I don't remember much about the game because it's been years since I played, but I played co-op with a good friend and all I remember is laughing and having one the best times ever with this game.
If you have a friend you like to game with, this is a 100% recommend.
I can't recommend it as a solo experience because I haven't tried it as a solo experience, but I imagine it would still be a very fun game, just probably not as hilarious as bouncing on top of your friend's head.

The art is beautiful and the music slaps.
I don't always like retro style games because they often lack modern quality of life things and I can find the style hard to see (I lose my character on the screen all the time), but I don't have either of these issues with Shovel Knight.

The company is also an amazing company that seems to truly care about not only this game but also game development in general.