The gaming industry is attached to an invisible pendulum. In recent years, that pendulum has noticeably swung towards an appreciation of the old school, with pixel art, grueling difficulty, and seemingly ancient ideas made new again. Yacht Club's Shovel Knight is one such product of the pendulum swing, though it doesn't fall into the trap all too common with likeminded games. It isn't just some throwaway cash-in or half-baked concept designed to take advantage of the zeitgeist. It doesn't just look the part. It expertly plays the part, making it perhaps the best retro-inspired game since Mega Man 9 and 10.

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Shovel Knight is a clever, well-made, and thoughtful amalgamation of a cascade of NES classics. Its gameplay, bosses , and level designs are inspired by Mega Man. Its charming world map, with its roving parts, limited non-linearity, and inconveniently sealed-off segments will be recognizable to anyone who has played Mario 3. Its combat contains a significant dash of Duck Tales. Its hub towns , inventory and money systems -- as well as its cast of NPCs to interact with -- represent a hybrid between Zelda II and Faxanadu, while its sub-weapon system is an ode to Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden. The real beauty of Shovel Knight isn't that it's a clearly worded love letter to the storied NES era; it's that it drew inspiration from nothing but great NES games.Then again, what makes Shovel Knight truly stand out is that while its lineage is clear, it's still its own game with its own distinct personality, art style, soundtrack , and plot. It isn't a flagrant rip-off. It doesn't retread identical paths already worn-in by what inspired it. It's merely informed by what made those old classics tick, with a willingness to take and use what worked. It's powered by a love of what was, yet it isn't just another Mega Man, Mario, or Castlevania. It's Shovel Knight through and through, a product of hindsight and 25 years of distance between itself and the era it actually belongs in.At the start of the adventure, we're introduced to Shovel Knight's rudimentary story, one revolving around our brave protagonist and his partner, the complementary Shield Knight. After some unfortunate events, Shovel Knight and Shield Knight are separated as an evil sorcerer known only as the Enchantress takes over the kingdom they're sworn to protect. Helping the Enchantress is her so-called Order of No Quarter, a group of eight devious knights that would easily fit in among Mega Man's roster of Robot Masters, each with his own themed stage and arsenal of attacks. Like those aforementioned Robot Masters, the Order of No Quarter is rife with amazing designs. I was especially partial to Tinker Knight Treasure Knight , and Propeller Knight , but in reality, I loved all eight designs, from King Knight and Specter Knight to Plague Knight and Mole Knight.After a brief intro stage that teaches players Shovel Knight's simplistic control scheme -- move, jump, and attack -- we're thrust onto a map that's cut from the same cloth as Mario 3's eight worlds. The kingdom has been seized by the Enchantress and her men, and slowly but surely, Shovel Knight must defeat her eight protectors as he moves through stage after stage. Better yet, the adventure is occasionally interrupted as ever-moving enemies cross paths with you on the map itself, just like the Hammer and Boomerang Bros. would 25 years ago. Its straight-forwardness is, like everything else in the game, a product of its many inspirations. It's accessible and simple to understand, especially for those of us who grew up with an NES controller fused to our hands.Gameplay in Shovel Knight is fluid and responsive. It's not quite as tight as Mega Man, but it's also not as nuanced and heavy as Castlevania or as twitchy and fast as Ninja Gaiden. Armed with a shovel -- as his name suggests -- Shovel Knight can bash enemies with a quick slash, or he can jump on top of them with a pogo-like attack ripped straight out of the timeless Capcom classic Duck Tales. Better yet, Shovel Knight's implement isn't only used as a weapon, but also as a tool. He can dig up treasures with it, eliminate blocks of sand, rock, and other minerals to clear paths, and, once you earn enough loot, you can even purchase useful upgrades for it that make it more powerful. One extra useful attack allows Shovel Knight to shoot a pulse of energy across the screen, but only if his health is full, Zelda-style.Speaking of loot, earning cash and spending it is an important component of Shovel Knight. Virtually every enemy you encounter and hidden cavern you explore is chock-full of valuables, and you can use them to purchase essential weapon, armor, health, and mana upgrades. And then there are the sub-weapons that are found in hidden nooks throughout the game, such as a wand that shoots fire. My favorite subweapons, however, were ones directly inspired by Castlevania, like an anchor that's thrown in an arc, similar to the Axe used in Simon and Trevor Belmont's adventures.You may need those upgrades and sub-weapons for the adventure's more difficult sections, but Shovel Knight brings a balanced difficulty that's somewhat challenging, yet never insurmountable. It provided me about as much challenge as Mega Man 2 did (the easiest Mega Man game by a mile), and it never feels overly punitive. Part of me is actually disappointed by this, as I adore a good old-school platformer challenge, but I also understand the approach, especially to attract younger or less experienced gamers that didn't grow up during such punishing times.You can actively make it a little tougher, though, because you can actually destroy checkpoints to earn a ton of loot. It's a clever risk-reward system that replaces lives and continues, though it can easily backfire on you if you aren't careful. Worse yet, each time you die you lose money, and you can only earn it back by retrieving it where you perished. Shovel Knight has found its own way to reward people who play carefully and deliberately while punishing those who rush and are careless, even if it's not even remotely as archaic and ruthless as, say, Castlevania III. Stages introduce new components in the same way old games did; with a wink and a nod, one chance to get it right with no hazards around you, and no tutorial. Then, you're thrown into the fire. I found some of the stages to be a bit devoid of an enemy presence at times -- I would have preferred more foes to fight more often -- but Shovel Knight instead opts for a DuckTales-inspired slant, with fewer enemies and more platforming feats to overcome. The non-boss enemies that do appear run the gamut from cute and well-designed to weak and uninspired; indeed, my biggest disappointment came from a lack of diversity between some enemies and a propensity to palette swap too often, especially with two enemies in particular -- a knight and a wizard -- both of whom you will encounter with regularity. But the Order of No Quarter and brilliant cast of NPCs more than make up for these minor design deficiencies.And even with some disappointing enemies, the stages themselves are diverse and brilliantly designed, and always accompanied by fresh, retro-themed chiptunes. There were so many stop-and-look (and stop-and-listen) moments that it would be hard to recount them all, but I always loved how Shovel Knight's parallax scrolling introduced and then hid awesome background imagery, especially the Enchantress' castle, which seems to always be sitting ominously in the background. From an underwater stage that recalls Bubble Man's level in Mega Man 2 to a factory inspired by Metal Man's level from the same game, there's a lot to marvel at, both in the foreground and background, from brilliantly-colored northern lights-filled skies and lush forests to eerie, abandoned graveyards and dark, dingy dungeons. Aesthetically, Shovel Knight is perpetually easy on the eyes and ears.

The PlayStation versions of Shovel Knight build upon the same incredible gameplay, challenge, and style that earned its place as one of our favorite games of 2014, and add even more to love. The presence of God of War’s Kratos as a hidden boss is a fantastic addition. Battling him is tense, and earning his Armor of Chaos adds a neat twist to Shovel Knight’s traversal and combat, and make playing through the adventure actually feel fresh again.

The Cross-Buy and Cross-Save nature of Shovel Knight on Sony platforms makes it quick and easy to hop between your PS3, PS4, and PlayStation Vita, all of which provide great homes for the 8-bit visuals and audio.