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! Run, jump, and battle as Shovel Knight, wielder of the Shovel Blade, in a quest for his lost beloved. Take down the nefarious knights of the Order of No Quarter and confront their menacing leader, The Enchantress. But that’s not everything! Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove also features four additional games all unto themselves! Take control of Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight on adventures of their own or battle each other in a local four player Showdown. Together, they form a grand and sweeping saga! With Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you get it all. Play with a friend in Shovel of Hope's cooperative campaign, test your mettle in full-featured challenge modes, battle together in Showdown, and change the game with Body Swap mode. Uphold the virtues of Shovelry, earn relics and riches, and discover the true meaning of shovel justice!
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The biggest reason for my enjoyment easily comes with how unique the whole package is. Each of the four games included is quite unique in how their main character performs, with Plague Knight in Plague of Shadows being a particular highlight. You have to retool how you approach each experience, and it's ironically better for it.
Even beyond the broader freshness, each level in each of the four games feels distinct, with unique soundtracks, varied enemies, and tons of different environmental hazards to navigate. It makes each game quite memorable, even when the fourth game, King of Cards, splits single locations into multiple levels.
It's all wrapped in this labor of love that shows just how much Yacht Club cared about their brainchild. The humor is spot-on, the music is full of bangers, and the visuals all feel distinct and pleasing. It oozes passion, making it almost hard to put down.
However, there is one thing holding the package back, being the inconsistencies across each experience. Shovel of Hope is great on its own, but pales in uniqueness to the rest of the package. Plague of Shadows reuses levels and makes them a touch tiring (something remedied by the final two games). Specter of Torment feels piss easy thanks to overloading you with powerful abilities and moves, and King of Cards often feels like a challenge mode that I wasn't asking for. I also didn't love Joustous, but I attribute that more to me not adoring card games online than any issue with the card game itself.
However, each inversely came with strengths over the others. Shovel of Hope makes for a great introduction for its simplicity. Plague of Shadows has the most diverse equipment loadout in the entire collection, Specter of Torment has the most fluid movement, and King of Cards has the best humor.
If you're a fan of 2D platformers or can at least tolerate it, there's a ton to love in Treasure Trove. Its got over 20 hours of content for main story completers like me to explore, and hundreds more hours for completionists. It's a package brimming with content and passion, and one I don't regret playing through fully. I'm almost surprised only 5% of people finished up to the last game, at least on Steam.
Plague of Shadows 4/5
Specter of Torment 5/5
King of Cards 4/5
Showdown 2/5