LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Review

Game: Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Genre: Puzzle, Action, Adventure
System: Steam (Windows) (also on Nintendo Switch and PS4)
Developer|Publisher: Vine | Yacht Club Games
Controller Support: Full
Price: UK £17.99 | US $19.99 | EU € 19,99
Release Date: December 13th, 2021

Review code provided with many thanks to Yacht Club Games

Grab a Shovel

Shovel Knight returns (insert triumphant music), this time in puzzle game form. To me, it still feels like new and original pick up and play puzzle games are quite a rare commodity on a console. Mobile tends to be the more popular platform and the game itself is the usual match 3 endeavour.

Still to this day the games I tend to reach for, for a quick puzzle fix, are Tetris and Bust a Move (Puzzle Bobble) so it’s quite refreshing to see a developer take a stab at the genre. Mixing the puzzle with the fun pixel design of the Shovel Knight series feels like a winning formula. 

LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Prepare to puzzle

What’s in The Box

Shovel Knight is off on one of his merry pixel adventures when he discovers a mysterious box. But just as many pop culture references will tell us, sometimes it is best not to know what’s in said box. So Shovel Knight gets sucked into the puzzle box with his only hopes of escape being to figure out the gauntlet of puzzles that lie ahead.

You initially play as Shovel Knight but as you progress through the game you will encounter many familiar enemies and knights from the infamous series. However, if this is your first foray into the world of Shovel Knight no prior knowledge is needed to understand the story or enjoy the gameplay for that matter. The graphics and sounds are familiar to fans of the series. The familiar pixel art design with upbeat tunes works just as well in this puzzler as it did in the original platformer. 

LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Unlock familiar characters from the series

Move and Attack

If you venture forth in single-player you will spend most of your gaming time tackling adventure mode. The game begins with a helpful tutorial to get to grips with the game’s mechanics. Basically, your character is placed on a grid as blocks and enemies gradually fall from the top of the screen. Even though blocks fall you are able to navigate around the entire grid. The idea of the game is to take out several enemies in order to obtain a key to exit the level. The game cleverly mixes puzzle elements with old school turn-based dungeon crawling. A mixture that seems odd but works. What this means is when you move into enemies you will automatically attack them, but it also means they will counterattack you. Fortunately, the grid regularly drops potions so you can replenish your health.

The puzzle twist comes in by waiting for the right moment for several enemies to connect together and then by taking them all out at once in a chain attack. Enemies come in many forms and attack in different ways. Some will use a shield to block an attack so you need to move around them to continue the assault. You can also grab keys to unlock chests which will give you a random ability or perk. Or you may be transported to a store to spend your hard-earned gems.

The game is constantly keeping you on your toes making it quite engaging. Mistakes will happen but the game does give you room to course-correct and turn things around in your favour. The run is over if the room fills with blocks or you linger too long on a level and get caught by the spikes descending from the ceiling. There are several levels to complete and even a few boss encounters to take on to mix up the formula. 

LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Find the odd bonus room

Controls and Accessibility

Controls are simple; you only need to use the directional buttons to move about and attack objects and enemies. Sometimes you may get an ability to use which can be activated with the push of a button. Other than that this game is pretty accessible for all audiences. Speaking of accessibility the game offers some extensive options in the games main menu to tailor the game to your liking. If you fancy, you can play the adventure like a pure rogue-like where you have one shot to get as far as possible and death will put you right back to the start.

Alternatively, you can opt for more of a puzzle experience. Here you have lives so when you die you get re-positioned on the grid. You lose your gems but you can reclaim them if you can get back to them on the grid. This version is a little more forgiving for first-timers. While I love my rogue-likes I had to work my way up to this more challenging mode over time. Other accessibility options also include increasing the damage you inflict on enemies and how much health you start with. If you do tweak these settings you won’t be able to unlock achievements but you can still see everything the game has to offer. 

LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
A moment to relax at camp

Other Modes

Other modes include a VS mode where you can square off against a human or AI-controlled character. Here each player has their own grid and the idea is to get chain combos as quickly as possible to send blocks over to your opponent until one of you fails. It’s a fun pick up and play experience that I can see being pretty awesome to play in handheld mode on Nintendo Switch.

The game also offers a daily challenge mode where you are given a set character and level to try to obtain the highest score possible to get on the daily leaderboard. Since I was lucky to review this game before launch, this was the first time in history my gamer tag appeared in the top ten of a high score leaderboard. I was so happy. 

LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Boss fights add a challenging spin to the gameplay

Additional Content

As for additional content, there are multiple characters to unlock in adventure and VS. Some are well known from the series and some totally new. Each character has its own perks and gameplay style. This gives plenty of incentive to replay the adventure even after conquering it the first time. You can also unlock new cosmetics, shortcuts and perks before you start a new run.

A single run of the game takes around thirty minutes. But it will likely take several runs before you see the game’s conclusion. But even when you do, it’s likely you will happily return for multiple runs in the future to unlock more secrets, get a high score or just enjoy the addictive gameplay.

LadiesGamers Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Why not go head to head with another player?

Conclusion – Treasure Trove

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon will absolutely scratch that puzzle itch if you’re looking for something original and different. A simple pick up and play concept that is easy to get into but offers plenty of challenges to keep you coming back again and again. With extensive options and accessibility. This title offers an experience you can tailor to your liking which I can see many gamers appreciating. This may be the PC version I’m reviewing but I will likely grab this game on Nintendo Switch as it truly feels like a pretty brilliant pocket puzzler. So, grab a shovel and get puzzling. 

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up 

Two thumbs up

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