Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Switch NSP Free Download There isn’t much one can say about Shovel Knight that hasn’t already been said. We at Nintendo Life universally love the game and its two expansions, Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment, so when a collection of the three in one download on the Switch was announced, we were quite excited. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the newest version of Shovel Knight, and the good news is all existing owners of the original get Treasure Trove as a free update. The Switch version of Treasure Trove includes the latest Shovel Knight adventure, the Plague of Shadows add-on and Specter of Torment, which we awarded a nine out of ten. ROMSLAB.COM BEST SWITCH GAMES

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

If you’ve never played any of the Shovel Knight series before, we’ll briefly break down what to expect. Shovel Knight originally released in 2014 on a multitude of systems after an enormously successful Kickstarter campaign. The series is an homage to the 8-bit action platformers of yesteryear, with gorgeous pixel graphics that look like they would be right at home on an NES; in reality, of course, the visuals are well beyond what the original hardware could achieve, but the nostalgia is present and correct. The two expansions included in Treasure Trove follow the stories of two of the series’ villains: Plague Knight and Specter Knight. Each of them have a well-written backstory and unique platforming capabilities, each replete with their own challenges.

Treasure Trove also adds a few new tricks,

Such as the ability to gender swap any of the game’s main characters, making for a somewhat different narrative, though not in any material way. In addition to swapping folks’ genders around, Yacht Club Games has seen fit to remove the restriction requiring one to own the Shovel Knight amiibo to play co-op. Some amiibo functionality is still in for Treasure Trove, however you now receive an adorable shovel fairy, from an equal adorable new character named Madame Meeber. Your tiny Shovel buddy will fly around, greedily attempting to pick up all the gems they can find, even those in hidden areas. Beyond these new additions you have three chapters of Shovel Knight, each of which is a competent standalone game in its own right. Northgard Switch NSP

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

If you want to know more, we strongly recommend you check out our reviews for both the original Shovel Knight , and the new timed-exclusive Switch Specter of Torment. Each campaign makes a fine, standalone game, but combining them gives a lot of excellent content in one place for new arrivals to the series.  The Switch version has a ton of features that are either new or will be new to many of those who haven’t played Shovel Knight since it first came out. The base game (Shovel of Hope) has co-op now, for example, made even better by the Switch’s multiplayer-friendly Joy-Con controllers (although it’s overall better with the more precise Switch Pro Controller and its actual D-pad) and the system’s general portability.

The real draw for returning players is Specter of Torment.

The real draw for returning players is going to be the brand-new expansion, Specter of Torment. It adds so much to the overall package, more than simply a set of new story missions. Take the new challenge accessible from Specter Knight’s hub world — a tower that stretches into the heavens and begs to be climbed. An empty suit of armor named Horace guards the entrance to its constantly rearranging heights. He challenges you to reach the top, a feat that can only be accomplished with lightning-fast reflexes and precise platforming. It’s not the most difficult area in Treasure Trove, but its balance of challenge and replayability makes it great. Nuclear Throne Switch NSP

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Then there’s the campaign, which stands easily on its own. A prequel story, this adventure follows Specter Knight on his quest to convince the other knights to join the Enchantress’s Order of No Quarter. With that description, you’d think it would retread the same territory the original and Plague of Shadows did, but Specter breaks a surprising amount of new ground and packs in a lot of brand-new content. It took me over seven hours to get through Specter’s story and beat Horace’s tower, and that time didn’t even count any of the new challenges (which include more alternate boss fights) or the new game plus mode you unlock after beating the story.

Specter Knight’s abilities create new opportunities for platforming challenges.

Like Plague Knight before him, Specter Knight gets a huge pool of unique abilities and attacks to play with. He can run up some walls and surf or grind along fast-moving rails, creating new opportunities for platforming challenges. While in the air his attacks cause him to zip toward enemies, and whether he hurtles toward the ground or flies upward depends entirely on your angle and timing. This definitely takes getting used to, and even several hours in you might get flustered by the number of jumps you flub. Frustration can, unfortunately, mount, especially on more difficult levels, although with no overworld map you can tackle each mission in whatever order you choose, so it’s easy to walk away from a problem and come back later when you’re not as angry. Nurse Love Addiction Switch NSP

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Even so, Specter Knight marks a big improvement over Plague Knight’s arsenal in Plague of Shadows. Although it’s rewarding to tinker with Plague’s bombs to try to make the perfect tool for each new situation, controlling the alchemist through double-jumps and explosion bursts feels awkward and imprecise. In comparison, Specter Knight feels totally fluid and skill-based, bringing to mind old Castlevania classics. It wouldn’t be Shovel Knight without a slew of cool extra upgrades and abilities, and Specter Knight delivers. One of Specter’s alternate cloaks lets him scythe-grind on any surface, including spikes, while another grants him recharging “darkness” (power for using abilities) when you destroy the checkpoint orbs throughout a level.

Add-ons (DLC): Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Switch NSP