Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

For the main campaign and game, see Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope.

Shovel Knight
Developer(s)	Yacht Club Games
Publisher(s)	Yacht Club Games
platform	PC, Linux, Mac, Steam, Wii U, 3DS, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, Android
released	June 26, 2014 March 2017 (Switch) April 25th, 2017 (PS4, Vita, PS3 for America) August 24th, 2017 (Windows 10)
Genre(s)	Platformer

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the complete edition of Shovel Knight, a 2D side-scrolling platformer developed by Yacht Club Games. The game was first released in Q2 2014 for Windows, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U platforms, and in the following three years on Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, and lastly Nintendo Switch.

The Treasure Trove edition, released in March 2017 on Nintendo Switch and April for all other platforms, is a compilation of games that contains the original game and all other 4 campaigns that were funded through the original game's Kickstarter. Since Treasure Trove is essentially an extra upgraded version of the original release of Shovel Knight, anyone who had previously purchased it prior of its rebranding, had the additional perk of having their copy upgraded to the Treasure Trove edition without any additional cost. Since the release of the Treasure Trove compilation, most of the games contained within it also have received standalone re-releases.

Story

“	Long ago, the lands were untamed, and roamed by legendary adventurers! But villainy ran rampant, and in time, even the most stalwart heroes fell. In the absence of champions, the Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter swept into power.	”

The Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove compilation features four main campaigns, each with its own playable character, story, gameplay and altered stages:

• Shovel of Hope: the main campaign featuring the titular character, Shovel Knight, on a quest across the Valley to save his beloved Shield Knight and vanquish the Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter.
• Plague of Shadows: an alternate story in parallel of Shovel Knight's quest, Plague Knight goes on an adventure to gather the essences of his fellow knights of the Order and brew the most powerful concoction in the world, the Ultimate Potion. Note: this is currently the only main campaign that it has not been made available also as a standalone title, being instead exclusively found inside the Treasure Trove compilation.
• Specter of Torment: a prequel to the series, Specter Knight is resurrected by the Enchantress to recruit the Order of No Quarter and restore his humanity.
• King of Cards: another prequel, King Knight takes on a journey to best the three Joustus Judges who lord over the Valley and join the Order of No Quarter. Chronologicaly the first campign in the story.

In addition, the battle mode stretch goal, originally planned and promised during the Kickstarter funding, was reworked from the ground up into a "fifth" campaign of sorts known as:

• Shovel Knight Showdown: a fighting game with its own story mode, set near the end of Specter of Torment. Due to system limitation, Showdown is the only campaign not included in neither the Treasure Trove compilation nor as a stand alone in the 3DS and PS Vita versions.

Official Description

“	Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the full and complete edition of Shovel Knight, a sweeping classic action adventure game series with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic! Become Shovel Knight, wielder of the Shovel Blade, as he runs, jumps, and battles in a quest for his lost beloved. Take down the nefarious knights of the Order of No Quarter and their menacing leader, The Enchantress. But that’s not everything! Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove also features three additional campaigns that are games all unto themselves! Take control of Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight on adventures of their own! Together, they form a grand and sweeping saga! With a fully cooperative campaign, a full-featured challenge mode, a 4 player battle mode, and body swap mode, you’ll be digging for a long time. With Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you get it all. Uphold the virtues of Shovelry, earn relics and riches, and discover the true meaning of shovel justice!	”

Gameplay

Shovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. The game features 8-bit graphics designed to resemble classic games. While the color scheme closely mimics the Nintendo Entertainment System's original color palette, the game features modern graphical techniques, such as parallax scrolling. Each character uses a single primary weapon and various secondary ones requiring resources (respectively Relics, Arcana, Curios and Heirlooms). In addition, they each have their own mobility designs, which vary greatly from one character to another.

• In the original campaign, Shovel of Hope, the player controls the eponymous Shovel Knight who wields a sharpened shovel to attack enemies, destroy barriers, and dig up treasures. Shovel Knight can use his weapon in mid-air to perform a down thrust that can be used to bounce off of obstacles or the heads of enemies, while dealing damage. His Relics require Magic which can be regenerated with jars, limited in quantity in each stages.
• Plague Knight's gameplay in Plague of Shadows relies more on planning and variety, while also taking a fresh approach on the game's stages. He uses bombs as his primary weapons, and their effect can be customized to take advantage of each situation. He also uses Bomb Burst and double jump to soar through levels at the cost of a more hazardous mobility. His Arcana consume Power which regenerates quickly over time but can also take longer to do so if used too repeatedly.
• Specter Knight's gameplay in Specter of Torment has a more dynamic approach on stages. He uses a scythe which offers a longer range of attack, and can use it to dash through enemies and reach higher grounds. His mobility is close to parkour, giving him the ability to run shortly up walls and jump from one to another. His Curios are regenerated with Darkness, which can be easily recovered from slashing enemies.
• King Knight's gameplay in King of Cards uses the simplest control scheme compared to both of the previous two. His primary attack is the Shoulder Bash, which puts him into a spin jump directly after colliding with an obstacle or enemy allowing him to bounce off of them. His Heirlooms use Vigor which functions similarly to Shovel Knight's Magic. Additionally, there is a minigame found throughout the campaign called Joustus where you use cards to defeat an opponent by claiming gems on a board. You can also buy Cheat cards to gain an upper hand.
• Shovel Knight Showdown is a platforming fighting game with 20 characters from the Shovel Knight series. There can be up to 4 players in Battle Mode matches, and there are a variety of match types and modifier events to choose from. All 4 playable characters from the main campaigns have the move set from said adventures translated into Showdown, while the other characters get their own new move set. There is also a unique Parry move, used to block incoming attacks and disperse projectiles. To test the movesets of the characters, a useful Practice Mode can be accessed in the title screen, alongside the main Battle Mode, the Story Mode and Percy's Targets Mode.

The Treasure Trove compilation features the option to change the title screen in one of its variations, by double clicking the shoulder buttons of the controller of choice, and then selecting the preferred one. This includes the standard Treasure Trove title screen, the title screen of each individual main campaign and the special screen unlocked after beating all four campaigns. For Showdown, which has its own title screen separate from the main one, this includes the initial orange one and the blue colored one unlocked once all of its content becomes available.

Once one of the campaigns is beaten at least once (or in the case for Showdown, all of its playable Stages are unlocked) their related section of the Sound Test becomes available, making it possible to listen to that campaign's music tracks directly from the title screen. For the four main campaigns, beating them at least once also opens that campaigns specific section of Challenge Mode, where a series of trials centered around each protagonist knight (and, in the case of the Nintendo Versions, optionally there is a fifth section, where each amiibo adds new challenges once scanned) can be tackled.

Furthermore, when all the Feats of a particular campaign are completed, a corresponding medal its added in the top left of the screen, for a total of five medals (or four, in the versions of Treasure Trove that do not include Showdown). These medals are then upgraded into bigger ones with a character portrait, , , , , and , once all the base Challenges for each campaign (or in the case of Showdown, all of its Feats are earned, as this game in particular lacks the smaller medal) are completed.

Special Message

One beaten all four main campaign, a message from Yacht Club Games will be shown.

“	We, Yacht Club Games, extend to you our heartfelt congratulations! You have completed every Shovel Knight campaign and that is no easy task. You're an amazing player! Thank you for sticking with it to the end. We appreciate your time and dedication. We'll see you on the next adventure. Until then, please continue to explore, play, and find every secret!	”

After the message, a title screen variant with all four playable characters is unlocked.

Versions

For the differences between game platforms, see Version Differences.

Versions	Windows	Mac	Linux	Nintendo Switch	Wii U	Nintendo 3DS	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Xbox One	Amazon Fire TV
Digital	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Physical	Europe	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

In Spring, with the release of the second boss campaign and the arrival of the Nintendo Switch version, the original Shovel Knight edition of the game was renamed Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. Each campaign, with the exception of Plague of Shadows, will then become able to be purchased individually along with the newly named version.

Japanese Release

Releasing the game in Japan was originally one of the game's proposed Kickstarter goals. Yacht Club Games partnered with Japanese localizer 8-4 to work on a quality translation of the game to Japanese. In addition, Yacht Club Games applied various cosmetic visual and audio changes for the Japanese version as a tribute to localization of classic Famicom titles. The game's Japanese title is ショベルナイト (pronounced "Shoberunaito").

Yacht Club Games initially assigned Nintendo as their Japanese publisher. Nintendo published the game for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS on June 30, 2016. Nintendo also released a physical retail copy for the Nintendo 3DS, as well as the Shovel Knight amiibo. The amiibo was both bundled with the game, and sold separately.

Yacht Club Games has since officially registered their company in Japan, allowing them to self-publish the game without Nintendo. Yacht Club Games then released Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove for the Nintendo Switch on May 30, 2017, and for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on July 27, 2017.

See Yacht Club Games Japan's official website here for more information.

Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s official page for Shovel Knight on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

Development History

Main article: Treasure Trove development history

Recurring Characters

Main Characters

• Shovel Knight
• Shield Knight
• Black Knight

The Order of No Quarter

• Treasure Knight
• King Knight
• Plague Knight
• Tinker Knight
• Polar Knight
• Propeller Knight
• Specter Knight
• Mole Knight
• The Enchantress

The Wandering Travelers

• Reize
• Baz
• Phantom Striker
• Mr. Hat

Trailer

Shovel Knight- Treasure Trove - Launch Trailer

Gallery

Title logo.

First cover art for Treasure Trove.