Shovel Knight

A knight armed not with a sword but with a shovel, who bounces on enemies like Scrooge McDuck on his cane and collects treasures in levels that look straight out of the eight-bit era – Shovel Knight is a perfect loving tribute to the golden age of Nintendo that became a modern classic in its own right. This game proved that retro aesthetics are not just a nostalgic crutch, but a fully-fledged artistic language.

The gameplay masterfully blends the best of legends like Mega Man, DuckTales, Castlevania, and Super Mario Bros. 3. The burial knight digs his way through levels, jumps down on enemies with a bounce attack of his shovel, and collects gems, for which he upgrades his equipment. The game is famous for its flawless controls, inventive level design, and an unforgettable gallery of bosses – the Order of No Quarter. Added to this is a semi-open world map in the style of Super Mario 3 and little towns full of quirky characters.

Behind the game stands the American studio Yacht Club Games, which funded the project through Kickstarter and raised many times more than it asked for. The developers took enormous care with authenticity: the game honors the technical limitations of the NES but cleverly circumvents them where it makes sense, and the result is pixel-art graphics that look like a memory of eight-bit games – more beautiful than they actually were. The music was composed by Jake Kaufman with contributions from the legendary Manami Matsumae, composer of the original Mega Man.

The Nintendo 3DS version adds a stereoscopic 3D effect and use of the lower screen for the map and inventory. Shovel Knight was released on a staggering number of platforms and gradually expanded with standalone campaigns for individual bosses, turning a single game into an entire sprawling saga.

Culturally, Shovel Knight became the benchmark for how to make a retro game right – with respect for its models, but with modern artistic and gameplay sensibility. It reaped enthusiastic reviews and numerous awards and is still considered one of the best indie titles ever.

Why play: A flawless tribute to the eight-bit era with precise controls, inventive level design, and unforgettable bosses, on the 3DS supplemented with a 3D effect and use of the lower screen.