Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Shovel Knight
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment expansion will be available in Spring 2017
Yacht Club Games had previously expected to launch the Shovel Knight expansions starring Specter Knight and King Knight by the end of the year. However, that’s no longer in the cards as the release of both add-ons has been pushed into 2017.
But to make up for this scheduling snafu, Yacht Club unveiled an amazing new logo for Specter Knight’s campaign, which is now officially known as Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. In a blog post on their official website, the developer confirmed the free expansion will be released in Spring 2017 and that it is, “a HUGE game with even more new content than Plague of Shadows.”
Shovel Knight, and the Plague of Shadows expansion, is currently available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Yacht Club sails in with an update on Shovel Knight’s Specter Knight campaign
Yacht Club Games is still toiling away at Shovel Knight‘s heaping helping of post-launch content, and after giving us a quick glimpse at the King Knight campaign a few weeks ago, the developer has returned with an extended profile of Specter Knight’s upcoming adventure.
Using a series of GIFs to illustrate Specter Knight’s moveset on their official website, Yacht Club Games seems to be mining another 8-bit classic, Ninja Gaiden, for inspiration. Specter Knight can slash with his trusty scythe, be he also has a lightning quick dash that can be performed on the ground or in the air. The character’s nimble form will also allow him to wall run to reach greater heights.
Yacht Club Games is developing the add-on campaigns for Specter Knight and King Knight simultaneously, though Specter Knight’s will launch first. The team isn’t ready to talk release dates just yet, but both campaigns will be available for free, alongside the also in-development Body Swap Mode and Battle Mode.
Finally, Yacht Club announced that Shovel Knight will be available on store shelves for the Vita soon. The limited physical version is in production at FanGamer and will be released in early October.
Yacht Club reveals a short snippet from Shovel Knight’s King Knight add-on
Yacht Club Games launched the beefy “Plague of Shadows” expansion for Shovel Knight late last year, but they’re not done updating their 2013 debut. The developer is also in the midst of creating add-on campaigns for King Knight and Specter Knight, and the current plan is to release both by the end of the year.
There’s still no ETA on when the King Knight or Specter Knight campaigns will be completed, but Yacht Club recently released this quick glimpse at King Knight in action:
We're creating two new Shovel Knight campaign updates! Specter is cool and King Knight rules. Here he is in action! pic.twitter.com/tkIwxcA2Xy
— Yacht Club Games (@YachtClubGames) June 2, 2016
I love the regal flourishes that have been added to the status bar.
Shovel Knight is getting a series of tie-in kids books this January
Shovel Knight lives by the Codes of Shovelry, and the teachings of this ancient art helped him topple the Order of No Quarter in Yacht Club’s excellent side-scrolling platformer of the same name. Capturing the hearts and minds of nostalgic gamers everywhere after his 2014 debut, Shovel Knight will take on his greatest challenge next year… the Children’s Literature section of your local bookstore.
Yacht Club Games has partnered with Grosset & Dunlap to publish a series of Shovel Knight-themed books targeted at kids 8-12 years old. The four books announced so far include:
- Shovel Knight Guidebook, a 176-page strategy guide that includes all of Shovel Knight’s secrets and tips to defeat the Order of No Quarter.
- Shovel Knight: Codes of Shovelry Handbook, which will teach readers more about the characters from the game, “as well as tips for enhanced gameplay.”
- Shovel Knight: Digger’s Diary, a journal filled with “fun activities, challenging mazes and puzzles, and writing prompts.”
- Shovel Knight Mad Libs, which promises 21 silly stories from the world of Shovel Knight.
Yacht Club expects to release Shovel Knight’s final two expansions by the end of the year, which nicely matches up with the January 10, 2017 release date for the game’s first four tie-in books.
Shovel Knight has sold over one million copies; Specter Knight and King Knight expansions will be finished by the end of the year
Yacht Club Games is in a rather celebratory mood this morning as they’ve announced that Shovel Knight has now sold more than one million copies. According to a blog post on their official site, the current number is actually over 1.2 million copies, with 200,000 sales coming from the game’s recently released retail edition.
For statistics nerds, this blog post is a treasure trove of information including a sales breakdown for each platform, region, and retailer, as well as sections for Steam User Stats, the Plague of Shadows expansion, and the Amiibo figure.
And speaking of expansions, Yacht Club has pledged that development work on the Specter Knight and King Knight expansions will be completed by the end of the year. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll launch by the end of the year, but they’re much closer to release than they were yesterday.
The developers at Yacht Club condensed a lot of this information into a great infographic, which you can find right here.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Shovel Knight Amiibo will be available in US on January 8 (but EU gets it on December 11)
I’m sure everyone that fell hard for Shovel Knight on the Wii U and 3DS last year was hoping to find a little shoveler of their own under the Christmas tree this year. Alas, it’s not to be… unless you live in Europe, that is. Yacht Club Games has announced that the Shovel Knight Amiibo figure will be available across Europe on December 11, but we in North America will have to wait until January 8. The developers apologized for this slight delay in a post on their official website, but they also want their fans to know that “it will not be a limited run, so please don’t feel pressured into importing or buying from scalpers.”
But once you get your hands on the Shovel Knight Amiibo figure, you’ll be able to unlock a full Co-Op Campaign (Wii U Only), five new Co-Op Challenges (Wii U Only), five new single-player Challenges, and the Custom Knight Creator:
Deep Customization with Custom Knight!
- Level up to a max level of 50 by finding treasure!
- Earn relics in an all new way while uncovering all-new relics, abilities, and powers you never thought possible!
- Customize the look of your Shovel Knight with cool and crazy cosmetic options!
- Use your Custom Knight seamlessly between Nintendo 3DS and Wii U!
Much like the platform-exclusive content available for Shovel Knight on the PS4 and Xbox One, the Co-Op Campaign, Custom Knight Creator, and new Challenges will only be available on Nintendo platforms.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Shovel Knight
New Releases: Call of Duty Black Ops III, Need For Speed, Yo-Kai Watch, More
Are you ready to answer the call of duty? Right on schedule, Activision and Treyarch will release Call of Duty: Black Ops III for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week. Taking place in a near future where technologically-augmented soldiers form the backbone of modern war, the game will also be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360, though it won’t include the single-player Campaign Mode. Players in the market for a PS4 will also be able to pick up a 1 TB PS4 + Call of Duty: Black Ops III Bundle this week.
This week’s other major new release is Need For Speed, the latest entry in the long-running racing franchise. Developer Ghost Games considers the PS4 and Xbox One game a complete reboot of the series and has packed Need For Speed with five overlapping storylines and dozens of cars.
The kids will get their chance to play as well as Nintendo and Level-5 will release the Pokemon-like Yo-Kai Watch for the 3DS, while Little Orbit will launch Snoopy’s Grand Adventure for the 3DS, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Finally, a number of games are getting special edition re-releases including Evolve: Ultimate Edition (PS4, Xbox One), Lords of the Fallen: Complete Edition (PS4, Xbox One), and Shovel Knight (3DS, PS4, Wii U).
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Evolve, Lords of the Fallen, Need For Speed, Shovel Knight, The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure, Yo-Kai Watch
Shovel Knight disc release pushed back to November 3; Xbox One release canceled
Yacht Club Games dug themselves into a bit of a hole with the recent release of the Plague of Shadows expansion for Shovel Knight. Finishing touches for the add-on took a bit longer than expected, and a desire to include it on the game disc has forced the developer to push Shovel Knight’s planned October 13 retail release to November 3.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Xbox One edition of the game won’t be released at all. Writing on their official website, “We really gave it our best effort, but unfortunately, because of publishing policies on that platform that are totally beyond our control, we couldn’t make it happen.” The developer will continue to negotiate with Microsoft for the right to publish a retail version of Shovel Knight on the Xbox One, but as of right now, it’s in “indefinite limbo.”
Yacht Club also revealed the retail version of Shovel Knight will be priced at $24.99 (instead of the expected $19.99) when it’s released. The developer said they were forced into this pricing tier to keep the game out of the dreaded “bargain bin.” However, to make up for the $5 price increase, all copies of the game will come with a download code for the Jake Kaufman-penned soundtrack.
So, to recap… The physical version of Shovel Knight will be released for the 3DS, PS4, and Wii U on November 3, but the Xbox One launch has been indefinitely postponed. The game will also be priced at $24.99, but that cost will include a free soundtrack download.
Also, don’t forget that Shovel Knight is now available to download on the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One through each platform’s digital storefront.