Forget all that hoopla around certain retro-themed games simply not belonging on the newest hardware. At the end of the day, if it plays good, it's worth your time, and Shovel Knight is a prime slice of platforming action backed up by a character and string of levels that, had it dropped in the late 80s, would have him right up there with Mario and everyone else. The soundtrack is positively joyous, those aforementioned levels provide just the right kind of difficulty curve to give you a solid sense of challenge - and you'll meet a hearty cast of characters including a pun-loving goat, a dancing fish and scores of evildoers in need of stopping. In addition, developers Yacht Club released the Plague Knight expansion too, so snapping this up promptly gets you two campaigns' worth of content. Levels are shared for the most part, but thanks to the PK's crafting abilities and different animations, there are certain areas you can explore that the standard Knight could never reach. Best of all, the expansion is totally free - and how often can you say that about a worthwhile add-on?
