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Pardon the dust! This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime. |
Review: Shovel Knight: Showdown
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:There isn't one. You'll need to complete the story mode in one sitting. To pause the action, press ESC to bring up the in-game menu. Time needed per session:The story mode can generally be completed in twenty minutes or less, so use this as your guide to planning your time.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians Although this is a game where characters fight each other, it's an extremely tame and family friendly title. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/shovel_knight_showdown_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/shovel_knight_showdown_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/shovel_knight_showdown_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Throughout the Shovel Knight series, we've saved Shield Knight from her curse, aided the alchemist in his quest for true love, learned the reason behind Specter Knight's bondage, and seen King Knight's rise to the throne. It's been a wild ride, and things are about to get a lot crazier, as this game not only breaks from the platforming adventure formula, it also breaks the timeline into lots of little pieces.
It all begins near the climax of Specter of Torment. As Specter Knight began to rebel against the Enchantress, her other minions decided to stage their own rebellion. Their plan was to modify the Magic Mirror so that it would trap the Enchantress, but things went horribly wrong when their ramshackle device malfunctioned - it cracked the mirror, and reality shattered along with it!
With the timelines scrambled, everyone is finding themselves up against friends, enemies, and even themselves from other periods in history. In order to restore things to normal, someone must battle their way into the Tower of Fate and fix the Magic Mirror. Of course, when I say that they'll "fix" the mirror, I really mean that they'll need to beat the devil out of it. Literally.
Gameplay wise, Shovel Knight Showdown is a fighting game with some slight twists. While every playable character has a variety of attacks and abilities that makes them unique, you're not always trying to knock out your opponents. Instead, you'll often be trying to collect more gems than anybody else. Your combat abilities will still be useful during these contests, however, as you can use your attacks to knock them away from gems or even force them to drop gems they've collected.
Players can also choose between playing quick custom battles or a multistage story mode. Most of the story mode levels are randomized, with the combatants chosen from the list of characters you've unlocked, but the final battle will always be between your chosen hero (or heroine) and the possessed Magic Mirror.
All in all, Shovel Knight Showdown is a fun ride with a lot of different surprises tossed in along the way, but it just seems like there's something missing. It's still a great game, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't live up to the rest of the series.
It all begins near the climax of Specter of Torment. As Specter Knight began to rebel against the Enchantress, her other minions decided to stage their own rebellion. Their plan was to modify the Magic Mirror so that it would trap the Enchantress, but things went horribly wrong when their ramshackle device malfunctioned - it cracked the mirror, and reality shattered along with it!
With the timelines scrambled, everyone is finding themselves up against friends, enemies, and even themselves from other periods in history. In order to restore things to normal, someone must battle their way into the Tower of Fate and fix the Magic Mirror. Of course, when I say that they'll "fix" the mirror, I really mean that they'll need to beat the devil out of it. Literally.
Gameplay wise, Shovel Knight Showdown is a fighting game with some slight twists. While every playable character has a variety of attacks and abilities that makes them unique, you're not always trying to knock out your opponents. Instead, you'll often be trying to collect more gems than anybody else. Your combat abilities will still be useful during these contests, however, as you can use your attacks to knock them away from gems or even force them to drop gems they've collected.
Players can also choose between playing quick custom battles or a multistage story mode. Most of the story mode levels are randomized, with the combatants chosen from the list of characters you've unlocked, but the final battle will always be between your chosen hero (or heroine) and the possessed Magic Mirror.
All in all, Shovel Knight Showdown is a fun ride with a lot of different surprises tossed in along the way, but it just seems like there's something missing. It's still a great game, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't live up to the rest of the series.
Points of Interest
Tons of unlockables
Initially, the roster of playable characters only lists eight characters. As you complete the story mode with different champions, new characters will be unlocked and added to the roster, bringing the final tally to twenty total playable characters. New stages and costumes can also be unlocked by completing the story mode or by accomplishing certain tasks during the battles.
Lots of nods to the rest of the series
Every playable character is either one of the heroes, a member of the Order of No Quarter, or an interesting supporting character. This already allows us to get a peek behind the curtain and see what the different characters think about their roles in the Shovel Knight universe, but the stages and powerups are also based on key events in the series.
Steam community features
Shovel Knight Showdown comes with 33 achievements for players to fight over. Most of these require you to perform a special task as each playable character, so you're going to be replaying this game a lot if you're achievement hunting. That said, the achievement for completing the story mode on hard difficulty is likely to be the one that stops most players.
For anyone who's interested in collecting them, there's also a set of Steam trading cards available.
For anyone who's interested in collecting them, there's also a set of Steam trading cards available.
The AI can be dodgy at times
One of the downsides of playing against the computer is that it sometimes makes very poor choices, particularly around lava. It's as if the AI can't predict when doing something is likely to get its characters knocked into a pit, resulting in reckless jumps or attacks that invite disaster. This is especially noticeable on Easy difficulty, as the AI almost seems determined to lose on some stages.
High difficulty
The Magic Mirror is an unexpectedly hard boss on Medium or Hard difficulties. One of the biggest sources of frustration in this battle comes from the Mirror's projectile attacks - not only do they capture gems at these difficulties, they also replace the stolen gems with a large bomb, forcing the player to run around the screen for dear life.
Concerns and Issues
Mild violence
Despite this being a game centered around characters fighting with each other, it's remarkably non-violent. No injury ever amounts to more than a character being pushed around or knocked over. Should someone stumble into lava, they'll just turn red and fall off the screen.
Magic
Like the rest of the Shovel Knight games, there's some magic present, though there's less to be seen here than in the other games. For example, certain characters can use magical abilities, and some of the items that can be used during a stage act like magical charms. Certain levels also have the players become tiny faeries, allowing them to fight over gems while flying around.
Not everyone gets a happy ending
Since winning the game restores reality to normal, it means that some of the playable characters will be returning to unfavorable situations. The obvious example here is Shield Knight, who will find herself once again trapped by the Enchantress' curse once the timeline is restored. Like the other characters, her fate depends on Shovel Knight saving the day in Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope.