The Shoulder Bash performed with what is known as Kings Shoulder in the Gear menu, is a special move that King Knight uses for attacking and movement, introduced for the first time in King of Cards.
Gameplay[]
The Shoulder Bash is a flexible technique, composed of multiple motions:
The first and principal one, performed by pressing [ATTACK], is a lateral forward lunging attack that produce a dash, including while airborne; if the Battery Brigandine is equipped, the dash motion of the Bash can be charged, which will not only increase the distance traveled, but also make it possible to perform Shoulder Bashes upwards and downwards.
Following the first motion, if an enemy, a suitable surface, or a destructible object is hit this way, it will send King Knight into a twirling motion known as a Spin after a small rise in the air comparable to a jump. This movement works very much like the Shovel Drop, and can damage and bounce off enemies, as well destroy Dirt Blocks and dig dirt piles. If the Spin is used to uncover a food platter, a special animation will play. Also, another very important role of the Spin, is that, should the Spin being able to bounce off something, it being a obstacle or enemy, then another Shoulder Bash lunge can be performed, making it possible in this way to chain multiple lunges one after another, and clear otherwise impossible distances.
Lastly, the Shoulder Bash can be canceled into a Roll by pressing the [ATTACK] button a second time during the dash motion. When this is done, King Knight will not rise upon hitting a wall, enemies, or any other object King Knight can Bash on, yet the Roll still destroy blocks and damage enemies, making it sometimes, a more strategic move than a full Bash. If the enemy or obstacle still has life left after the attack, King Knight will slightly roll backwards towards his starting position, ready for another Bash.
From the Hengineer, King Knight can purchase an upgrade to the Roll, called the Blast Roll, that improves its damaging power if done at the last second. The Spin itself can also be upgraded to send sparks to both sides of King Knight if he lands on ground while at full health, called the Impact Sparks, with the sparks themselves being able to damage enemies but not break blocks, as well as being made able to absorb Treasures thanks to the Wealth Whirl upgrade.
| Image | Item | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wealth Whirl | Spin to absorb nearby gold! |  6000
|
|
Impact Sparks | When your health is full, land while spinning to unleash impact sparks! | 5000
|
|
Blast Roll | Press [x] near the end of a bash to perform a more powerful roll! | 5500
|
The Shoulder Bash move appears to be similar to Custom Knight's charge move known as the Blink Dash.
In Shovel Knight Showdown, the Shoulder Bash is once again the main form of attack of King Knight, with all of its capabilities still present.
In Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon the Shoulder Bash returns as the default ability of King Knight, making it possible for the wannabe monarch to deal an extra powerful attack, with more power the more distance between him and his target have when it is performed, at the cost of more recoil damage. The Shoulder Bash also functions as an effective dash when performed without any obstacle in its path. It however no longer lifts King Knight from the soil, leaving him groundbound at all time, and susceptible to ground hazards unless the Nimbus Balloon is equipped. The Puzzler's Pack DLC introduce a new Quandary Character Quest for King Knight at Castle Quandary, Bash Blitz, in which he must move only by Shoulder Bashing, so the recoil damage penalties from it are removed, but there is the added caveat that, while moving by only one spot is possible by pressing ☆, it will costs 1 HP if done more than one time in a row.
Trivia[]
- The Shoulder Bash, its Spin aftereffect and, to a lesser extent, the Roll cancel, are together one of the four core movement mechanics around which the level design specific for the campaign it appears in is build upon, in this case King of Cards. The others are the Shovel Drop, the Bomb Burst, and the Dash Slash.
- The Shoulder Bash bears resemblance to the signature move of Wario, as seen in Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land and the Wario Land series.
- Unlike said move, King Knight's does not tear through several blocks and cannot be held indefinitely.