| “ | Ahhh, hats, my greatest passion. Nothing I enjoy more than the crisp snap of a well-tailored brim. | ” |
Mr. Hat is one of the Wandering Travellers in the world of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. This character was created by Alexander “Hatman” Hatzikides as a Director for a Day.[1] He runs the Fancy Shop at the Armor Outpost and specializes in hats.
Official Bio
| “ | Mr. Hat is obsessed with hats, but for good reason! For although he wears a helmet, each hat that he places atop his head gives him the powers of that hat’s owner! Mr. Hat can switch from a charismatic foppish dandy to military genius in a moment, and he takes great pride in his varied fighting styles. Lately, though, there have been rumblings of an even greater warrior who wields a Shovel Blade; one with a wonderfully blue, horned helmet... | ” |
Appearance
Mr. Hat is a sophisticated man, wearing a large gray and brown trench coat, brown trousers, and brown shoes. He wears a golden helmet, hiding his face, and carries a wooden cane with a red jewel at the tip. When fighting, he puts a hat on his head, with each type of hat defining his fighting style. He then uses his cane either to displace himself or as a sword.
Relationships
The Baz
| “ | There are only two things that truly anger me. One is going hatless. The other.... is being stolen from!
|
” |
After Mr. Hat's Fancy Shop falls into the Armor Outpost, Baz manages to steal his armor from the establishment and get away with it, until both are trapped in the Mirror of Fate and fight. In the end, Baz pays by cleaning the shop's floor until his debt is settled.
Goldarmors
| “ | Ooh, come give me a closer look, my gilded guardsmen. You wouldn't deny me a glimpse of such heady gear, would you?
|
” |
Mr. Hat is wanted by the guardsmen of the Pridemoor Kingdom for pilfering hats, and there are many "Wanted" posters of him in the Village. After being trapped in the Mirror of Fate alongside some Goldarmors, Mr. Hat steals a helmet from one of those to add to his collection, not worrying about his criminal record.
Story
Shovel of Hope
In Shovel of Hope, Mr. Hat is tending to his shop. However, as more hats are getting bought, he starts obsessing on refilling his stock. With the last customer gone, he addresses Shovel Knight about his helmet, and explains that each hat grants him the power of its previous owner. He then engages Shovel Knight in combat to take his helmet.
Mr. Hat finally regains his senses after his defeat, but still obsesses about Shovel Knight's hat. He leaves the shop after the knight makes him remark it is a helmet. He can then be found three times at the Outpost while not leaving the area. When found, he gives Shovel Knight gold to make the knight forget about him. He grows unnerved the third time, and leaves the Outpost by launching himself from a catapult while laughing maniacally.
Plague of Shadows
In Plague of Shadows, Mr. Hat doesn't leave his shop after Plague Knight's attack on the Armor Outpost. He first feels insulted when the knight asks if he crafts hoods, then enraged by Plague Knight's belittling of hats, before engaging him in combat.
After the fight, Mr. Hat explains how his power comes from the hats he wears. Plague Knight is impressed and wants to buy his hats, but he explains how the powers only work on himself. He then leaves the shop with no grudge towards Plague Knight.
Specter of Torment
In Specter of Torment, Mr. Hat appears briefly in the ending, when the army of the Enchantress attacks the Armor Outpost. He flees from his fancy shop during the attack.
King of Cards
In King of Cards, it's revealed that Mr. Hat's shop was originally further up in the mountainous region of the Valley; his shop, known as the Fancy Shop, can be found in the Birder Kingdom. When spoken to in this location, Mr. Hat offers upgrades for King Knight that go over the gold limit and cannot be bought; thus, the only option for King Knight is to leave the shop and exit the level. However, as King Knight makes his way to the rat rope ring, Mr. Hat stalks King Knight and repeatedly asks him to come back and buy something. Finally, once King Knight tries to leave on the rat rope, Mr. Hat cuts the rope, preventing King Knight from leaving, and demands that he give up his "hat." He then engages in combat to take King Knight's crown, but is beaten. After his defeat, Mr. Hat explains that he tends to go crazy due to cabin fever since his shop is in such an isolated location where hardly anyone stops by. He then begs King Knight to let him on the Glidewing, and King Knight agrees after Mr. Hat also offers to fix the rat rope. Afterwards, the duo uses the rope to pull Mr. Hat's shop up and attach it to the Glidewing, after which Mr. Hat expresses his gratitude and lowers all his prices.
Mr. Hat initially has three upgrades available for purchase: the Display Overhaul, Silver Plating, and Gilded Deck. A fourth upgrade, the Gold Plating, becomes available after the Silver Plating is bought, and a secret upgrade, the Family Portrait, becomes available once King Knight accumulates 99999 gold.
In the ending sequence, when the Glidewing is attacked by the Enchantress, Mr. Hat's shop is knocked off of the Glidewing, causing it to fall and land in the Armor Outpost, where several new customers including Baz show up to browse the shop. Alternatively, if King Knight never recruited Mr. Hat, Mr. Hat becomes fed up with the lack of customers in the Void Crater and drags the shop himself to the Armor Outpost.
Upgrades
These are the upgrades that can be bought from Mr. Hat in King of Cards (the prices shown here are the prices he charges after his shop has been added to the Glidewing).
| Upgrade | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Display Overhaul | 10000 | Give your interface some regal flair! The very height of your status. |
| Silver Plating | 10000 | A professional design refits the Glidewing to better suit you. |
| Golden Plating | 20000 | A professional design refits the Glidewing to better suit you. |
| Glided Deck | 10000 | Your Joustus cards will receive fancier backs. The fronts change a little, too. |
| Family Portrait | 99999 | A lovely painting fit for hanging above the hearth! Modest, but it has great sentimental value. |
Battle
During his battle, Mr. Hat switches between two different hats that allow him to use different fighting styles. He starts the battle with a warrior's helmet, which has him run up to the player and use melee attacks with his cane-sword. He'll then throw some more swords in the air and have them fall to the ground, and then try to strike the player with his sword again. If Mr. Hat's sword strikes any of the other swords stuck in the ground, they'll get knocked upward and then fly straight ahead in the player's direction, ultimately flying off the screen. After this, Mr. Hat switches out his warrior helmet for a feathered beret, which allows him to bounce around on his cane and leap into the air, flinging plates at the player as he slowly descends to the ground. Then, he'll throw some teacups at the player and bounce around some more, before switching back to the warrior helmet and restarting the cycle.
In King of Cards, however, Mr. Hat has a second phase that he initiates when he's low on health. In this phase, he puts on a crown and pulls out a giant golden sword. He also regains all health. Aside from using this sword to deliver melee attacks, Mr. Hat can also attack by jumping off the walls of the room and then slamming down, creating sparks that roll a short distance across the ground before disappearing. Sometimes, Mr. Hat will go off-screen and return riding a horse carriage, trying to ram King Knight with it. After hitting the carriage three times, Mr. Hat gets knocked off and resumes his normal attack patterns. Once he loses half his health in this phase, Mr. Hat rolls out a red carpet which enhances some of his attacks; when he ground pounds on the carpet, it sends ripples that travel across the entire screen, and his horse carriage also sends ripples across the carpet when turning around.
Joustus Card
Mr. Hat has his own unique card, earned after his fight. There are double arrows up, left, and down. It also has the Cascade ability.
Dialogue
Shovel of Hope
When talked to with all three customers present: Template:Quote/1
After buying a hat for one customer: Template:Quote/1
After buying hats for two customers: Template:Quote/1
After buying hats for all customers: Template:Quote/5
After defeating Mr. Hat: Template:Quote/5
When finding him outside once: Template:Quote/1
Twice: Template:Quote/1
Third time: Template:Quote/1
Plague of Shadows
When talked to: Template:Quote/5
After the fight: Template:Quote/6
King of Cards
When talked to (in the Fancy Shop): Template:Quote/4
If entering the Fancy Shop but leaving without talking to him: Template:Quote/1
When Mr. Hat stalks King Knight outside the shop (first time): Template:Quote/1
Second time: Template:Quote/1
Trying to leave the level/Before the battle: Template:Quote/1
After the battle: Template:Quote/4
After the rope is repaired: Template:Quote/2
When Mr. Hat boards the Glidewing: Template:Quote/2
Showdown
Before third stage battle (Baz's story): Template:Quote/4
Before ninth stage battle (Baz's story): Template:Quote/2
Trivia
- His sprite model is named "Hat Knight".
- Mr. Hat is the only member of the Wandering Travellers not fought as an encounter on the map.
- Mr. Hat, Phantom Striker and Propeller Knight are the only main characters in Shovel Knight to use a sword as a weapon.
- Immediately after defeating Mr. Hat, he can be chased around the Armor Outpost, giving 1000 gold each time he is spoken to. First he appears on top of the sign to his shop, then he appears in the airship. If the second wave of the Order of No Quarter has already been defeated, he can be found a third time by the catapult.
- His conversation after being defeated by Plague Knight hints that he might be older than he looks.
- In the Plague Knight playthrough, one of the minions in the Armor Outpost will mention something about removing the blast-proof lining on their hood, while Plague Knight asks Mr. Hat about adding one.
- The developers designed a Body Swap version for Mr. Hat, although only the main cast of Shovel of Hope had one added to the campaign.
- His artwork depicts him wielding his sword and cane separately, but his in-game sprite shows him turning his cane into a sword instead.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Update: Almost there! and Director for a Day reveals! on the Kickstarter pages of Shovel Knight