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If there is one thing Crabmaster loves, it's DLC.......right?!?!When Shovel Knight first came out, it reminded those of us that had forgotten, or maybe those that had never experienced, what pure bliss retro gaming could be. The simplicity, the sprites, the level design, the challenge and wow, those chip tunes! It was really something special, and as a primarily retro gamer, it was really exciting to see just how well it was received. After playing it at a friend's house and instantly getting drawn in, I got very excited and eagerly awaited the physical release for my Wii U so that I could play through it again. What was even better was that this version included the
Plague of Shadows DLC on the disc!!
Plague of Shadows lets you play through the main story once more, but this time from the perspective of Plague Knight (one of the bosses from the regular game). This may sound like a simple gimmick to extend the life of the game, but Yacht Club Games put the effort in to make this feel unique, polished, and up to the high standards they set the bar to with the initial release. There is a touching story about Plague Knight struggling as he is not accepted by the average townsfolk. At the same time, he steals the essences from the other Knights (bosses) in order to concoct a potion that will force his crush to love him as he loves her. Some of the characters that had minor roles in the initial release are fleshed out more and actually become main players in Plague Knights world.
[img width=700 height=393]https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7547/29717152420_bfbcf46f9d_b.jpg[/img]What really sets this game apart is the gameplay mechanics. Plague Knight is an alchemist and that role plays strongly into the gameplay. In his lab, which early on becomes your main base of activities between levels, you can use coins you've been gathering in levels in order to fund research towards various new forms of attack. These can change the range in which you toss your potions, the length or abilities of the fuses set on your potions, and also the type of explosion you'll create when the potion connects with an enemy/obstacle. You can switch to any potions that you've researched and obtained on the fly at any point in the game. This leads to endless ways to solve puzzles and defeat your foes. My son and I found ourselves at odds countless times deciding which combinations were ideal for our situations.
The level designs are mostly the same, but some areas are switched up to make better use of Plague Knight's mechanics. Just the very nature of how he tosses his potions and double jumps makes you approach every situation differently than when you played through these same areas with Shovel Knight. Each boss is a whole new monster in this DLC.
[img width=700 height=393]https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8135/29977058296_748bc41d3c_b.jpg[/img]If you're looking for something new, with that classic retro feel, and a game that scratches that spooky, Halloween vibe for October, my recommendation is definitely to check out
Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (which is free DLC, if you've paid for Shovel Knight). It takes something great and makes it great all over again!
Two of the other Knights are getting their own DLC's! Yippee. Boo digital, though.