REVIEW : Shovel Knight Dig (PC)
Even though it seems like it was just yesterday, Shovel Knight, one of the best video games of the last ten years, was released by Yacht Club Games eight years ago. Since then, this breathtakingly gorgeous retro action-platformer has kept adding new content, appearing on all available platforms and even receiving a compelling puzzle spin-off. And indeed, the charming Knight of the Shovel has made numerous cameo appearances in several independent games. Shovel Knight Dig, a brand-new and funny roguelite created in partnership with Nitrome, marks the studio’s return, and even though it fell a little short, we still really enjoyed it. Fortunately for all of us, it appears that we will still have Shovel Knight for a while.
Clean underground adventures
As a result, this time we are faced with an action and platform adventure that modifies the original game’s setting and predetermined level design in favour of several phases that are generated randomly in each game. While we will always have some of the money we carry around to invest in unlocking new goods, enhancements, and shortcuts that should help us make our future chores easier, dying will mean losing all of our objects and improvements and having to restart from scratch. attempts.
Dig distinguishes out in what is purely playable, even though its framework isn’t all that different from the hundreds of independent roguelikes that are already available. This is primarily due to the controls being very similar to those of Shovel Knight. We can attack with our shovel, bounce it off of enemies and certain stage elements, dig, jump, and find many secrets hidden in suspicious walls that don’t seem to fit in with the rest of the stage. We can also use various relics to cast spells and use special abilities. Add to that the fact that a tonne of adversaries, obstacles, and traps have been salvaged from the original work and the fact that we won’t stop hunting for gems and opening treasure boxes, and you have a very recognisable game that captures the spirit of the franchise.
The best part is that he still manages to innovate and create new and refreshing things, and his level of design is unquestionably a prime example of this. The phases, as we’ve already indicated, are generated at random, but there is always one thing in common: every screen advances vertically downward.
In other words, we are constantly falling into the depths here, which has an impact on how the stage’s various pieces are set up. This forces us to play very carefully because once we go below, we cannot come back up. We will also need to be nimble when making judgments because if we take too long, a huge bulldozer will appear that can kill us with a single strike. To unlock a machine after each level and select between restoring all of our lives or receiving a random object as a reward, which is a much more appetising option, we must collect three gears from each level. No matter how obvious these gears are, they are always located in potentially hazardous areas, so we must consider whether taking the chance to obtain them is worthwhile depending on the circumstances. This is a brilliant design choice.
Shovel Knight Dig’s ability to give us control by allowing us to almost always choose between two distinct paths each time we finish a screen is another factor in why the game works so effectively.
For us to choose the difficulties we wish to confront, they always let us know what we will encounter on each route with a few basic clues, such as a greater presence of a specific sort of trap or a character to trade with. Additionally, there are several times when we can decide whether to travel to one biome or another. Each one has its characteristics that may be more or less advantageous to us based on the gear we have acquired throughout the game.
The fact that when we receive keys, they follow us until we locate a door or chest to utilise them in is another effective mechanism. Of course, they will fall to the ground and possibly even break if we hit them before utilising them, so we must play extremely carefully to avoid losing them. The frosting on the cake is completed by adding some controls, some flawless physics, and some bosses that, all in all, we loved and who provided us with some enjoyable and difficult bouts with some alterations in the setting.
Now, not everything that glitters is gold, and some parts have not persuaded us, starting with the number of accessories that scarcely contribute and whose effects we won’t notice when playing.
While some of them are quite helpful, like the one that lets us resurrect once if they kill us, the great majority have looked too situational or unimportant, which lessens the attractiveness of the progression system that enables us to earn new things to appear in our future games.
Similar to that, it has a relatively limited amount of content, which a person of average skill may finish in under five hours.
The issue is that, after this, the only real incentive we will have to keep playing will be to reveal the game’s true ending, which we will have to do by satisfying several challenging and obscure prerequisites. You won’t be able to keep your proposal fresh for very long because, regrettably, many events and places tend to repeat themselves more frequently than is ideal.
beauty pixel art
Last but not least, we can only praise its audiovisual section, starting with its graphics. This time around, the game has chosen to forgo the 8-bit aesthetic of the original in favour of something much more elaborate, detailed, and akin to what one might find in 16-bit console games. This results in much larger characters, worked with more complex animations, as well as more striking effects and fantastic backgrounds. And the saga’s outstanding art direction complements all of this.
The soundtrack, on the other hand, was once again written by Jake Kaufman, who imprints his style on highly animated soundtracks that maintain the tone and sound that are so distinctive to the story. Or, to put it another way, there isn’t a finer soundtrack for our excursions than the music.
REVIEW : Jurassic World Evolution 2: Late Cretaceous Pack (PC)
