Shovel Knights battling on.
Co-Op Mode is an exclusive feature of the Shovel of Hope campaign. Originally it was only present in the Wii U version, which required the Shovel Knight amiibo to be accessed. However, with the upgrade to the Treasure Trove, Co-Op was brought to all home consoles and had the amiibo requirement removed on Wii U.
As with all Cheat Codes and Custom Knight, originally using Co-op Mode would render a save file unable to earn Feats. This however was changed with the release of version 4.00. Similarly to the cheat codes pumpkin symbol, Co-Op also has its specific symbol, a red ribbon-like one that, due to their past connection, will appear also when activating an amiibo Custom Knight in a save file, even if Co-Op is not available.
Working Together[]
- Gold is shared between players and items and upgrades purchased are available to both players. As a consequence, both players must wear the same Armor, although Player 2's Armors will have an alternate color palette compared to Player 1's standard Armor color (for example, the default armor is blue, but it will be green for Player 2).
- Health and magic are separate, but if one player dies, they may revive themselves, taking half of the other player's health (example: one player has 4 health, the other one revives, both will have 2 health).
- The players cannot directly hurt one another, but should their attacks hit each other, they will knock each other about. Doing so can cause damage or death if a player is pushed into a enemy or hazard, so be careful. A player can also push the other player by walking into them.
- By jumping and using the Shovel Drop on their partners, players can boost each other to progress through stages.
- Player 2 is unable to talk to other characters and is thus dependent on Player 1 purchasing upgrades for the both of them. This is true even when Player 1 is dead.
- If one player makes it to the edge of a screen, the other is teleported to them at the start of the next screen.
- The Troupple Chalices are shared between players, and if a player uses one, they alone will benefit from the Ichor.
Alterations[]
A few alterations appear throughout the campaign itself in order to balance the game for two players or make it more challenging:
- Bosses all have more health in the form of extra pink bubbles, the exact amount being individual to each boss.
- Bubbles take two hits to burst, and the Goldsome, a variant of Floatsomes with two hit points, replace the one hit point version.
- Some Dirt Blocks are indestructible unless striked in certain spots, which are usually only reachable after cooperating with your partner.
- Certain stages are tweaked slightly to facilitate two players, most notably the Knuckler's Quarry which has several new Bubble Block platforms.
Knight Rankings[]
At the end of each of the main stages, Player 1 and Player 2 have their scores tallied compared in terms of enemies defeated, player deaths, and gold accumulated. The player who scored better is declared the victor for that stage. Said ranking system would later reappear in Shovel Knight Showdown.
Custom Knight[]
Custom Knight is fully compatible with Co-op. If only one amiibo is being used in Co-op, then the Custom Knight will always be Player 2. The use of a second amiibo allows both players to use Custom Knight. Using Custom Knight not only gives access to an expanded arsenal but also allows to equip different skill sets, especially if both players are using Custom Knight.
Challenge Mode[]
Exclusive to the Wii U and Switch versions of the game are 5 challenges themed around Co-op Mode, unlocked only after scanning the Shovel Knight amiibo or the Gold Edition Shovel Knight amiibo as, despite later updates have separated the Co-op functionality from the amiibo and released Co-op for free on most other versions of the game, the unlockable Co-op challenges were never ported to the other consoles and such are still tied to the amiibo functionality. Completing these challenges will require coordination between two Shovel Knight and as such, the help of a second player, or at the very least a second controller. Uniquely, the end Checkpoint is split in two, and both knights must stand at the same time on its footboard in order to activate.
Co-op features in other campaigns and games of the series[]
While going through the story with two players in one of the four main campaigns of Treasure Trove is only possible in Shovel of Hope, some elements of cooperative play also exist in King of Cards and in Showdown.
In King of Cards, by pressing [UP] at the mirror in King Knight's room at The Homestead, it is possible to play optional customizable Joustus matches; in this match-up, it is possible to choose the stage type, the background location, the opponent and the playable character and, if one so chooses, to even face another player in a match.
In Showdown, multiple players are allowed in all of its modes (for Practice Mode, it must be done from the options menu). This allows two players to tackle each of the short Story Modes of the characters, and the Battle Mode even allows up to four players to join in match. Also supported by cooperative play is the input-type cheat code called Character Gauntlet. This code, only available during Percy's Targets Mode (not in the story mode version), makes so that the playable character is randomly swapped for another one each time a flashing bonus target is hit.
In Pocket Dungeon, two players can face each other in an endless run across the different Dungeon, collecting as many Gems as possible, and trying to block the adversary screen with useless Junk Blocks. If another player is unavailable, a CPU with various degrees of difficulty can be set in their place.
Gallery[]
