Yacht Club Games, an independent studio composed of WayForward veterans, has announced Shovel Knight, "a ground breaking love letter to 8-Bits."

The game is currently a Kickstarter project, with PC as the only announced platform. However, the studio notes that they are "hoping to release on Wii U and 3DS." The campaign has a goal of $75,000, with contributions being accepted until April 13.

Shovel Knight is an action platformer that Yacht Club Games directly compares to Mega Man, Castlevania and Dark Souls. Players control the titular Shovel Knight, using his ShovelBlade to attack foes, dig through terrain, deflect projectiles, and bounce atop enemies and hazards in a DuckTales-esque fashion. The Shovel Knight is out to stop the Enchantress and her lackeys: The Order of No Quarter.

The visuals adhere to the NES color palette, but otherwise employ "modern touches" such as scrolling background layers. The music, composed by Jake Kaufman, uses modern techniques as well, but is also decidedly nostalgic. Kaufman previously worked on music for Mighty Switch Force and Contra 4.

As for why the studio is funding the game through Kickstarter, Yacht Club Games cites traditional publishers as being too risk adverse. To create the game they want, the "community" is the best place to turn to. As for funding options and rewards, they range from $10 for a digital copy of the game, to $5000 for a Yacht party with the team.

We've reached out to Yacht Club Games for further details on what options Nintendo fans have to support the title. We'll update the story should any information be provided.