that nothing has been an exaggeration. Regardless of what many might seem like at the time, Shovel Knight was much more than an attempt to take advantage of nostalgia. Now that we have completed all four, we can finally say that all campaigns are games with capital letters, which maintain the maximum interest possible. Said the compliments, we must also admit that the levels of King of Cards, although they are excellent and manage to take advantage of the characteristics of the new character to perfection, we have become too short. As happens almost daily in Super Mario Maker 2, some of the ideas that appear throughout the campaign are so good (and relatively new) that we would have liked to enjoy them much more. Bounce on a wall to fall on a pile of land that teleports us, jump on some balls on which we had to propel ourselves before … there are too many gestures that could have been used at much more complex levels. So much so, that it would not be silly to think of a possible Shovel Knight Maker that would make a lot of sense seeing the whole so varied that now all expansions form.
Joustus: if you want you take it and if you don't leave it.
Aware that it would not be nice to present a fourth campaign without more, in Yacht Club Games they have tried to offer something totally new to the player, although we think that the result will be something divisive among those who have followed the evolution of this whole matter. From the beginning of the adventure we will verify that the characters are completely obsessed with a card game called Joustus, to which we can give ourselves if we wish, although there is the possibility of going completely from the cards if we think it is not worth it. It is very far from the well-known card game of The Witcher 3 and there will be someone who seems closest to the Bioshock puzzles, but the truth is that one does not come to Shovel Knight to play cards. Joustus is entertaining, is very well integrated in the story and is essential if we want to unlock everything, but we have not found the highlight of the game. Its condition as an optional element is good news, since it could have taken many out of the game if not. Above all, because it fails to explain its most advanced options well.
A legacy to remember.
The farewell of Shovel Knight, at least in its current character status of 8 Bits, is an important moment for Yacht Club Games, a study that will meet huge expectations from now on. It is also for the two-dimensional independent scene, which sees one of his most illustrious children ever go on stage. With the latest update, which includes the Joustus cards and the Shovel Knight: Showdown fights, the resulting package is so great and so well designed that it will be interesting for years, but the studio has come time to leave in search of new challenges. The story of the shovel knight, from the distant Kickstarter who started it, is so successful that he has made something clear: if you have the talent necessary to do things very well, success ends up propelling you well beyond that tide of titles Today they use nostalgia as aesthetics. The next steps of Yacht Club Games, whether or not they have these characters so overflowing with charisma or the music of a Jake Kaufman who has always lived up to it, will demonstrate whether this long triumph has been more than a huge stroke of luck
CONCLUSION
After four campaigns in which everything changes much more than it seems, Shovel Knight and his peers say goodbye in an expansion that is among the best of what is already a saga. Whether we want to play with Joustus cards or not, it is the perfect culmination for one of the great indie hits of recent times, but also the ideal time to leave behind this idealized Nintendo NES in which nothing flashes and the sound channels are not they hinder each other. Whatever comes in the future from its creators, the whole set works so well that it will be a reference in this type of games for many years.
THE BEST
- The protagonist's skills regenerate a new game
- Many mechanics are really good
- The retro charm that has everything remains intact
WORST
- Some secondary weapons are somewhat broken
- The levels are too short for how well designed they are
- Joustus is fun, but not many will like it
Very good
Remarkable game that we will enjoy and remember. A good purchase, highly recommended for lovers of the genre. It is well taken care of at all levels.
