History VideoGame / ShovelKnight

* LighterAndSofter: Compared to the somber, darker ''Specter of Torment'' before it, ''King of Cards'' is a lighthearted, comedic romp focusing on one of the more silly members of the Order. [[spoiler: At least it is until [[DownerEnding the end.]]

* LighterAndSofter: Compared to the somber, darker ''Specter of Torment'' before it, ''King of Cards'' is a lighthearted, comedic romp focusing on one of the more silly members of the Order.

* SignificantNameShift: Throughout the campaing, King Knight's mother constantly refers to him with several cutesy pet names as she supports his endeavors to gain a royal title of his own. At the end, however, as he accepts the Enchantress's offer and plunges the land into darkness, stealing King Pridemoor's castle as well, she refers to him by his proper name as she leaves him forever, hoping he'll be very happy with his ill-gotten gains.

* SignificantNameShift: Throughout the "King of Cards" bonus game, King Knight's mother constantly refers to him with several cutesy pet names as she supports his endeavors to gain a royal title of his own. At the end, however, as he accepts the Enchantress's offer and plunges the land into darkness, stealing King Pridemoor's castle as well, she refers to him by his proper name as she leaves him forever, hoping he'll be very happy with his ill-gotten gains.

* MonochromePast: Specter Knight's flashbacks are done in sepia.

During the [=PlayStation=] Experience event, it was announced that ''Shovel Knight'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll5grB6C9Bw will be ported over]] to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 4]], and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]], with the addition of a new BonusBoss for Shovel Knight only: Kratos from the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' series. During GDC 2015, it was announced that ''Shovel Knight'' will also be ported to the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and Zitz, Pimple, and Rash from ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' will be featured as [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]] for Shovel Knight's story only.\\

* BonusBoss:
** The director for a day bosses, Reize Seatlan, Phantom Striker, Mr. Hat, and The Baz, are this. So is the boss of the Hall of Champions.
** [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] and [[VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} the Battletoads]] are this as well. That said, beating them does net you some pretty good sets of armor.
** Exclusive to ''King of Cards'', there's Cardia, who's completely optional like most Joustus games, but has the abilities of all of the other Joustus bosses and can only be fought after defeating all four of them. [[spoiler:If you beat her, you get a more traditional bonus boss battle against her Giga Cardia form.]]
** In a sort of roundabout way, King Knight's challenges allow you to play Joustus against five extra opponents that you're never able to play against in the ''King of Cards'' campaign: the three Joustus Judges, King Knight's mother, and [[spoiler:the Enchantress]].

** The BonusBoss Reize Seatlan looks a lot more {{Animesque}} than any other character because it's actually an appearance of a pre-existing character made by a Website/DeviantArt user back in 2001.

* UnexpectedGameplayChange: The BonusBoss fight against the VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} within the Xbox version has you briefly play 2 minigames while you battle them: one where Shovel Knight and one of the Battletoads are being lowered to the ground via rope á la Wookie Hole from the NES Battletoads game, and one based upon the infamous "Turbo Tunnel" segments from the Battletoads games. [[spoiler:You can play the latter minigame at any time once you've beaten them.]]

*** The exception is the [[BonusBoss Brutal Bonus Joustus Boss]] [[spoiler:Cardia]], who flat out won't take your cards when you lose.

** After [[spoiler:[[BonusBoss Giga Cardia]]]] is defeated, King Knight is given an item that tells the player where the cards that are missing from their collection are, which significantly circumvents the annoyance of [[LastLousyPoint not knowing which ones you need to be looking for]].

* FinalBossNewDimension: [[spoiler:After completing all Houses of Joustus, Cardia teleports King Knight to some sort of space dimension and challenges him in one more Joustus match to decide his fate. It first looks like it's PlayedForLaughs, but then she transforms into a BonusBoss after defeating her...]]

''Shovel Knight'' is a 2D {{platformer}} developed and published by Creator/YachtClubGames. Featuring a {{Retraux}} 8-bit graphical style and inspired by the likes of ''Franchise/MegaMan'', ''VideoGame/DuckTales'', ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'', and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', ''Shovel Knight'' is a game that seeks to pay homage to [[UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames the 8-bit era]], while also...ahem, [[ObligatoryJoke digging]] out its own place in the VideoGame landscape.

The story goes that our eponymous hero was once part of a legendary adventuring duo with his partner, Shield Knight. During their travels, Shovel Knight and Shield Knight visit the mysterious Tower of Fate. After they encounter a cursed amulet within the tower, Shovel Knight loses consciousness, eventually waking up outside the (now sealed) tower - alone. His spirit broken after losing his best friend and ally, Shovel Knight retires from adventuring and resigns himself to a life of solitude. Unbeknownst to Shovel Knight, however, his self-imposed exile has left the land without champions, making it ripe for conquering by the evil Enchantress and the eight dastardly knights of her Order of No Quarter. Discovering one day that the Tower of Fate has been unsealed, Shovel Knight realizes that only he can defeat the villains wreaking havoc on the land. Setting off with his trusty [[ShovelStrike Shovel Blade]], Shovel Knight must fight his way through The Order of No Quarter and their minions, reach the lair of the Enchantress, and dispense justice in spades once and for all!

* MusicalNod: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdVfnKCYdJ8 Lost City's theme]] contains a brief snippet of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71lLnE8gJnU Dance Through The Danger]]" from ''{{VideoGame/Shantae}}: Half-Genie Hero.'' Both games' soundtracks are composed by Creator/JakeKaufman.

** '''Pridemoor Keep''' - King Knight - "The rightful king returns"; King Pridemoor is back to power, ending King Knight's tyranny and reducing him to scrub the floors.
** '''Troupple Pond''' - "Let the celebrations begin"; the dancer, Troupple King and Troupple Accolyte all celebrate dancing.
** '''The Lich Yard''' - Specter Knight - "The life of the party"; Specter Knight plays Mona's minigame and fails.
** '''Iron Whale''' - Treasure Knight - "Ill-gotten gain reclaimed"; all of Treasure Knight's money is claimed by the people.
** '''Explodatorium''' - Plague Knight - "Advanced Potion Class"; Plague Knight imparts an alchemy class, with the Alchemaister turning into a copy of the Magicist as a result.
** '''Lost City''' - Mole Knight - "Excavations and Expeditions"; in which Mole Knight is seen helping travelers and knights explore the Lost City.
** '''The Wandering Travellers''' - "Always ready for battle"; where the four are shown preparing to fight a group of Liquid Samurai.
** '''Flying Machine''' - Propeller Knight - "Living the life carefree"; which shows Propeller Knight attracting a group of women ([[EvenTheGuysWantHim and one man]]).
** '''Clockwork Tower''' - Tinker Knight - "Toys for the children"; showing Tinker Knight creating a small toy replica of the Tinker Tank.
** '''Stranded Ship''' - Polar Knight - Showing Polar Knight staring at the horizon.

* DancingWithMyself: After defeating the first two members of the Order of No Quarter, the return to the Explodatorium sees Plague Knight not riding the torque lifts down immediately - because Mona, who normally operates them, is waltzing by herself in her alone time. Judging from her dialogue when she's subsequently interrupted, she does this fairly often. [[spoiler:She's practicing for if she ever gets the chance to dance with Plague himself, going by the waltz they share in the ending.]]

** '''Pridemoor Keep''' - King Knight - "Knighted by the King"; same as ''Shovel of Hope'', with the addition of Plague Knight being knighted in front of the grudging King Knight.
** '''Troupple Pond''' - "Dancing the Night away"; same as ''Shovel of Hope'', but with the Troupple Missionary added and Oolong replacing the dancer.
** '''Lich Yard''' - Specter Knight - "The Missing Locket"; Specter Knight looks for the chest where the Phase Locket was, only to not find it, slicing the chest in anger.
** '''Iron Whale''' - Treasure Knight - "Pillaging the Pillager"; Plague Knight and his minions steal what's left of Treasure Knight's gold, and leave him with a Bait Bomb.
** '''Explodatorium''' - Plague Knight - "Under New Management"; Plague Knight's minions celebrate, while Percy and the Magicist are working on a catapult and are shown to be romantically interested in each other.
** '''Lost City''' - Mole Knight - "Cooperative Cloning"; Mole Knight is shown providing Plague Knight with the goo from Lost City to create various Slimulacras.
** '''The Wandering Travellers''' - "The Battle Rages On"; same as ''Shovel of Hope'', but Shovel Knight defeats the Liquid Samurai before the Wandering Travelers could.
** '''Clockwork Tower''' - Tinker Knight - "Tweaking the Torque Lifts" - Tinker Knight is helped by Plague Knight and Mona to implement the same twisting elevators that they use in the Clockwork Tower.
** '''Stranded Ship''' - Polar Knight - "Reunion"; Black Knight and Polar Knight meet under a campfire.
** '''Flying Machine''' - Propeller Knight - Plague Knight and Mona are on a date, with Propeller Knight serving as the waiter.

** '''Pridemoor Keep''' - King Knight - "The Golden Reign Begins"; showing as King Knight makes his minions turn the castle into gold, while King Pridemoor is reduced to a servant sweeping the floor.
** '''Troupple Pond''' - "The Fruit of Redemption"; Missy and the Dark Acolyte implore to the Trouple King, who is seen converting the latter into the Troupple Acolyte.
** '''The Lich Yard''' - Specter Knight - "Overrun With The Undead"; various undead enemies raid the Lich Yard, forcing the inhabitants to leave as Phantom Striker futilely tries to hold them down. Red and Scarlet end taking residence in one of the raid houses.
** '''Iron Whale''' - Treasure Knight - "Pay Day"; Treasure Knight is shown making financial counts as he pays his minions with little money.
** '''Flying Machine''' - Propeller Knight - "The Fleet Takes Flight"; where Propeller Knight commands a fleet of ships to presumably invade the valley.
** '''Explodatorium''' - Plague Knight - "Bubbling Chemistry"; Horace and various Plague Minions expand Plague Knight's laboratory as he and Mona share a moment.
** '''Lost City''' - Mole Knight - "Letting Off Some Steam"; Mole Knight is seen having a bath along some Molers.
** '''Armor Outpost''' - "Vanquishing The Valorous"; the Enchantress and her army invade the outpost and kill various soldiers and civilians.
** '''Clockwork Tower''' - Tinker Knight - "Automated Assembly"; Tinker Knight has various rats being turned into Electrodents and Wizzems into Gear Wizzems to be his minions.
** '''Stranded Ship''' - Polar Knight - "Tending to the Wounded"; showing Polar Knight aiding a wounded Terrorpin.
** '''Village''' - "In Safe Hands at Last" - Specter Knight brings the unconscious Reize to his home, before going off.
** '''Tower of Fate''' - The newly assembled Order of No Quarter bow in front of the Enchantress.

** '''House of Joustus''' - "An explosive fad ends"; as Plague Knight and Mona are at the helm of destroying the Houses of Joustus with as many cards inside.
** '''Troupple Pond''' - "Submerged into hiding"; shows the Troupple Accolytes and Missionaries considering to work for the Enchantress, as the Troupple King (having fallen from the ambushed Glidewing) crashes into the farther west Troupple Pond we know from ''Shovel of Hope'' and hides underwater.
** '''Armor Outpost''' - "Setting up shop"; has Mr. Hat's shop falling to (or him dragging it to, if King Knight never met him during the playthrough) where it's found in ''Shovel of Hope'' and ''Plague of Shadows''.
** '''Tower of Fate''' - Specter Knight - "The hunt continues"; has Specter Knight starting to embark on the journey of ''Specter of Torment'', having already recruited Tinker Knight, Polar Knight, and Mole Knight.
** '''Iron Whale''' - Treasure Knight - "Laying claim to the sea"; shows Treasure Knight battling and taming the Teethalon, setting it as the trap found in the other campaigns.
** '''Hall of Champions''' - "Fencing in phantoms"; has the Big Creep, Invisishades and Duelist Di arriving to the hall, and getting sealed inside by Phantom Striker.
** '''The Homestead''' - "Caring for the betrayed"; shows most of the Glidewing's crew taking refuge in King Knight's old home.
** '''Birder Bluffs''' - "Accepting an invitation"; Polar Knight, Tinker Knight and Mole Knight comtemplate the Tower of Fate, thinking about having joined the Order of No Quarter, as Black Knight watches them.

* DirectionallySolidPlatforms: They exist here and there in the campaigns, but ''Showdown'' introduces an interesting case of Selective ''Walls'' - in order to make sure Specter and King Knight's movesets aren't hampered by the lack of solid surfaces to WallRun/[[WallJump Jump]] or Shoulder Bash off of respectively, the directionally solid platforms generally have 'lips' that those two characters' relevant movement options treat as walls from the proper direction, and otherwise don't interfere with anything at all.

** ''Shovel of Hope'' - The game doesn't really bother hiding [[spoiler:the Enchantress is a possessed Shield Knight]] with Specter Knight's story referencing it in very little uncertain terms, and Shield Knight's story outright ends [[spoiler:with Shield Knight realizing she's still trapped in her own body]].
** ''Plague of Shadows'' - [[spoiler:Mona's connection to Plague is established very early in his story, and his ending reveals he has feelings for her he can't admit]].
** ''Specter of Torment'' - [[spoiler:You unlock Dark Reize before you ever come across the normal Reize]]. Also, the first thing you learn in the story mode, regardless of your chosen character, is that [[spoiler:Specter Knight intends to fight back against the Enchantress]].
** Averted with ''King of Cards'' - As it and ''Showdown'' were released at the same time, the fact that [[spoiler:King Knight ultimately betrayed all his allies and has no friends left]] is only alluded to.

On December 13, 2021, Yacht Club Games released ''Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon'', a combination rougelike-FallingBlocks game.

On December 13, 2021 Yacht Club Games released ''Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon'', a combination rougelike-FallingBlocks game.

On August 28, 2019, Yacht Club Games held their first and currently only ''Yacht Club Games Presents'', basically their take on the ''WebVideo/NintendoDirect'' formula. There, they revealed some new updates coming to the game, shed some light on amiibo functionality, and even announced ''Shovel Knight Dig'', the next game in the ''Shovel Knight'' series. They also showcased new trailers for ''King of Cards'' and ''Shovel Knight Showdown'', along with confirming that they and the amiibo would all be released in December 2019.\\

On August 11, 2021 Yacht Club Games revealed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugw4BFL8wPo ''Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon'']] which is a combination rougelike and rhythm game that would release in December, 2021.

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:In a [[MoodWhiplash depressing way]] that fulfills the ForegoneConclusion. King Knight wants to be a king, [[AmbitionIsEvil no matter what it takes to do it]]. At every turn, the game reinforces what we know from the other campaigns, that King Knight is a vain brute that refuses to improve in any way, but it shows that it all comes because he thinks the only thing he needs is to be King of ''something'' and then his and his mother's lives will all fall into place, and [[ItsAllAboutMe those are the only people]] [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas he actually cares about]]. And despite the potential of him being the King's stepson (and thus closer to the throne) if his mother really does hit things off with King Pridemoor, thanks to his own closeness with her, he gets very distressed whenever he hears the two having their flirty banter. So, when the title "King of Cards" is off the table and the magical conqueror that keeps waxing about how ''mighty'' and ''kingly'' he is offers him "[[PuppetKing control]]" of Pridemoor, while Pridemoor's king begs him to instead defeat her, why would such a vapid brute with a personal distaste for King Pridemoor ''start'' listening to him?]]

On August 28, 2019, Yacht Club Games held their first and currently only ''Yacht Club Games Presents'', basically their take on the ''WebVideo/NintendoDirect'' formula. There, they revealed some new updates coming to the game, shed some light on amiibo functionality, and even announced ''Shovel Knight Dig'', the next game in the ''Shovel Knight'' series. They also showcased new trailers for ''King of Cards'' and ''Shovel Knight Showdown'', along with confirming that they and the amiibo would all be released in December 2019.

* VideoGameSettings:
** Plains of Passage: The typical GreenHillZone introductory stage, guarded by [[TheRival Black Knight]].
** Pridemoor Keep: BigFancyCastle, usurped by [[TheUsurper King Knight]].
** Lich Yard: A BigBoosHaunt haunted by [[GrimReaper Specter Knight]]. Doubles as BlackoutBasement during a few sections and adds a bit of DungeonTown in ''Specter of Torment'' and ''King of Cards'', where you explore the houses before the cemetery.
** The Explodatorium: An AbandonedLaboratory now taken over by [[MadBomber Plague Knight]]. Doubles as DownTheDrain in ''Specter of Torment'' and ''King of Cards'', where you explore the sewers below.
** Lost City: [[HailfirePeaks Combines]] LethalLavaLand, RuinsForRuinsSake and UnderGroundLevel to create an UndergroundCity, with some DeathMountain spicing things up in ''Specter of Torment'' and ''King of Cards'' as you start in the rocky areas above the caves. All of this being excavated and desecrated by [[MoleMiner Mole Knight]].
** Iron Whale: [[HailfirePeaks Combines]] ShipLevel for the submarine area with UnderTheSea for its deepest parts, with a little bit of PalmTreePanic as you explore the beaches around the vessel in ''Specter of Torment'' and ''King of Cards''. Commanded by [[{{Pirate}} Treasure Knight]].
** Clockwork Tower: An EternalEngine ClockworksArea built inside [[ItsAllUpstairsFromHere a tower]]. Serves as the workshop of [[GadgeteerGenius Tinker Knight]].
** Stranded Ship: A deserted GangplankGalleon lodged in a [[SlippySlideyIceWorld snowy mountain]], where [[TheBrute Polar Knight]] and the rest of his crew remain. In ''Specter of Torment'' and ''King of Cards'', you also explore a TempleOfDoom below the ship.
** Flying Machine: LevelsTakeFlight with GustyGlade as you're pushed around the area by strong winds. Owned by [[SkyPirate Propeller Knight]]. In ''King of Cards'', you also get to explore some DeathMountain parts below the machine.
** Troupple Pond: JungleJapes with some BubblegloopSwamp thrown in the mix. Exclusive to ''King of Cards'' and owned by [[{{Planimal}} The Troupple King]].
** Birder Bluffs: A TempleOfDoom inside a vast DeathMountain region. Exclusive to ''King of Cards'' and the lair of [[KingMook King Birder]].
** Tower of Fate: TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, composed of EvilTowerOfOminousness, ItsAllUpstairsFromHere and AllTheWorldsAreAStage as enemies, elements and gimmicks from previous stages are incorporated. Expect to meet [[BigBad The Enchantress]] here.

* ShoutOut: At the end of the main campaign, [[spoiler:in Pridemoor Castle, King Knight is scrubbing the floors for the real king. "[[TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule...]]"]]

** A new Flying Machine enemy in ''King of Cards'' is, behavior-wise, a dead ringer for the [[VideoGame/MegaMan Mettaurs]], hiding under impenetrable dome helmets before pelting you with projectiles. Alternatively, seeing as they're only found on airships, they could be similar to Rocky Wrenches from ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3]]''.

* GuideDangIt: An achievement for Mr. Hat requires getting a KO with each of his three hats in a single match, but his move list only shows two of them. This is because his parry actually has him donning his third hat, and many may never notice.

* TauntButton: Holding down (as in ''Plague of Shadows'' and ''Specter of Torment'') or up (as in ''King of Cards'') will make your character do one of two taunts.

* ScunthorpeProblem: One cheat code filters the game's dialogue to make everyone talk like [[Franchise/StarWars Jar-Jar Binks]], but occasionally runs into this issue. Most notably, the character Madam Meeber is renamed to "Madam Meesaeber" with this code on.

* JokeItem: In Joustus, the Squire card. Has no push arrows when all other cards -- even the basic, infinite supply ones you have by default -- have at least one, so the Squire has virtually no uses. Fitting, for a character known only to lose all the Joustus matches he plays.

** The Order of No Quarter share quite a lot in common with the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Robot Masters]]. Not any one set, mind, but the concept. They're a group of highly memorable bosses who wait at the end of specifically themed levels, have great visual designs and a lot of personality for one-off bosses, fight with very specific gimmicks, and are fought a second time in a BossRush toward the end of the game. They even have a very similar naming scheme. The one thing they ''don't'' do is give a weapon or a skill upon defeat. That's what finding Chester is all about.

* ProductionForeshadowing: The cards thrown by King Knight in his boss battle have been [[WordOfGod stated on a Yacht Club Games Twitch stream]] to be a reference to Joustus, one of the focal points of ''King of Cards''. At the time, though, hey weren't aware of how exactly Joustus itself would work, hence why the cards are merely projectiles and don't reference the card game more specifically.[[invoked]]

* AnachronicOrder: Story Mode seems to have some level of continuity, due to some of the characters explicitly referencing the routes of other characters, but the exact sequence of events can be difficult to discern due to the unlock order and having only two conversations per playthrough. Some of the endings, such as Baz's, seem to take place during or after ''Shovel of Hope'' and ''Specter of Torment'', too, muddying things up a bit more. It seems to indicate that some of the characters might have been brought into the game's events from other time periods.