History WMG / ShovelKnight

''Dig'', as far as we can tell, takes place entirely underground, with the villains being treasure-stealing excavators. Mole Knight would fit right in--while he likely wouldn't be a boss ''again'', he may have some sort of cameo. (If you want to indulge in some wishful thinking, he might even be PromotedToPlayable, allying with Shovel Knight to defeat the Hexcavators--maybe they stole from him as well, they captured and/or forcibly recruited him, or he just doesn't like them stealing his thunder.)

** More or less confirmed by the official Twitter. Plague Knight is an UnreliableNarrator and... "embellished" his encounters that involved Shovel Knight (beating him but being stabbed in the back, Plague Knight beating the Order in the BossRush instead of ShovelKnight, the Order being left to dangle instead of helped back up).

[[WMG:Yacht Club Games will make Plague Knight, King Knight, and Specter Knight {{amiibo}}.]]

[[WMG: Specter Knight's *Shovel of Hope* Skillset relies on darkness to work]]

''Dig'', as far as we can tell, takes place entirely underground, with the villains being treasure-stealing excavators. Mole Knight would fit right in--while he likely wouldn't be a boss ''again'', he may have some sort of cameo. Maybe the Hexcavators stole from him, or he just doesn't like them stealing his thunder. (If you want to indulge in some wishful thinking, he might even be PromotedToPlayable, allying with Shovel Knight to defeat the Hexcavators.)

Notice how Specter fights vastly differently based on the length of his cloak. It could be that his abilities change when lengthening the cloak because he's mostly shrouded in the shadows of his clothing, thereby granting him unlimited levitation, precision scythe-tossing, the ability to darken the environment, etc. The comparison is especially pronounced in his rematch in ''King of Cards'', where Specter's first phase uses a moveset based off of his playable appearance, while the second transitions into his original boss form.

Notice how Specter fights vastly differently based on the length of his cloak. It could be that his abilities change when lengthening the cloak because he's mostly shrouded in the shadows of his clothing, thereby granting him unlimited levitation, precision scythe-tossing, the ability to darken the environment, etc. The comparison is especially pronounced in his rematch in ''King of Cards'', where Specter's first phase uses a moveset based off of his playable appearance, then transitions into his original boss form.

Playing the game you can't miss that King Knight hates, how the King flirts with his mother. And what happens during the ending? Despite everyone is there for the final fight, none of them help. And King Knight didn't accept the Enchantress offer, but started to think about it. And then what happened? The he asked multiple times to leave his mother alone, asked him "What would your mother think?". His reaction was an immediate SILENCE! And the acceptance of the offer. In other words, had the King stopped flirting with Mom when King Knight was in the room, the Enchantress would have been defeated, and King Knight would have been a hero (and possibly a king, if King and Mom got together, and the King died of old age)

Before the Order of No Quarter was a thing, most of the others did their own things, not really infringing upon lawful society, and their roles are less known) After Shovel Knight defeats the enchantress, they proceed to go back to their lives, if a bit more altruistically (Tinker Knight makes toys, Mole Knight takes other on digs). Plague Knight assuming his story is concurrent with Shovel Knight's, takes advantage of the good PR opportunity to get rewarded. King Knight in contrast was the public face of the Enchantress and is a known betrayer/usurper, so it's natural he gets some sort of punishment. As for Specter knight, How do you punish the dead?

* Jossed, though the ending shows his army of undead charge the Lich Yard and begin to destroy the town while the villagers successfully evacuate.

* Jossed: The dirt mounds are present, and he digs them up with a spin jump á la ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.

* Partially confirmed, the king and his mother end up together but King Knight also proves himself unworthy of the throne, meaning he likely isn't considered the heir.

** Jossed, in that this doesn't happen. It does touch into the reverse and [[spoiler:how even King Knight begins to realize the real cost of his garb for power: The friends he's made along the way, the approval of his mother. It's basically the downfall that pride and superficial self-love can bring.]]

* partially confirmed, the king and his mother end up together but King Knight also proves himself unworthy of the throne, meaning he likely isent considered the heir

** Both have a mole on their faces, which is a hereditary trait. Likelihood of development, potential number, and what parts of the body they develop on are all genetic traits, so two characters having one on the face (even if in different spots) is a good indicator of shared ancestry.

the king of pridemoor keep has no signs of a wife or heir, so king knights campaign will end with him proving his worth and being named heir, or more humorously, he will attempt to prove his worth only to not do anything worthy enough, but still become a prince because his mother ends up dating the king

* Jossed.

* Confirmed. [[spoiler:He is the village's protector, or at least, he decided to try fighting off the undead that overran the village. He is the boss of the Lich Yard. Sadly, he is also overwhelmed.]]

Based on this thinking, King Knight's campaign will likely be about overcoming his own pride, and developing a better sense of self-worth, or self-love.

* The Remnant of Fate fight got me thinking: What if, instead of a one-time thing for the final boss, Shield Knight becomes an actual game mechanic? Like, a (computer controlled) companion that follows you around and helps you with platforming like in the boss fight (and/or Luan). And maybe she can help you in battle too (don't know how that should work yet). "Shovel Knight 2 & Shield Knight" sounds fun, right?

Discuss your ideas for a potential sequel here.

It'll be called Super Shovel Knight, the visuals will get upgraded from 8-bit to 16-bit, & Shield Knight will become a playable character.

It'll be called Super Shovel Knight & the visuals will get upgraded from 8-bit to 16-bit

...[[KingOfGames of Cards]]. After the end of Shovel Knight's story, it will be the one title he still holds.

* Confirmed, but the Locket is all about [[spoiler:a family keepsake]].

* Plague Knight goes through his adventure first, a step ahead of the Shovel Knight. He trades all the items with Chester, from whom Shovel Knight can later buy them, as well as entering his own level just before SK follows him there and fights him. SK fights the Enchantress very soon after PK, too, and [[spoiler:him and Shield Knight are busy fighting her true form even as PK deals with his potion battle]]. In the end, [[spoiler:Plague Knight is of course the true cause of the Tower of Fate's explosion, whilst Black Knight disappears to help Shovel and Shield Knights escape]]. The ending scenes of all knights are, for the most part, entirely compatible — they can all happen for everyone, taking place on different days or such. Anything that does not fit, such as Plague Knight fighting off most of the Order in the BossRush instead of Shovel Knight, is chalked off to [[RashomonStyle differences in perspective]].

* Actually, it is confirmed. He does battle her for free will (basically) and for the Valley.

* Of what we know of Spectre Knight's story, it ''might'' have something to do with [[spoiler:messy love, break-ups, and love turned to harsh feelings. The Dancer in the Village seems to know who Spectre Knight is, and is very happy about his defeat, and in the epilogue of Plague of Shadows, Spectre Knight is furious about losing the heart-shaped Phase Locket, which could be an indicator of Spectre Knight having a falling-out with someone (perhaps the Dancer), and having bitter feelings about this. Regardless, he's still pissed about losing a memory about her, so obviously something's still going on. The name of the DLC, Spectre of Torment, could hint to the messy side of love, and how it can bring pain, anger, and other rough feelings when things doesn't go as planned. It presents a distinctly dramatic story to contrast with the two more optimistic stories before it.]]

* Confirmed.

The trailer for ''Specter of Torment'' shows Specter Knight encountering Shield Knight back when he was still alive where she warned him to stay where he was. Since ''Specter of Torment'' is a confirmed prequel in which Specter Knight recruits the members of the Order of No Quarter that would mean Shovel Knight is still locked in his depression and not back in action yet. With the interface during the time of the flashback showing the still living Specter Knight having a small health bar it's possible that the end of Specter Knight's stage could be replaced by the flashback sequence which ends in a boss battle with Shield Knight.
* Confirmed.

[[WMG:Phase Locket will be pivotal in the plot of Specter Knight's game]]
Based on [[spoiler:his reaction at the ending of Plague of Shadows]], this item seems to hold some importance to him, and is likely to pop up. And, hey, lockets are important, aren't they?

* Confirmed, but the Locket is all about [[spoiler:a family keepsake.]]

* Plague Knight goes through his adventure first, a step ahead of the Shovel Knight. He trades all the items for Chester, from whom Shovel Knight can later buy them, as well as entering his own level just before SK follows him there and fights him. SK fights the Enchantress very soon after PK, too, and [[spoiler:him and Shield Knight are busy fighting her true form even as PK deals with his potion battle]]. In the end, [[spoiler:Plague Knight is of course the true cause of the Tower of Fate's explosion, whilst Black Knight disappears to help Shovel and Shield Knights escape]]. The ending scenes of all knights are, for the most part, entirely compatible - they can all happen for everyone, taking place on different days or such. Anything that does not fit, such as Plague Knight fighting off most of the Order in the BossRush instead of Shovel Knight, is chalked off to [[RashomonStyle differences in perspective]].

[[WMG: The Tower of Fate was the Enchantress's SoulJar, out of several.]]

[[WMG:Yacht Club Games will make Plague Knight, King Knight, and Specter Knight amiibo.]]
* Since the Shovel Knight amiibo will unlock co-op mode, it seems it would only make sense to give the other three campaigns the same bonus, via amiibo of said bosses. Further, this will allow players to mix and match their teams - first player will play as the main character of that campaign, while the second player plays as whichever knight they've entered via amiibo.

** It seems to me that the implication was that [[spoiler:Black Knight is in love with Shield Knight, who loves Shovel Knight, given his line (to paraphrase) that she "always preferred ''him''".]]

* The ''Plague of Shadows'' expansion revealed [[spoiler:why the Tower of Fate was destroyed after the Enchantress was defeated, with Plague Knight detonating the Ultimate Potion]]. Yet, we still do not know [[spoiler:how Shield Knight survived the Enchantress' last ditch attack]]. Therefore, in a future expansion, it's likely that [[spoiler:either Specter Knight or King Knight will end up saving her in someway or another]].

** It looks like in ''Specter of Torment'' that the true King is merely giving King Knight his just deserts, but it's still possible.

* Considering Love was the focus more than once, the Dancer could even turn out to be a former lover of Specter Knight and he did something to make the relationship go wrong, probably related to his death, and by the end of his scenario that could be fixed.

* Plausible, even if it doesn't happen exactly like that King Knight's scenario surely will paint him in a new light if the trend continues, surely none, or very few, expected Plague Knight's Plague of Shadows to be about Love the same way it was for Shovel Knight.

* Alternatively King Knight's campaign will be about him slowly learning from his mistakes to become a true King to the lands.

I just think with so many planned campaigns on the way (playable Spectre Knight and King Knight on top of the already released Plague Knight) there could be potential for some kind of final story to bring everything together. Possibilities could include:

See the Phase Locket WMG above. And Specter Knight was reanimated by the Enchantress - what happens once she's out of the picture?
* Uh... One problem with that: If both Shovel Knight and Plague Knight's endings, Specter Knight is still undead and kicking even after the end of the Enchantress. This campaign definitely has its work cut out for it when it comes to answering questions.

It's quite easy thinking the other playable knights battling the Enchantress, but it becomes a different story once we talk about Specter Knight. He's loyal to the Enchantress because she's the only one who can prolong his undeath. In the main campaign he repeatedly affirms his faith in her invincibility. It's pretty obvious he wants to live for whatever reason he has, and him fighting the Enchantress is impossible... unless we think deeper. The exact words are "begrudgingly loyal", which means he's doing whatever the Enchantress wants him to do even if he doesn't agree with it. Sometime along the way, he'd want to do his own thing without the threat of going back to death. Specter Knight's cause would probably be to battle her for his free will. He may be cruel, but he was once human too.

[[WMG: Polar Knight and Shovel Knight were once members of a group that used digging based tools.]]

In the Explodatorium, Shovel Knight has 10 HP bubbles and access to all the Relics. He also [[spoiler: ignores the Order of No Quarter at the end of the boss rush]]. One possible explanation for this is that Shovel Knight is on a New Game Plus and has better things to do.

I know an author of a Shovel Knight fanfic beat me to it, but hear this out. The names of Plague Knight's themes are "Flowers of Antimony" and The "Vital Vitriol". Flowers (actually fragrant herbs) were stuffed in plague doctors' masks during the plague. Antimony was the element that medieval alchemists considered medicinal. The name "Vital Vitriol" may make no sense, but remember Plague Knight drinks directly from one of his bombs while he's watching in the Battle Royale. It's vitriolic, it's vital since he drinks it like it's water. Now, to connect with Mona, she is very protective of Plague Knight (she is the one who gives him health upgrades, she occasionally comments if he's okay after finishing a stage, and is willing to pay Black Knight however he wants to get the Enchantress' essence). She's completely aware of his frail health and knows just what to do to permanently increase his health. Both are alchemists, so Mona would give him antimony. Then Plague Knight is described as someone who loves playing with death, and it seems like he was an inch close to death, rendering him weak. He met her while very ill, and came to love her in this state. This is why he wants to be 'strong' for Mona even if he's completely capable of crushing his 'teammates' and the Enchantress.

** It would probably have a description like: "A shiny armour that's pretty it useless, but there's no shame in being a shiny ghostly Banana"..

* Kind of jossed and confirmed. It only happens in the ending of Specter of Torment.

As his default armor is already gold, his final "upgrade" will be [[spoiler: a familiar shade of cerulean. The description? Something along the lines of "You'll never be as good as him, but at least you can look the part."]]

Not an absolutely groundbreaking idea at this point, but its beginning to show that it isn't just Shovel Knight who has a romantic bend on their campaign.
* Shovel Knight's story is about persistent love for someone thought lost. Even if he has nothing to go on, Shovel Knight still embarks on a quest to save his lost partner... [[spoiler: He even seems to "feel" that she's still out there, somewhere. The conflict doesn't lie in the relationship itself, but in the fact that their love was strong enough to pervail, even after Shield Knight has been changed throughly. It's a story about how true love eventually breaks all barriers, curses and obstacles, and as such is the most standard love story.]]
* Plague Knight's story is [[spoiler: about the lengths you go to prove your love to someone who's dear to you, and fighting your own weakness to prepare yourself for love. Contrasting Shovel Knight's story, Plague Knight wants to be loved and feels like he has to prove that he's lovable, instead of proving an already existing love. In the end, of course, it is revealed that love isn't obtained; it exists on its own, and it is in fact yourself that keeps it from happening, exemplified in just how far Plague Knight is willing to go with the delusion that he needs to prove himself worthy of Mona, which he abandons when everything finally clears. It's a story about how love can be complicated by the people involved, in contrast to Shovel Knight's story, where Shovel Knight and Shield Knight's love is confirmed and uncomplicated from the very beginning. Even the name of the DLC could be a hint towards the theme - Plague Knight fumbles in the shadows, trying to grasp something he already has, but is too blind to see.]]
* Of what we know of Spectre Knight's story, it *might* have something to do with [[spoiler: messy love, break-ups and love-turned to harsh feelings. The Dancer in the Village seems to know who Spectre Knight is, and is very happy about his defeat, and in the epilogue of Plague of Shadows, Spectre Knight is furious about losing the heartshaped Phase Locket, which could be an indicator of Spectre Knight having a falling-out with someone (perhaps the Dancer), and having bitter feelings about this. Regardless, he's still pissed about losing a memory about her, so obviously something's still going on. The name of the DLC, Spectre of Torment, could hint to the messy side of love, and how it can bring pain, anger and other rough feelings when things doesn't go as planned. It presents a distinctly dramatic story to contrast with the two more optimistic stories before it.]]

* At last, King Knight's story could break the mold [[spoiler: by not being about love for another, but the love for oneself, and the admiration of one's peers. This could be a very comedic, yet heartwarming story about King Knight learning how to be at peace with himself and his lack of royalty, while becoming more accepted and even loved by the subjects he commands; even if he has to actually work to get there. This story would represent selfworth, issues with image, narcissism and other, ego-centered versions of love.]]

* Confirmed, that both Phantom Striker and Reize Seatlan are both made major in Specter of Torment.

[[WMG: Specter Knight's story will not only be DarkerAndEdgier, we will ''see'' Specter Knight massacre the village that was the Lich Yard]].
* Jossed, though the ending shows his army of undead charge the Lich Yard and begin to destroy the town while the villagers successfully.
[[WMG: Phantom Striker will be a more major boss in Specter of Torment.]]

* Confirmed. [[spoiler:He is the village's protector, or at least, he decided to try fighting away the undead that overran the village. He is the boss of the Lich Yard. Sadly, he is also overwhelmed.]]
[[WMG: Specter Knight will go through the OoNQ stages in reverse.]]

* Jossed. You can go anywhere you like, [[Franchise/{{Mega Man}} MegaMan]] style.

Both Shovel Knight and Plague Knight have had golden, sparkly armor, and Specter Knight likely will have one as well. Despite having gold from the beginning, King Knight will have the option to buy a golden armor as well. It's only effect will be to make his armor sparkle, which his original armor won't do [[spoiler:because it'll be revealed to be made of [[AllThatGlitters fool's gold]].]]
** Or He'll get an AwesomeButImpractical super ultra fancy armor that Hinders him instead by decreasing his jump, speed, defense and or attack.

Specter Knight and Ruby are both scythe-wielding warriors that wear red hoods. Having the two of them fight and interact would just be amazing. The lead writer of RWBY is a big fan of Shovel Knight, and he's talked to Yacht Club Games before via Twitter, so it's possible they might get chummy enough to work together on something down the line. Plus, RWBY is really big in Japan, so a crossover like this could help Shovel Knight sell more copies there.

[[spoiler:The game shows Specter and his past self to be rational and a good friend to Luan yet in that one flashback scene he lashes out at both Shield Knight and him, ultimately resulting in the death of all but Shield Knight. This colors his actions towards his friend's son, Reize as an attempt to atone for killing his father, going so far as to look out for him over his own desires.]]

We've also seen from Specter of Torment that King Knight is greatly opposed to the idea of digging. Why, the very idea makes his flawless face flush!

* Jossed: The dirt mounds are present, and he digs them up with a spin jump.

* Spectre Knight is motivated by his strong bond with Luan, and [[spoiler: his son Reize]]. This represents failed love, which leads to two interpretations: Donovan and Luan's relationship wasn't strictly platonic (whether one sided or not, Donovan and Luan's relationship has some romantic undertones to it), or more likely, representing a strong platonic love between two friends.
Based on this thinking, King Knight's campaign will likely be about overcoming his own pride, and developing a better sense of self worth, or self-love.

* More specifically, King Knight - ''Hearts or Diamonds.''

** Diamonds: King Knight is the Ace of Diamonds on the [[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0014/1962/products/shovelknight_designview.jpg?v=1502913925 official fangamer cards]], the card itself representing heavy ambition, and the King of Diamonds representing one born into power who needs to work to be a ruler; which correlates with King Knight's claim of being of royal blood but having to fight to be royalty in the first place.

** Or He'll get an AwesomeButImpratical super ultra fancy armor that Hinders him instead by decreasing his jump, speed, defense and or attack.

[[[[WMG: At the end of his campaign, King Knight will become the King!]]

** If he's a boss fight, anyway.

** Diamonds: King Knight is the Ace of Diamonds on the [[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0014/1962/products/shovelknight_designview.jpg?v=1502913925 official fangamer cards]], the card itself representing heavy ambition or one born into power who needs to work to be a ruler; which correlates with King Knight's claim of being of royal blood but having to fight to be royalty in the first place.
* Does this mean that Shovel Knight has the Spade?

** Diamonds: King Knight is the Ace of Diamonds on the [[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0014/1962/products/shovelknight_designview.jpg?v=1502913925 official fangamer cards]], the card itself representing heavy ambition or one born into power who needs to work to be a ruler; which correlates with King Knight's claim of being of royal blood but having to fight to be royalty in the first place.

* Jossed for Specter Knight.

* It is a TearJerker, AND the ending is Bittersweet. But it's a prequel.

* Jossed, though the ending shows his army of undead charge the Lich Yard and begin to destroy the town while the villagers successfully flee.

The other knights use bladed weapons or bombs, which could both reasonably be used for digging up dirt. However, King Knight uses a sceptre, a weapon used for bludgeoning, which would be highly ineffective for digging purposes.

We've also seen from Spectre of Torment that King Knight is greatly opposed to the idea of digging. Why, the very idea makes his flawless face flush!