#Shovel knight pocket dungeon platforms 720p#
#Shovel knight pocket dungeon platforms plus#

Specter of Torment‘s audio is simply sublime too, pumping you up and spurring you on through each of its glorious levels. It may be aping 8-bit game visuals but it has got a great deal of flair and character that makes it feel very modern. Colours are vibrant, the image is sharp and performance is rock solid.

#Shovel knight pocket dungeon platforms 720p#

Whether played docked or on the Switch’s 720p screen, Specter of Torment looks fantastic. It’s a challenge only the brave should even attempt.

#Shovel knight pocket dungeon platforms plus#

Specter of Torment‘s New Game Plus mode is the real test of one’s skill however, combining your pool of health and magic into one ever depleting gauge whilst also disabling the use of your healing magic. And the unlockable challenge mode presents you with a number of opportunities to prove your prowess.

Destroying checkpoints, for instance, definitely makes your adventure more fraught with peril, but you’re rewarded with more riches if you’re up to the task.

That’s the joy of Shovel Knight and its expansions though – they’re challenging by default but not overly so, and if you do want to up the ante there’s plenty of opportunity. All of your curios can be upgraded too, increasing their damage, range or benefit. Amidst the many offensive options on offer, there’s also one curio which enables you to heal, which makes most boss fights rather trivial, and one that enables you to float, which can prevent many an unfortunate platforming mishap. With just over ten levels on offer – the order in which you tackle them being largely up to you – your first playthrough of Specter of Torment is likely to take you around five hours. The acquisition and use of skill-granting curios defines the difficulty of the game on your initial run. On more than a few occasions I met my unfortunate demise during Specter of Torment‘s more challenging platforming moments due to the Specter Knight’s stickiness when jumping near walls. With play you learn to accommodate this little quirk however, and be more precise with your actions. They bring their own issues too though, with the Specter Knight’s wall run in particular being a tad troublesome at times. Specter Knight’s limited ability to run up walls and use his scythe to dash at enemies and certain environmental elements gives his campaign a unique feel despite the familiar locations and characters. Specter of Torment’s gameplay is the real star of the show though. That’s impressive for a game with 8-bit graphics and no voice acting whatsoever. Tasked with rounding up eight formidable knights to form the Order of No Quarter before the events of the original Shovel Knight, it offers a surprisingly engaging story that will really have you rooting for your scythe wielding avatar by the end. Specter of Torment is the second of these expansions, and until at least the end of March, it’s exclusive to Nintendo Switch.Īvailable on its own or as part of the Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, Specter of Torment places you in the cloak of the Specter Knight, loyal servant of the Enchantress. In light of its success, developer Yacht Club Games decided to expand upon the title, planning three expansions that build around the original release to enrich the experience. It wasn’t just me who loved it either it was pretty much universally praised. It was way back in April 2015 that I reviewed the original Shovel Knight, and you know what? I absolutely adored it.