So many games try to lure people in through nostalgia with music and visuals that are reminiscent of games from their childhood but they haven't innovated with the gameplay at all. They're still plagued by NES era design flaws, which in turn makes them not very fun to play. However, Shovel Knight takes its influence from games like Castlevania, Mega Man, Zelda II, Ninja Gaiden, Super Mario Bros, and Duck Tales without sacrificing the gameplay. It takes what works, expands on it, adds a modern twist, updates the visuals, and leaves anything unwanted behind, and it all culminates into one of the best platformers I've ever played. There is so much variety, each level is different from the last and characterized by its own theme, music, platforming challenges, enemies, and color palette. The characters are unique and memorable, the difficulty is perfect, it's tough but it's fair and most importantly fun, and the upgrades actually change how you play the game rather than just make you do more damage or something along those lines, and the secrets are actually interesting or useful and aren't stupid collectibles or anything. And thanks to a fantastic NG+ mode it's highly replayable, and that's not even touching on the two, soon to be three free DLC campaigns that integrate new gameplay mechanics so well they feel like completely different games, most notably Specter of Torment. And in my opinion Shovel Knight's best strength is just how accessible it is. It's super easy to learn even with zero handholding when it comes to teaching you the game's mechanics, and you can play it on literally any current-gen platform and even some previous-gen platforms. Shovel Knight isn't unlike anything else you've probably played before but I can guarantee it's ten times better. I just don't understand how anyone couldn't see the value in this game! It's fun, it's nostalgiac, it's memorable, it's replayable, it's well made, it looks and sounds great, and it has a ton of content, so please for the love of all things bright and beautiful go out and buy Shovel Knight if you haven't already because it is a gift that keeps on giving.
