The campaigns are going standalone
Yacht Club Games is bringing its beloved platformerShovel Knightto Nintendo Switch, which, hell yeah. That and that alone could’ve been the only news item on a day like today and I would’ve been thrilled. But there’s far more, including updates to the existing versions and a planned price change.
Running down the list, Yacht Club has finished the Body Swap Mode forShovel Knight‘s campaign and is also working on a two-player co-op update for “all console and PC platforms (3DS/Vita not included).” I never didget the amiibo, so, cool. I’m looking forward to trying co-op at last.
Here’s where things get slightly confusing.Shovel Knightis going to becomeShovel Knight: Treasure Trove, and with that alteration, players will “have new options to purchase each campaign as separate, standalone games on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC/Mac/Linux, and Nintendo Switch.”
Put simply, if you ownShovel Knightin its current form, you’re good to go. “All owners ofShovel Knighton all platforms will automatically ownShovel Knight: Treasure Troveinstead and will continue to get each of the planned free campaigns and features via updates.It will work exactly like howShovel Knightwas updated to include its first campaign addition,Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows.”
Once theTreasure Troveshift happens, though, players will be able to buy the various campaigns as standalone experiences. That list will include:Shovel of Hope(the original campaign),Plague of Shadows,Specter of Torment, and eventually King Knight’s campaign and the four-playerShovel Knight: Battle Mode(but not on 3DS or Vita). Still with me? If not,there’s a rather necessary Q&A.
The studio says this new approach is a way to “provide better entry points for different types of players and allow more people to continue enjoying each adventure on their next favorite platform.”
Lastly, but importantly, the price ofShovel Knightwill go up this spring. Oh, and I got a kick out of this portion of the Q&A: “Are you ever going to make a new game? These are new games! But if you want something new outside ofShovel Knight…we have vowed to begin work on a new project this year!”
