15 New Video Game Heroes - Ranked From Worst To Best

1. Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight)

The gallant, the dirt-cleansing, the one-and-only grace-giving world-saving hero himself, Shovel Knight is by far the most loveable, iconic and downright brilliant new-age character by a landslide.

Enough of the shovel-based puns though, as developers Yacht Club really did knock it out the park with the design of his game, too. Now part of the Treasure Trove, a series of multiple campaigns focusing on other characters from the 2014 original, Shovel Knight sees the titular hero embark on a noble quest to save his beloved Shield Knight from the evil Enchantress.

Atop this fantastical backdrop, everything about Shovel Knight's approach to life makes you love controlling him. He forward-flips onto each stage, feverishly searches treasure chests for jewels, hops aboard his shovel for a downward, Ducktales-style attack - or he unlocks a range of abilities like mid-air dashes and fireballs to dispatch foes in style. All that, when he's not stopping to fish or wow the townsfolk with sheer heroic head-turning stature.

Since launch, Shovel Knight has been more than embraced by gamers and the public, being immortalised in a TON of places, appearing as an official Nintendo Amiibo, and even most recently as quest-giver in Yooka-Laylee.

The soundtrack, the look of the game itself, playing it and watching Shovel Knight's courageous charge forth when you first set him in motion - it's why we game, personified. Steel thy shovel!

--

Who's the best new video game hero? Let us know in the comments!