Shovel Knight: Spectre of Torment (Switch)

The Phantom of Shovels

So concluding the marathon of Shovel Knights game and the wait for the fourth and last part, I played through Spectre of Torment, Spectre Knights game. This one is a prequel. While Plauge of Shadows was played during Shovel Knights quest, this one take place before and also explains where the enchantress came from. It starts with Spectre knight doing the Enchantress bidding in finding eight knights for her Order of No Quarter and finishing his task, the locket he have would grant him life again. After making a couple of knights join you get some back story. Spectre knights original name was Donovan and he was an adventurer together with Luan. As they traveled to the Tower of Fate they climbed it and found the gem that contained the soul of the Enchantress, but Shield Knight arrived and tried to stop them, but Donovan wins the battle, but the power of the gem takes Shield knight while Donovan and Luan is thrown to their deaths. The Enchantress makes a deal with Donovan and turns him into Spectre Knight. Also, the locket he gathers the powers of the knight was given to him by Luan as a keepsake and promise to protect Luan's son.

Luan's son is Riez, a wandering adventurer that appeared in all the other Shovel Knight games, but in this game he busts into the Tower trying to fight the evil within, but the Enchantress kills him and turn him into her slave and replaces the Dark Accolayte that she inprisons. After getting all but one knight, since the knight in the graveyard was another wandering knight that appeared in earlier games, but this time is shown as the protector of the people. Black Knight tells Spectre knight that the Enchantress is Shield Knight and for some reason he hates her (I guess since he sees her interference causing all this) so he decides to attack her, At the battle she turns Riez into a monster that he fights and defeats and triggers the eight knight, but since Spectre knight knows Riez is Luan's son, he gives Riez his life back, and takes his place as the eight knight in the Order of No Quarters. The ending shows how the Enchantress armies takes over the world and also things like Plauge knight and Mona meeting and falling in love as well as Spectre knight hiding away the locket. The locket Plauge knight steals and gives to Chester that sells it to Shovel Knight, the Phase locket. That is a cool twist. Also the Dark Accolyte turns into the herald of the Trouple King which also is interesting.

Gameplay wise there is much more new content here than Plauge of Shadows. The levels are all new since Spectre knight plays completely differently since he can crawl on the walls for a bit and wall jump. He can also skate on his scythe so I guess that the old levels where a no go. Also the overworld have disappeared and instead you choose the level from a magical mirror. Also you gather red skulls to buy relics to use and in the end get Donovans costume and special weapon. Nice touch. More music and there seems to be variations on the other themes of the original game. Overall a fun game, sad there is only one part left. Especially since I would like to know more about the other knights. For example Polar Knight seems to have a deep relationship with Black knight and Shovel knight, and a Shield Knight standalone adventure would be nice to play through. Especially since the story of how she became the Enchantress doesn't match completely in this game and the original. Still, it's a good game that I bought three times.