| “ | The bitter cold will claim you. | ” |
— Polar Knight, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope | ||
Polar Knight is one of eight Knights of the Order of No Quarter who serves The Enchantress. A warrior well known for his immense physical strength, he is the boss of the Stranded Ship, and Shovel Knight's old friend/rival, now turned villain.
Official Bio[]
| “ | Titanic and terrible, Polar Knight guards the stranded ship in the frozen south. A silent giant wielding a two-handled snow shovel, he is the largest and most brutish of the Order of No Quarter. Some time in the past, Shovel Knight and Polar Knight have crossed Shovels before... | ” |
- Pros: Wields Snow Shovel, Doesn't feel cold but is quite considerate!
- Cons: Annoying laugh (it's like water torture!)
Dig the Vote[]
Tone[]
| “ | Polar Knight doesn’t say much. As a warrior, he lives for battle, so his campaign will focus on how various characters react to his lonely but honorable existence. | ” |
Play Style Ideas[]
- Slow but with strong attacks.
- Dashing shoulder bash.
- Earth Shaking Stomp – Shake the whole screen with your mighty foot. You might be able to knock down harmful objects and stun pesky characters from really far away!
- Big Dig – Shovels away a dig pile in fell swoop!
- Stay Frosty – Try to keep your cool over the course of the level.
Poll Results[]
Polar Knight ended up taking 7th place of the Dig the Vote selection, with an average score of 5.20.[1]
Appearance[]
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Polar Knight's in-game sprite appears to be wearing pants. However, both his Body Swap appearance and official artwork depict Polar Knight with bare legs.
Personality[]
Polar Knight is a warrior of few words who apparently prefers solitude. He seems to respect strength asking Shovel Knight to join the order out of respect for his power. Conversely he despises weakness and mocks Plague Knight for fighting with tricks and chemistry rather than martial skill. Whether this hatred of weakness extends to Tinker Knight is unknown. Apparently a complete brute, Polar Knight however seems to hide a more complex set of emotions behind his stoic demeanor. According to a Rail Rider at the Tower of Fate, after his defeat against Specter Knight and his forceful addition to the Order, Polar Knight became somber and stormy, shoveling snow with a never seen before vigor, perhaps indicating conflicting feelings. He also gently took care of an injured Terrorpin on behalf of his old friend Black Knight, even hand feeding him some soup while petting him on the head.
Relationships[]
Shovel Knight[]
| “ | How about I knock your head outta the clouds? For old time's sake. | ” |
— Polar Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown | ||
Polar Knight has or at least had a positive relationship with Shovel Knight, who addresses Polar Knight as an old friend when they meet in Shovel of Hope. Shovel Knight seems upset that Polar Knight has joined the Order, apparently betraying an oath in doing so. Despite this, Polar Knight seems to respect him greatly, trying to recruit him to the Order of No Quarter both when they first meet and after being defeated in the Battle Royale.
Plague Knight[]
| “ | You know, I never liked you, wizard. Masks... books... cheap tricks. You're nothing but a weakling.
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” |
— Polar Knight, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows | ||
Polar Knight and Plague Knight have an openly antagonistic relationship. In Plague of Shadows, Plague Knight initially mistakes Baz for Polar Knight when they meet in the fields. When he meets the real Polar Knight, he mockingly calls him "Beard Knight". Polar Knight makes his contempt of Plague Knight and his weakness known shortly afterward.
Black Knight[]
In the credits of Plague of Shadows, Polar Knight is seen sharing a campfire with Black Knight in a scene titled "reunion", implying they also share a past relationship. Whether the two and Shovel Knight were all part of the supposed oath is unknown.
In the credits of Specter of Torment, Polar Knight is seen taking care of injured Terrorpin, the turtle companion of Black Knight.
Story[]
Background[]
Some time in the past, Polar Knight, Black Knight and Shovel Knight were trained together and taught the same principles.[2][3] Though at the time he was a proud warrior who followed the Code of Shovelry,[4] at some point, for uknown reasons, Polar Knight's attitude drastically shifted: having now become obsessed with the concept of overwhelming strength,[5] he retired in the snowy regions of the Valley in order to train among the wild Spinwulves, being now willing to submit under anyone who would show him that level of power, regardless of moral character.
King of Cards[]
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Specter of Torment[]
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Showdown[]
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Shovel of Hope[]
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Plague of Shadows[]
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Pocket Dungeon[]
At some point during the events of Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, Polar Knight ended up, alongside his fellow Order of No Quarter members and many others, being trapped inside the Pocket Dungeon, a legendary magical puzzle box which nobody had ever solved before. Polar Knight presence inside the box shaped its landscapes, adding a carbon copy of the Stranded Ship snowy fields to the dungeon.
Eventually, Polar Knight met the other prisoners, and after a brief fight, joined them in their united efforts to escape the trap box. They eventually succeeded in doing so after they visited all four of the Shrines and defeated the true mastermind behind the whole kidnapping scheme, which turned out to be The Enchantress herself, up to another of her plans for total domination of the Valley.
Upon escaping, a brief truce was established between all prisoners, and the group celebrated their freedom, with Polar Knight being seen put into a slightly too tight tuxedo by Myriad, and spectating a game of Joustus between Prism Knight and Mole Knight while eating a popsicle.
Strategy[]
Polar Knight has two main phases. The first is to dig up snowballs to toss at you, and these will stay until you bounce and break them. He will eventually charge across the screen, piling the snowballs up as he goes. If none of the balls have been broken, this is a fairly damaging attack. The second phase is a lot more difficult, as he will dig up the snow from the floor of the stage, revealing one-hit kill spikes. After a few passes, he will send more snow down to cover the spikes, but this snow damages you as well. As a final note, after one bounce with the Shovel Drop, Polar Knight will hold his shovel above his head, blocking damage and eventually counterattacking through the Shovel Drop.
Abilities[]
Pocket Dungeon[]
As a playable knight, Polar Knight main ability lets him freeze chains each time he deals a Fatal blow to nearby enemies of the same type. Furthermore, he deals 1 more damage to frozen foes, which can be devastating when paired with a Ice Axe or an Ice Bomb.
His Refract Ability, Spinwulf Strike, lets him chuck Spinwulves at the enemies in one of the four directions. He can have up to three Spinwulves with him at the time; they fetch items and attack foes, bouncing on them a number of times depending of their HPs, for a maximum of 4 bounces for Spinwulf, which can be replenished by overhealing with Potions or Turkeys.
Furthermore, by using his Refract Ability and Percy's fast travel cannon, Polar Knight can make a Spinwulf into a secret playable knight, which will even reward a ribbon for the Guidebook.
Joustus Deck[]
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| Polar Knight | Tadvolt | Tadvolt | Rail Rider |
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| Rail Rider | Rail Rider | Rail Rider | Tundread |
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| Tundread | Blorbsidian | Rungstrider | Spinwulf |
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| Spinwulf | Spinwulf | Cinderwulf | Hurlsvelgr |
Dialogue[]
Treasure Trove[]
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Spin-offs[]
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Trivia[]
- Polar Knight has been hinted to like meat.
- Quotes such as, "This stuffy keep is no place for warriors, but the meat is plentiful. I may sit here for a while yet," and "We're close, friends. Fresh meat soon. Then it's time to see if this journey's been worth it," support this theory.
- His design and level are based on stereotypical Vikings.
- He is the only knight, besides Shield Knight and Scrap Knight, whose helmet doesn't cover his entire face, and also the only knight to be seen without it (although he is seen from a back view, preventing the player from seeing his face).
- Despite his official bio claiming he has an annoying laugh, he is never seen laughing in game, being otherwise very serious. This is actually a joke reference to Yacht Club Games developer Nick Wozniak:
- As stated in the Shovel Knight: Official Design Works: "The mole on Polar Knight's face came from the misinterpretation of the sprite. Originally conceived of Polar Knight's nasolabial fold, the team thought that Woz was putting an Easter egg of himself into the game. In some descriptions, you'll notice that Polar Knight's laugh is described as "water torture," a nod to the fact that Woz's laugh was once described this way."
- Yacht Club Games' Sandy Gordon reaffirmed the comparison: "Nick is totally Polar Knight! They even have the same facial mole and beard! He's also super cold all the time and has wild dogs follow him around everywhere, but I'm thinking it's because of the Turkey leg he keeps in his pocket. (pre-release Showdown references)"[6]
- In the Battle Royale, he has the exact same dialogue regardless of who shows up.
- It is possible that Polar Knight is also a student of Shovelry, though he wields a giant snow shovel rather than a Shovel Blade. As seen in both campaigns, he does have ties to both Shovel Knight and Black Knight.
- Notably, despite his ties to Shovel Knight and Black Knight, he never indicates any knowledge of Shield Knight or The Enchantress, though Yacht Club Games suggests he may have known The Enchantress's true identity.[7]
- When talking to a Rail Rider in the Tower of Fate hub, he mentions how Polar Knight "suffered a loss". It is unknown whether he is referring to Polar Knight losing a person he cared about, or simply his loss against Specter Knight.
- In Pocket Dungeon, when the playable Spinwulf is bumped from above by Polar Knight, the warrior will give the wolf a belly rub. On the other hand, if the Spinwulf bumps Polar Knight from above, it will playfully pounce him on the back.
Nomenclature[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Polar Knight | - |
| French | Polar Knight | - |
| Italian | Polar Knight | - |
| German | Polar Knight | - |
| Spanish | Polar Knight | - |
| Japanese | フロストナイト furosuto naito |
Frost Knight |
| Russian | Полярный рыцарь Polyarnyy rytsar' |
Polar knight |
| Brazilian-Portuguese | Polar Knight | - |
| Korean | 북극 기사 buggeug gisa |
Arctic Knight |
| Simplified Chinese | 极地骑士 jídì qíshì |
Polar Knight |
| Traditional Chinese | 極地騎士 jídì qíshì |
Polar Knight |
Gallery[]
See: Polar Knight/Gallery
References[]
- ↑ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yachtclubgames/shovel-knight/posts/645962
- ↑ "Polar Knight, you know where being a blind follower gets you! It goes against everything we learned!"
—Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown - ↑ "Black Knight. Good to see someone familiar, in this unfamiliar place."
—Polar Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown - ↑ "You've forgotten our oath! What happened to the proud warrior I knew?"
—Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope - ↑ "Hmph. The world's one big battle, in or out of this mirror. I chose my side. And I'm strong enough to actually protect my friends."
—Polar Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown - ↑ AMA reddit post
- ↑ https://twitter.com/YachtClubGames/status/614482371992227840