Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Critic Reviews

If you haven’t played Shovel Knight, Treasure Trove is an absolute must buy… and if you have, you already know that it’s a must buy.

The Switch launch lineup might be light on exclusives and new games, but this package easily stands out as one of the best in the bunch. For anyone who missed out on Shovel Knight in its first run, this is a no-brainer. For Switch owners who might have already taken down the Order of No Quarter, the new expansions make it more than worthwhile for a double dip. Shovel Knight is an amazing franchise I hope to see continue long into the future, and is one of the few games I have actually beaten more than two times in this sea of endless titles releasing. A must own.

Treasure Trove is packed to the brim with content and the different ways you can play through these games is wonderfully broad. Whether its co-op or solo, handheld or docked – it’s up to you. I don’t care. Just go play Shovel Knight.

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove brings us back knight with shovel to prove that it remains one of the best independent games of recent years. With the original game, the two expansions and all the content as new modes or game options, this edition is an essential for Nintendo Switch.

Shovel Knight has always been excellent, but bundling these three chapters together, including new functionality, increases the attractiveness of an already incredibly compelling package. These games are fantastic, and having the complete Shovel Knight experience in one spot, clocking in at around 15 hours of gameplay in our case, makes this a must-have for Switch owners - especially those that have so far failed to dig into this game and its add-ons.

Shovel Knight became an instant classic for a reason, and the ability to pack it up and take it anywhere makes it a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch. Available as a standalone app or as a collection of all three campaigns, the titular Shovel Knight has dug his way into the hearts of Nintendo fans everywhere, and the ability to take the game anywhere makes the Nintendo Switch the ultimate platform to experience the Shovel Knight phenomenon.

This is the best version of Shovel Knight yet, and Treasure Trove is the most complete package. In addition to piling ever more new features on top of the original, Yacht Club has improved on Shovel Knight in nearly every way with the Specter of Torment expansion. From the story and writing to the simple fluidness of platforming and combat, Specter Knight is an excellent new step for the series.

While the original game was a fabulous romp, the Treasure Trove collection is more than worthy of investing some time into. Anyone who already has the original will obtain the upgraded package for free, but if bought separately, each of the three released campaigns should keep you entertained with great platforming that’s full of charm. With more stuff coming in the next year, the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is worth its weight in gold.

Shovel Knight and its two expansions feature expertly crafted levels and mechanics, as well as music and visuals that will put a smile on your face. Though it is unfortunate that Switch owners are forced to put an extra $10 down to play a “free” expansion, those that do choose to pick up the package will find it well worth playing, no matter the price.

Shovel Knight is one of the best indie games in the last few years, and this is the best edition so far. It also works great with the Switch concept, so if you have the new Nintendo console and you haven't played Shovel Knight yet, you shouldn't miss it.

Each of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove's campaigns shines in its own right, but playing the same levels three times over, albeit re-designed for each character, can get boring after a while.

Imagine in the glorious old times of NES that we'd have the chance of playing with a game that mix the jumping style of Ducktales, the cities from Zelda II, the map and secrets in the levels of Mario Bros. 3 and 8 enemies like in Mega Man, the magic weapons of Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania, and all the epic from the Sword & Sorcery Genre. All of them into the most complete Yacht Club Games creation.

Yacht Club Games is still surprising us with the Shovel Knight expansions, with a lot of substantial changes, Specter of Torment is a challenging experience that compliments Treasure Trove as a must have package to every fan of platform games.

Through Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games not only unearthed rough cornerstones of the past, but also polished them by modern standards. Then Plague of Shadows let brave alchemists experience a more elaborate, explosive formula, while Specter of Torment came back from the dead to sharpen both the gameplay and the narrative, a fantastic journey now gathered into this well-named Treasure Trove.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is a compilation of the previous Shovel Knight adventures that gets everything right. Its long lifespan, very detailed and quality level design, as well as its challenges and plot make the Shovel Knight series one of the best contemporary platformers designed in the 8-bit retro style. With Treasure Trove, fans of old school sidescrollers will find everything they could want.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is practically a must-own for anyone who has just picked up a Nintendo Switch. The expected excellent platforming fun, enjoyable storytelling, and impressive art and sound of all three campaigns not only comes all packed together in one title, but also includes better accessibility than ever before on a platform the title feels made for.

Sadly, I found later levels lost a lot of the game's early steam, as too much of the old "pixel perfect" platforming starts to creep in.

I always liked Shovel Knight, but I never loved it. Not until it came to Switch.