The campaigns are going standalone
Yacht Club Games is bringing its beloved platformer Shovel Knight to Nintendo Switch, which, hell yeah. That and that alone could’ve been the only news item on a day like today and I would’ve been thrilled. But there’s far more, including updates to the existing versions and a planned price change.
Running down the list, Yacht Club has finished the Body Swap Mode for Shovel Knight‘s campaign and is also working on a two-player co-op update for “all console and PC platforms (3DS/Vita not included).” I never did get the amiibo, so, cool. I’m looking forward to trying co-op at last.
Here’s where things get slightly confusing. Shovel Knight is going to become Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, and with that alteration, players will “have new options to purchase each campaign as separate, standalone games on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC/Mac/Linux, and Nintendo Switch.”
Put simply, if you own Shovel Knight in its current form, you’re good to go. “All owners of Shovel Knight on all platforms will automatically own Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove instead and will continue to get each of the planned free campaigns and features via updates. It will work exactly like how Shovel Knight was updated to include its first campaign addition, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows.”
Once the Treasure Trove shift happens, though, players will be able to buy the various campaigns as standalone experiences. That list will include: Shovel of Hope (the original campaign), Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, and eventually King Knight’s campaign and the four-player Shovel Knight: Battle Mode (but not on 3DS or Vita). Still with me? If not, there’s a rather necessary Q&A.
The studio says this new approach is a way to “provide better entry points for different types of players and allow more people to continue enjoying each adventure on their next favorite platform.”
Lastly, but importantly, the price of Shovel Knight will go up this spring. Oh, and I got a kick out of this portion of the Q&A: “Are you ever going to make a new game? These are new games! But if you want something new outside of Shovel Knight…we have vowed to begin work on a new project this year!”
Switch-up! [Yacht Club Games]
