We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
3DSWiiU

NWR Staff's 10 Favorite Games of 2014

Shovel Knight

by Zachary Miller - December 24, 2014, 11:23 am EST

This love letter to classic platformers warmed our hearts and souls.

Think back to your salad days, when you were playing NES classics like Castlevania, Zelda II, and DuckTales. You probably think of them fondly. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but most NES games aren't as good as you remember them. But Shovel Knight plays the exact way that your nostalgia-tinted brain remembers those games playing. It's like an incredibly late-era NES game made by a developer who didn't have any corporate oversight and nothing but love for the form.

That's basically Yacht Club's story with Shovel Knight. This WayForward-spinoff team funded their retro powerhouse on Kickstarter and proceeded to deliver one of the best eShop games ever made. Shovel Knight combines the level design of Mega Man, the combat of Zelda II (and DuckTales), the money-hoarding of Sonic, and the music of Jake "Untouchable" Kaufmann, and a surprisingly emotional storyline. I was so floored by the game that, when I reviewed it, I gave it a 10/10. It's simply a masterpiece that brings together everything you love about classic games and makes it modern. Even the StreetPass implementation on 3DS is fun!

And Yacht Club continues to (slowly) pump out additional stretch goal content. I'm looking forward to the gender-swapped version and the ability to play as a few of the Order of No Quarter. Your immediate concern may be to ask whether to get it on 3DS or Wii U. To that, I say "both!" FOR SHOVELRY!

Talkback

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterDecember 24, 2014

I'm noticing a distinct lack of Layton vs Wright.

Leo13December 24, 2014

That just means James Jones was NOT part of that group.

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement