“Retro” is the new black of gaming. Whilst the Triple A publishers push constantly for bland realism in a seemingly never ending cycle of gaming repetition under the label of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, the Indie Developer crowd have seemingly polarised the scene lusting after “Retro” - purposefully aiming to make their games look (and often run) like they did decades ago.
It’s an interesting dichotomy that’s almost a ‘zombie’ trope in its delivery these days that often feels like a budgetary decision rather than one of stylistic intent.
Enter Yacht Club Games with Shovel Knight, a “sweeping classic action adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic”, boasts the game’s website. At first, one could be forgiven for lumping this game straight into the bucket with all those other “retro inspired” games, but there’s a lot more going on here.
“8-bit retro aesthetic” is probably the most accurate term here; at first the game looks like it could have been lifted directly from a NES cartridge, the colour palette and pixel count are just right, but the NES didn’t have things like parallax (the subtle scrolling of backgrounds that suggest distance) or true weather effects, nor could a NES cartridge run so many things going on without clipping and ghosting. Shovel Knight doesn’t try to emulate the retro era, it is inspired by it but accepts that technology has made some improvements over the years.
The game itself too seems to follow this idea that something can be retro inspired without needing to be exact. Shovel Knight’s quest across the valley to rescue Shield Knight (his beloved), and defeat the Order of No Quarter and the shadowy Enchantress is laid out beautifully. From the moment the first level loads up and the extremely catchy blippy chiptune music begins to play, it is apparent the level of effort that has been put into this game to give it a retro feel without limiting itself. The soundtrack is lovingly crafted in true 8-bit retro style, but mastered to work well with surround sound; the graphics are pixel-art with an 8-bit palette, but with smooth, sharp edges we expect from the HD generation; then there’s the gameplay.
Shovel Knight has no tutorial. You are thrust into the game without so much as being told “Press B to Jump”, instead using a wonderful technique reminiscent of the Mega Man series of games. The player is tossed into a safe area and left to play around. Each new ability (such as the downward shovel thrust) is introduced in a similar way - the player experiences the idea in a safe environment (“I’m trapped, I can’t dig down, so how do I get past this? Oh! That’s how!”) before then throwing the mechanic at players properly. It teaches players without holding their hands or yelling “Press B!” at them. It’s organic, and it’s how games used to be done. It’s retro-inspired, but again, not retro-inhibited.
Other classic 8-bit games are clearly, but delicately, referenced - nods to the classics, without alienating those who may be unfamiliar with those games. The map screen is straight out of Mario 3, complete with ‘random encounters’ that move across the map. The villages feel like they were lifted straight from Zelda 2, and the upgrade system and side-items (Relics, that do all manner of things from making Shovel Knight invincible, to shooting fire balls) are almost directly ripped from Castlevania. In short, it’s no wonder that Shovel Knight is available on the 3DS and Wii U, in addition to Steam, and it is in these Nintendo versions that Shovel Knight truly shines.
Don’t misunderstand me, the Steam version of the game is beautiful, well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable, but the other ports take nothing away whilst adding new functionality. The Wii U version naturally utilises the Wii U Gamepad, allowing the player to easily swap their equipped Relic without needing to pause the game first, however, it is the 3DS version that arguably best showcases Shovel Knight. Like the Wii U, the bottom touch screen is used for Relic swapping, but if Shovel Knight looks pretty in 2D, it has to be seen to be believed in 3D. Especially with the New Nintendo 3DS’ “Super Stable 3D”, I found myself unable to play with the 3D turned off after I had activated it the first time. It was mind-blowing, and an experience I hope that every gamer gets to appreciate at some point.