Right, we’re knackered tonight and can’t be bothered thinking of an original topic. All the fireworks celebrating Guy Fawkes’ 1605 Big Bang Theory failure have left our heads spinning!

Instead we’re going to croon a brief lyrical stanza about Shovel Knight, a 2014 platformer for the Wii U and PC that uses ’80s era NES graphics.

Shovel Knight

It’s a delightful shift away from modern games and the obsession with hyper realistic graphics, and a reminder you don’t need to look ace to be awesome. W

e should also point out, despite the game’s outdated graphics, it’s been critically acclaimed and is even up for numerus Game of the Year awards.

We’ve written about it today as you should go and buy the bloody thing.

Failing that, check out Yacht Club Games for if you think this is your type of thing. Games, that is. If you’re as geeky as us you’ll like it.

Addendum: Treasure Trove

The series went on to spawn three other titles, each improving on the last. And the final campaign instalment was released in late 2019.

So, the full list of titles is now:

• Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (2014)—Received the retronym title to turn the series into a longer series of games.
• Plague of Shadows (2015)—Taking control of Plague Knight to leap about the levels.
• Specter of Torment (2017)—You’re in control of Specter Knight, the most acrobatic of all the characters you can use.
• King of Cards (2019)—Play as King Knight, with a new card game introduced to spice up the gameplay formula.

That represents a five year journey of gaming excellence right there. And make no mistake, this series will go down very well in gaming legend.

Each game offers a different style of play based on your character of choice.

Our only recommendation is you try at least one of these out. Totally worth your time.