King of Cards Review - Ranking the Shovel Knight Campaigns - Hyve Minds Review

[@Lazypackmule]

Pro-tip: There's a secret final boss locked behind Joustus, in addition to some fun character/plot stuff It's nothing mindblowing, but not something I'd recommend skipping entirely

[@ralphthejedimaster]

plus, joustus is just a really fun card game

[@Lazypackmule]

@@ralphthejedimaster That too

[@guardiangaming8790]

Yes, this is important. You have to beat the house masters of all 4 jousts houses, then beat Cardia on the airship

[@abzu235]

Cardia is the best Shovel Knight boss. No contest.

[@AidanqtFeesh]

@@abzu235 really? I actually didn't enjoy the boss fight at all. But it was definitely like way harder than any of the other bosses in the games

[@jonathantonner4263]

The confetti horns collect dropped gold bags and were great at hitting the larger bosses and the enchantress when under the stage.

[@kometmadethis]

... they collected... the gold bags..? fffffFFFFUCK

[@catmintedcat776]

I mean I breazed through almost every boss using only the gyro boots plus decree of rejuvination

[@humbleheathen69]

I never found the horn.

[@abrahamcoronelbeltran6033]

@@humbleheathen69 you get it buying drinks in the first joustus house

[@humbleheathen69]

@@abrahamcoronelbeltran6033 oh now you tell me.

[@sharzinlalebazri5673]

When King Pridemore joined King Knight's crew. I was dreading the inevitable moment that leads to King Pridemore's negative attitude towards King Knight in the Shovel of Hope campaign. I knew it was bound to happen but I desperately wanted this to be an alternate timeline where things go better. That post credit scene was more of a gut punch to me than it had any right to be.

[@GeneralJaydonius]

Just remember that many years ago we already set things right. We just needed to see why we had to set it right.

[@bakrobertjohnston4889]

sharzin lalebazri yes but in plague of shadows king pridemoor is king and king knights sweeping the floor Still feel bad for the glidewing members Especially the talking birder

[@bakrobertjohnston4889]

Verserer Gred oh he’s still alive

[@MarshallLeeFlames]

Today I finished King of Cards and this represents me clearly. I knew it was bound to happen, yet I really wished that King Knight had a more... prideful ending. But in the end, he just embraced what he thought he was.

[@Cri_Jackal]

The scepter of swiftness is great for bypassing entire platforming segments if you know their layout beforehand, all you need is a straight line you can travel across and a floor at the other end and your good, plus it acts just like the shoulder bash when you hit a wall with it. You'll also go straight through enemies that you kill with it, expanding the places where you can use it to speed through areas. Newgame+ speedruns are going to be abusing the fuck out of this item.

[@Cri_Jackal]

I ended up using it to grind for gold on the first (or second, I can't remember) Tower of Fate level, you go through the liquid samurais and can speed towards the secret exit. And with the upgrade that sucks in gold when you spin you can get the gems off the samurais almost immediately.

[@Jdudec367]

exactly it's so good

[@andohakrasi-sarpong2129]

Wouldn't using the bubble frog along with the charge armor be better? At least for climbing.

[@superlol178]

Solid ranking... But the shorter levels is a plus for me. It waa perfect for controling the pacing of my time playing it...sometimes i had 5 min to kill so i just went there and finished a level. It was great!

[@Indiand123]

my only complaint is that you can't re-fight most of the bosses in the game. They really are fun and it's a shame you only get to beat them once before they vanish.

[@superlol178]

@@Indiand123 there is a mode where you can fight the bosses again if I'm not wrong...

[@Fresh_Knight]

Ariel Shapiro They have time limits and also your equipment is limited

[@machustudios8055]

Agreed, I like how every level wasn’t as much of a commitment as the levels from other campaigns

[@alldayagain]

I like the new map for narrative reasons. Its pre-prequel, so the lands are wild and untamed. The map design and short levels fit that theme.

[@p055am]

I never even considered that joustus was optional since I was always looking forward to the joustus areas.

[@bookswithbek2702]

same, I LOVED joustus.

[@HolyCow0273]

I never had a problem with it, but that secret boss was very difficult if you weren’t prepared.

[@AdaTheWatcher]

Sameeeee

[@Pax_Mayn3]

@@bookswithbek2702 What's cool about it, is that you could make this it work in real life. If I had printer and laminator, i'd make a bunch of cards and try to make it myself. I don't know how the rules would work, Either each player gets random cards, and each match they can replace 1 card or the winner can steal a card. Or, you use a draft system, or maybe you just have multiple copies of everything so people can just build their own deck. You could roll a die to determine where the gems go.

[@9-VoltGaming]

this is how I see the 4 stories Shovel of Hope is an epic adventure story, Plague of Shadows is a love story, Specter of Torment is a melancolic story and King of Cards is straight up a commedy story I love how the 4 stories have their own flavor like this

[@alexanderlehane3459]

An epic, a romance, a tragedy, and a comedy. Couldn't have put it better myself.

[@lazilexi]

I really love Specter, it's a shame Hyve doesn't

[@Doodle1678]

By the end King Knights turns into a tragedy aswell

[@creeperchumsworth1219]

@@Doodle1678 a comedic tragedy

[@Doodle1678]

@@creeperchumsworth1219 yes definitely

[@horricule451]

I'm pretty sure we all have a crush on Mona, let's be honest here

[@presauced]

erection intensifies

[@DannyDog27]

You’re not wrong...but the Enchantress got them thicc thighs

[@athan_valentine]

@@DannyDog27 bruh

[@DannyDog27]

Athan Am I wrong?

[@athan_valentine]

@@DannyDog27 idk, maybe ? Every likeable aspect of the enchantress is completely obliterated by that annoying ass bossfight that happens in EVERY CAMPAIGN

[@the7thbeatle85]

I find it really cool that your final ranking is the exact opposite of mine. This just goes to show how amazing all of these campaigns are, and what an amazing journey Yacht Club have taken us on.

[@Jacobadia]

I was thinking the same thing! It especially surprised me because I also play games gameplay first. It’s crazy how even valuing the same thing I came out with a completely different opinion!

[@reworkedusername1136]

The “confetti horns” tear apart the Troupple king in his boss fight. Because he’s so big, it hits him much more than it should.

[@aidencook5524]

Lol i used the horns to get my money that fell into the water and he just. Died. It was hilarious

[@СергейКочетов-о3л]

Plague knight is my absolute favorite. I love just flying through levels and then actually fighting bosses, unlike specter of torment where you just jump and spam attack button while specter bonks his head against whoever happens to be near.

[@СергейКочетов-о3л]

@Grimm you just didn't practice enough. When you know what you are doing he isn't awkward at all

[@thatonepersonwhoeatscheese7348]

@@СергейКочетов-о3л its not that he hasnt practiced its just that people have different opinions

[@linguine4500]

Bro plague knight was even easier, just jump and mash the attack button and stuff dies in 10 seconds.

[@alexandergazmen3126]

@@thatonepersonwhoeatscheese7348 dude, opinion or not, if you dislike something for a petty reason like that, you’re going to get backlash either way. we are allowed to dislike someone else’s opinion, as long as we don’t become idiots and scream and yell about it.

[@EgamerX14]

they recycled all the levels though

[@Moss_Dude]

Actually I found king knight's story to be the most emotional of all of them, specifically because of the ending. What happened with his mom almost made me cry...

[@Ajotaene]

?

[@strawberrana]

About the "flow" complaint: I played them in order of location (all Trouple Pond, all Lost City, etc.) and it felt totally structured

[@Cherry-bh5py]

I tried both paths all plains, all lich yard, etc. And w/o an order and I can just say that both were equally satisfying and fun, completly would recomend both

[@EgamerX14]

Sure, you could do that and it feels structured.

[@joshtheostrich1173]

Personaly, this is my favorite campaign so I guess I'll talk about why. #1- Gameplay I found myself enjoying playing KoC more than any other shovel knight campaign. I think King Knight's moveset is basic, but fun to use. I also liked the shorter levels with no boss at the end because it made it better to go in and collect the merit badges than a huge level with a boss I had to go through for 1 red skull, or cipher coin, etc. I also liked the boss fights and the secret one you get for beating Joustus. #2- Character's I found King Knight my favorite character out of them all. I'm not as big on his design, but I liked his childish attitude and his general not really careing attitude. I found the ending good, he was a jerk and then he paid for it. The other characters like Trouple King and the mom were fun additions and it gave the game a fun sort of vibe. #3- Airship I liked the Airship more than the other "hubs" in the other campaign's. Shovel Knight kind of had the town's, but those were just for buying stuff, Plauge Knight had the little lab but it was just a place on the map, Specter Knight just had the castle, which I liked because of the fun secrets like the robot, but King Knight's airship is the best for me. Its a little hub world, were you can talk to people, play Joustus, buy stuff, and do other fun things. And you can get to it anytime at the map by pressing a button. #4- Joustus I liked Joustus. It was fun. #5- Secrets/Endgame Content I looove all the stuff to do once you finish the game. You can find all the secret exits, beat all the Joustus people, get all merit badges and Joustus cards, beat the secret boss, do the secret propeller knight battle, fight all the order of no quarter and beat them in Joustus as well, do the secret with the horse and the fairyland etc. That's why I loved KoC and will be 100%ing it ASAP

[@thecommenter6773]

what robot in spectre? Do you mean horace, the climbing minigame npc? or the dragonarmor?

[@joshtheostrich1173]

@@thecommenter6773 Horace

[@thecommenter6773]

@@joshtheostrich1173 oh, he's a dullahan, not a robot. And I guess he technically counts as a secret since he's behind a wall. But really, the best secret in that hub is petting the meemec. And the glidewing kinda has something like that if mona and the spinewolves are beaten. If you check the background on the top floor, you can see mona pet one of them.

[@pungoblin9377]

Did anyone else find out the secret that happens when you press down once and then hold down in the Donovan armor?

[@Frog-ux5qu]

@@joshtheostrich1173 I always thought that Horace was just an empty suit of armor..

[@warpbait2]

Your criteria for the final ranking I very very much agree with, I know several people who tell me that story is the most important thing in a game or act like graphics are all that matter (which they are allowed to have that opinion). But to mean I don't care if your game is the most beautiful game ever with the best story of the year if the gameplay is lackluster I won't be able to put my energy into playing it. For example death stranding apparently has a really good story from what people tell me, but for at LEAST the first 6 hours basically all you do is walk from point a to point b to point c so and so forth. Good graphics,music, and story when added to good gameplay are what make a game a masterpiece in my opinion, which is why shovel knight treasure trove is so good as a collective.

[@optimistprime8775]

Man, you deserve so much more for your work. I hope that one day your channel will grow big. Wish you all the luck man.

[@Marxeru]

Hmm, it looks like you missed out on the really cool secret accessed through Joustus. You need to finish all the houses of Joustus and also beat Cardia in the Glidewing, and then talk to her again.

[@sandwichboy1268]

The Horns of Heralding and Staff of Swiftness are acceptable because they're attacks King Night has in the campaign. Plus the staff reveals more secrets than it first appears...

[@massimoraicu1032]

What secrets ?

[@tomasfarinha5775]

I really love King of cards, I still don't know what is My favorite King of cards or specter of torment. And I also didn't like showdown that much because of the lack of fun single player content.

[@thrillhouse_vanhouten]

0:12 "And now it's time for me, (that guy who won't shut up about the Phase Locket for some reason,) to give my opinion on King of Cards." Yes, that is primarily how I think of you ;)

[@MayorHairBear]

Shovel Knight has been on my backlog for such a long time! This video though has reinvigorated my interest in picking the game up especially with all the other campaigns... that honestly I didn't know existed 😯 Amazing analysis mate, I'm keen to binge some videos of yours now!

[@arti2074]

I personally found king of cards the most fun out of the 4 Joustus was surprisingly fun for me (im generally bad at strategy) I also really liked the map layout more. It helped make the world feel more alive and not just a series of stages to beat. Also the shorter levels gave me more options to take a break if i felt like i nedded to

[@quesohelado4995]

Great video as usual. I still need to get around to playing this. Definitely would like a NG+ video though, more shovel knight is always appreciated.

[@kingvideogames]

Hyve: *Gives Plague Of Shadows last place and loves Mona* *Plague Knight wants to know your location* Oh, and uh, I guess ranking for me IMO. 1) Plague Of Shadows 2) King Of Cards 3) Specter Of Torment 4) Shovel Of Hope

[@thecosmicjester4024]

I have the exact same ranking

[@michaelbesser5348]

For me, I'd reverse Shovel of Hope and Specter of Torment, but otherwise I'd agree.

[@genericusername3334]

I know this video is incredibly old, but I still wanted to post my take on the placement of each campaign. I honestly think King of Cards was my favorite. I liked Joustus, it was a fun minigame that wasn’t forced down my throat so I didn’t get annoyed by it, while simultaneously giving rewards for playing Joustus so it felt more fulfilling, even if that reward was just more Joustus cards. The boss fights were some of my favorite ones yet, mostly because it rarely reuses bosses from Shovel of Hope like the others. Sure, you can still fight the rest of the Order of No Quarter, but aside from Specter Knight, who acts as Black Knight in this campaign, they’re all optional and even sort of secret like Propeller Knight. The unique bosses in the forms of Specter Knight’s “playable” moveset, King Pridemoor, Troupple King, King Birder, Specter Knight’s “playable” moveset merged with his boss fight (and the more difficult version of the darkened screen mechanic thanks to the background), the King’s Essences, and of course Giga Cardia were all fun boss fights that I thoroughly enjoyed. I also think that King Knight’s moveset was the smoothest of the bunch, it felt great to play as him and have the terrain matter more, along with every Heirloom be fun to use and, as you mentioned before, much more balanced than the others. Beyond the subtle change of King of Cards being on top, my comparison between the campaigns in Treasure Trove is pretty similar to yours. 1. King of Cards 2. Specter of Torment 3. Shovel of Hope 4. Plague of Shadows 5. Showdown

[@ralphthejedimaster]

I absolutely agree that the heirlooms were excellently balanced, i usually used the confetti horns for boss fights it or just clearing rooms full of weak enemies, and the scepter of swiftness is great but I didn't use it to it's full potential of sequence breaking the level design, the things speedrunners can pull off with it and the turncoat heirloom are ridiculous. the armor sets were balanced well too, with the only one that really feels underpowered being the one that lets you run since you have several other options for faster movement. all in all this is definitely my favorite campaign, i love the gameplay style, the new overworld layout, the bosses, joustus, music, I love everything here. joustus can easily be frustrating if you try to rush into it, but if you properly take the time to consider your moves and deck, it's surprisingly in-depth and feeling like I was outsmarting my opponent by forcing them into a trap and thinking several turns ahead was intensely satisfying after I got the hang of it. it has an extra boss fight tied to it as well, which was really cool. and since I did play joustus i really got to appreciate all of the music, which is easily my favorite soundtrack out of all the campaigns. maybe it's partly because I've played it more recently than the other campaigns, but I have king of cards music play in my head far more often than say, specter of torment or plague of shadows. I hear the shovel of hope OST pretty often too, but that's mostly the iconic themes like the plains and credits

[@bookswithbek2702]

The Twilight of Tomorrow is an amazing piece of music.

[@bookswithbek2702]

The Twilight of Tomorrow is an amazing piece of music.

[@tim0735]

Finally some interesting shovel knight content on KZbin. Please do a vid about NG+

[@orgashi4932]

I’ll love to see king knight new game plus

[@PerryPines]

Shovel knight treasure trove is awesome! Cant wait for more shovel knight in the future!

[@cloudy772]

I actually loved the smb3 map waaay more than the mega man map. Might just be me

[@bubger]

You did miss out on the secret final boss by skipping joustous. I'd love to hear your opinion on that boss.

[@salmonkindalikeme9316]

This was an amazing ranking, you’re style is incredibly entertaining. I’m working my way through King of Cards right now

[@drsnuff6881]

I like the change in direction with the shorter levels. I also like how each playable character feel like they’re inspired by NES characters. Shovel Knight = Ducktales, Plague = Mega Man, Specter = Ninja Gaiden, King = Wario Land. Also Treasure Trove kind of reminds me of the Stars Wars movies because Star Wars have prequels that change the way (maybe) you watch the original trilogy, and here, the Order of No Quarter campaigns change how you play one another a second time. Another thing with Star Wars is that the first movie was simply just “Star Wars” but then was called Episode 4 A New Hope when the prequels came out, and here, Shovel Knight’s campaign was just called “Shovel Knight” but then Specter Knight’s campaign came out and it was changed to Shovel of Hope My rankings: 4. Plague of Shadows 3. Shovel of Hope 2. Specter of Torment 1. King of Cards King of Cards is over Specter of Torment because I just like how King plays over Specter. Also in Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and King of Cards, there were many places to check out like the Villages, Joustus Houses, Hall of Champions, but in Specter of Torment, there was only the Tower, which was a cool hub world, but there weren’t as many cool things to do. So despite Plague of Shadows being last, it’s still great. And I just like King of Narts better than Specter of Torment. But after all that, I enjoyed watching this video.

[@doctorspiders]

I think king of cards is the best out of the four because it uses walls to his advanteges but it has a little twist to it making it unique and joustus is a fun card Game with strategy and its so underated

[@Volition366]

the biggest tragedy is that you missed mona hanging out with the dogs and petting them because you didn't play more joustus

[@Kimjoelun]

I would love another video

[@itspizzabox]

I agree with your rankings!

[@lumen3419]

1. King of cards: Has lots of new bosses and the new gameplay. I always like having new bosses and king of cards nails it. 2. Shovel of hope: Does it really need an explanation? 3. Specter of Torment: I love specter knight and gameplay is great. 4. Shovel knight showdown: I like how all the characters are playable in a super smash bros. style game, but all of the characters’ stories end in the same boss fight. I’m just not very impressed overall. 5. Plague of shadows: Everything from the previous game is recycled in my opinion. This even happens during the same time as shovel of hope. Plague of shadows is really just replaying shovel of hope with Plague Knight.

[@gulfgiggleanimations4472]

Joustus was my favorite aspect of King of Cards in comparison to the other campaigns. It's what bumps it to being my 3rd favorite, with my order being the inverse of yours. (Plauge #1, Shovel #2, King #3, Specter #4) Maybe I'm just too eager to spout Yugioh memes and pretend that King Knight is Kaiba. Also, this was my least favorite story. It had some funny moments, but what really brought it down was the ending. Even before you play the game you know King Knight is going to betray absolutely everyone that hails him as a hero, and it underpins the entire adventure. I have a similar problem with Specter of Torment, but King Knight's ending ends up being so much more hollow. Even worse is that this is what ends off Shovel of Hope altogether.

[@truji2582]

Reaching the enchantress didn't feel scary cause you knew you may fail but because you knew you would win

[@Coulshed]

Bazinga You better read this

[@jessemathies4512]

I was late to the Shovel Knight party. I bought it a few months before the release of King Knight's campaign. I really enjoyed playing as Shovel Knight, however, once i started the Spectre Knight campaign...it was a clear winner. The gameplay is so addictive and fun. Just here to agree.

[@dittles]

Jake Kaufman definitely went all out on the soundtrack on this, I most certainly disagree with your statement on the music. Specter Knight was actually my least favorite.... Never finished it LMAO 😅

[@Chaos-Girl]

I know that Plague Knight had the least music added, however I enjoyed the music from Plague Knight the best out of all four of the games with Waltz for One, The Final Note and Alchemy. I also wanted to say that incompleto sin ti is amazing and wished they did a non 8-bit version like Waltz for One to Le Bouquet Magique.

[@Chazcam_Gaming]

My scores Gameplay: 1 specter 2 king 3 shovel 4 plague Story: 1 specter 2 plague 3 king 4 shovel Music: 1 king 2 specter 3 plague 4 shovel Overall: 1 specter 2 king tie for 3 shovel and plague

[@MarshallLeeFlames]

Just today I finished the last campaign (King of Cards) and as a geek on good card games, I'll admit that Joustus is hard to really embrace. But once you do, once it clicks, oh boy. As for the overall ranking: 1. For me, Shovel of Hope is better and 1st because although you said gameplay is the most important thing, I'll never forget the feeling of the first time playing Shovel of Hope. The dream sequences, the tension of the fights, the first time I fought the Boss Gauntlet, the first time I saved Shield Knight... The emotion I felt back then was unrivaled, and for that, Shovel of Hope is 1st in my list. 2. 2nd probably King of Cards for the reasons you said, pretty balanced, good humor, I was truly flabergasted by the fact that King Knight's motivation was being the best at a card game. It feels ridiculous. Yet, the ending really left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It was like watching a monumental car crash accident. You know it ain't gonna end pretty but you can't stop yourself from watching it. 3. 3rd must be Specter of Torment, but I know it is a completely biased and personal opinion, because I just made my experience miserable by doing a "Checkpointless, No Darkness upgrades, No Will upgrades, 60000 gold ending" run, and it really made my experience with Specter Knight just horrible. It was the most miserable three and a half hours of Treasure Trove. Yet I know the story, the mechanics and the overall gameplay is great, I also hated that it had no in game map. I love in game maps, and the hud with the bosses just felt bleak. 4. And of course, the passive way of playing Plague of Shadows made it an easy 4th place, although I learned to enjoy the movement options of Plague Knight. And although everything I wrote, I can't disagree with anything you said in the two videos. Great ranking!

[@x2buller47]

I respect your list! Shovel Knight is really my favorite thing ever. So really I love hearing people's opinion on it. Personally I can't really decide how to rank the 4 campaigns. They're all in my opinion outstanding! Showdown is also in my opinion phenomenal. I love all the love and attention to detail on it. I've been playing Shovel Knight for a long time so really I adore everything about it. Sure it has flaws but I will say it'll always be my favorite thing of all time.

[@9-VoltGaming]

WHAT? YOU NEVER USED THE HORNS? That was the item I used the most playing, specially on the super hard new game plus, is great for bosses

[@icey244]

King of Cards is my favorite anime and jrpg. Ok but seriously though, I do have to say my opinion on this game is that I found it very enjoyable. While I do find joustus really enjoyable, I do still have to agree with your list of specter knight, king knight, shovel knight, and plague knight. Specter knight just had the best gameplay feel throughout the entire thing, the plot I will say I have forgotten over the past 2 years, though I remember the music being really good. King Knight was very enjoyable with it's gameplay, and personally, was the easiest of all the modes. Maybe it's just the shorter level length because of how they split it up, but it seemed easier to me. The story was really funny to me at moments, with the ending also making me feel like the bad guy even if I expected it, and the music, while it was mostly reused, was still a bop. Shovel Knight was really good gameplay wise, but definitely the most basic to me. The music and story were good, and that's about all I can really say about it. Plague Knight... it was alright. The story was nice and enjoyable, but the gameplay... really didn't do much for me. It wasn't that fun to me with how it all played, and was the campaign I took the longest to beat only because I got bored with it and didn't enjoy it all that much.

[@Uh_Kirbz]

Gameplay: Specter of Torment 1 King of Cards 2 Shovel of Hope 3 Plague of Shadows 4 Music: Specter of Torment 1 Shovel of Hope 2 King of Cards 3 Plague of Shadows 4

[@Gurpwnder]

I think there's one big aspect that King Knight actually tackled in a vastly superior way than any of the prior campaigns - Money. From the beginning of the game to the very end, there was so much for me to buy. They did a fantastic job adding a bunch of very high cost upgrades to ensure that collecting money is always worthwhile. Even considering Specter Knight's campaign was crafted brand new, I was disappointed to notice that I had like 60000 gold I couldn't spend on before I got to the Enchantress in his campaign. This makes the moment to moment gameplay so much more satisfying in King Knight's campaign - all the money you're collecting is useful from the first stage to the very last stage. The subweapons were balanced much better in King Knight's campaign for the most part, except the aforementioned bubble item being a little cheap relative to the rest of his heirlooms (though again, he needs to be able to hit a wall when shoulder bashing out, or else it can't bail him out).

[@hollowknightfan5938]

I really like king of cards. In my opinion, it's the best one. I like that you can progress trough levels fast and have a choice where and how are you gonna progress, joustus is amazing, because it's real fun to beat a boss, go to your ship and beat them In a card game, taking their cards and feeling like a god of cards

[@Spritesuit]

I liked the shorter levels, especially in finding out the best speedrun route. On Joustus, I think it has a lot of depth to it. You completely miss the flipping, reversal, conveyor, bomb, smash, graveyard, and triple arrow cards, which add a lot of variety. There's a reason people are trying to make physical versions of it (and even made a TableTop Simulator version). Frankly, it would be kinda foolish for YCG to not capitalize on it. As for NG+, I think it is worse than Specter by a country mile. The player loses far too much money each hit, even considering the multiplier, and it becomes far too much of a hassle to use the Heirlooms. One might as well just do bosses (mostly) no damage, basic moves only. Immediately picking up the hearts is nice, though. As for Showdown, the Story mode is very unbalanced and random. Percy's Targets and the Mirror boss at the end are either ridiculously easy or insanely difficult depending on the character (and even then both quickly get out of control). Not to mention getting into a Treasure class against 3 opponents on the crowded Campsite stage, which typically kills an entire run. The characters are generally quite unbalanced, with Specter Knight being the equivalent of Meta Knight (complete with 3 different forms of recovery when most characters have 1, if that), poor Shovel Knight being outclassed by everyone else (without _any_ recovery moves), and the high knockback turning most matches into parry-offs into the fiery pit (which gives larger characters more power).

[@Rotationoftheballs]

I almost fully agree with your opinion, but for me KoC gets the first place. That is mainly because I really, REALLY liked the more open and vast overworld, because my favorite childhood game was SMB3, and that influenced me and my ranking a LOT. Thank you if you read it😁. Your vids are good, keep it up!!

[@joaopeixoto6224]

my rank: #4: king of cards - i just.... dont like it the gameplay is kinda weird to me and the short levels kinda annoy me a lot #3: shovel of hopet - 1 main atack all u need #2: specter of torment - i love the sad story got me crying wihtout me noticing #1: plague of shadows - so many new mechanics i need to think where im go after a bomb burst and i loved how i could costumized i used 4 different loadouts in the last part

[@skeletonmadruga9387]

In my opinion King Knight is better, sometimes Spectre Knight is very repetitive, with only scythe dash and wall walking, if I only spam the attack button in air I win, and that's different in King of Cards, I need more strategy... I desagree the final, if the story was a trash and no music, Spectre of Torment would be 4. Very good video, and sorry for the bad english.

[@lukastojanovic3023]

King Knight's campaign is honestly the weakest for me just because it pissed me off to no end. I died a lot in all of the previous campaigns but they didn't make me want to pull out my hair as much as this one did. There are just so many annoying segments like the beetle in the lost city with spikes everywhere and dragons shooting at you from *off-screen.* I scarcely use items in shovel knight but I had to spam the bubble just to get past it.

[@colespeck3089]

My personal ranking is: 4. Shovel of Hope, 3. King of Cards, 2. Specter of Torment, 1. Plague of Shadows

[@ratfink2079]

I loved joustess, I love card games like magic and netrunner which is why king of cards is my favorite. Oh and I love mario games so thats another reason

[@aleksandarjovic4275]

Nice thorough review! Great detail and explanations. I have to say I had a very different experience. I loved the Super Mario style level switch up. I place less emphasis on items since I always play things vanilla if possible. The new tracks in KoC were incredible (Trouple pond + Cardia especially). Joustus was a great strategy game (not so much card game) -- if you play it as intended you'll get a decent challenge, but it can be cheesed by coming back with op cards later (the challenges have fixed decks for joustus which is where you'll get the best experience). Level design wise, KoC had some of the best of the series, Yacht Club definitely treated this like their big finale. Awesome boss design too. I don't know if I'd rank them, since each experience brings pros/cons and is more based on personal preferences. Shovel knight is a nice classic experience that still holds up. Plague was overall just an alternate version of Shovel knight. Specter changed things up bringing in a total overhaul to match the air dashing mechanics. KoC overhauled almost the whole experience, and using the world/engine/characters to deliver a very different final product. All excellent.

[@joaopeixoto6224]

i love plague knight's campaign cus it just tells u: lmao this is not shovel knight bro send all that knowledge to the garbage can ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@am_AZE_d]

I'm pretty biased on some element in a game and that is (the variety that support replayability) because I get to see how much time I get to enjoy the game. so my personal ranking are: 1st: King of Cards- different type of levels / a lot of different music to hear (it is recycling but I don't really care as long as its feel fresh on the different levels of the same location) / not a fan of joustus when I played it for 100% but when i go back and replay it when I'm bored, it actually pretty fun (bc I don't care much of losing cards anymore) / some of the heirlooms offer a different type of mobility / the one time boss fight is really disapointing bc the boss fight is really fun to play using different heirlooms (the rematch in challenge mode is alright. but I'd liked to enjoy my boss fight without time limit please). 2nd: Plague of Shadows- there is a lot of customization in your bomb attack that I went into the levels with different combination / fun to replay the stages using different arcana except for the first two tower of fate level. 3rd: Specter of Torment- the only curios that I'm always used is will skull, hover plume and the skeleton sentry and I don't enjoyed it (because it fell like I abused it) / for me the judgement rush lose its awesomeness because it is pretty much the same as the vanilla move (dash slash) / I'm mostly replay this to hear the remixed music and to play Horace's Challenge. 4th: Shovel of Hope- its great but I don't feel any satisfaction with the relics / I only replay this for the tower of fate's level (the boss rush, black knight [third fight] and the remnant of fate is crazy fun boss battle). *bonus: Showdown- really hope I have a friend to play this with / Trying to unlock everything is really fun / After everything has unlocked, I just play this when I'm really bored....

[@adamdinar376]

If you’ll ever return I would really love to see a video about king of cards new game plus

[@jimmysmash1236]

Shovel knight is my favorite just because I like playing as the custom knight

[@volcanic9120]

I found Joustus really really fun, despite originally thinking I wouldn't like it. It's a little bit challenging sometimes, but I found that it never got to the level where I was actually having trouble. Also, I don't know why, but I really love collecting all the unique character and enemy cards. I battled some characters multiple times just to get unique cards I might not even use, just because I wanted to. Also I'm glad I'm not the only only who definitely, absolutely does not have a crush on Mona.

[@coydon4302]

He said he reads every comment so umm plague knight is my number 2

[@kingdomofchoco762]

I gotta say, I do like Specter Knight the most.

[@beanburrito4405]

Good shit. I would watch a New Game+ video if you made one

[@jaymun_1331]

Bet no one will find/read this comment But.......if you do read it I'm really bored waiting for him to upload a new video but yet exited for - ABOUT THE GAME - I didn't really mind about op items in the game. It's a joy for me to use it. And for the music it was....humm......what would king knight say about it? Maybe something like ... MY MY SUCH ROYALLY, LUXURIOUS AND ABSOLUTELY JOY TO ME TO HEAR IT. FINALLY A MASTERPIECE FOR SOMEONE AT A PLACE SUCH AS MINE. I LOVE IT !!. And about the story I decided to see it through king knight's own eyes He is just the one who dreamed about being a king and when he heard about the cards game that will crown the champion of it THE KING OF CARDS he drops out every thing to join And finding out that hole in the rules about defeating the judges he saw the opportunity to win easily And then all of a sudden that ruff ruff came and decided to DARE fall in love with his MOM that was just his nightmares coming true And when the Enchantress gave him the chance of having a REAL kingdom and become THE KING by just abandoning HIM and some others I thought it would give me the chance to choose what am I going to do But when HE mentioned MY MOM I honestly felt like EVEN IF I HAD THE CHOICE OF SPARING YOUR LIFES OR THROWING YOU TO YOUR END.......... I WOULD HAVE THROWN YOU OF MY SHIP THE FIRST TIME YOU PUT YOUR EYES ON MY MOM

[@jaymun_1331]

Omg it's happening IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING

[@TheKirBoi]

KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+, KoC NG+!!!!!!!

[@metaknight5686]

I personally enjoy the shorter burst stages in that they allow gimmicks to be fleshed out more and allow for more gimmicks and dynamic level design overall

[@phelpsgalloway4740]

I would absolutely love to see you play new game +

[@SergeantSnivy_]

Excellent video. I appreciate how you make sure to stress that much of what you have to say is just your subjective viewpoint. I personally really enjoyed the bite-sized level structure. The other campaigns' levels would typically play with a gimmick for a few rooms, then drop it for the rest of the level to make way for a new gimmick. Because of this, I often didn't feel much of a sense of progression. Here, each level is centered on 1 or 2 gimmicks that are built on all throughout the level. Levels ending in a tough, lengthy platforming segment rather than a boss also felt more appropriate to me; you're tested on what you've learned throughout the level, whereas boss fights are something you have to learn mostly independently from the rest of the level (though they do sometimes incorporate some of the level's gimmicks). I also enjoyed the less linear map. I liked that it gave you a reason to choose one level to play over another, albeit not an especially meaningful one. Also, the secret exits were a much more satisfying reward for discovering hidden areas to me than the in-level collectibles from past campaigns. And can I say that the secret/treasure placement in this campaign is easily the coolest in the series? King Knight's unique moveset provided the opportunity for some really creative secrets, my favorite of which being the secret exit in one of the Lost City levels. There's a drop-through dirt pile next to a wall that you couldn't bash, so there's seeming no way to get a spin to drop through the pile, but you're able to lure a Fleeto from farther in the room over to the pile and bash into it to get a spin. Some scattered final thoughts: I liked the point you made about King Knight being defined by his limitations. For me, platforming is the most important aspect of any game that features it, and King Knight's limited moveset did wonders in making the platforming engaging. Joustus was surprisingly deep and fun for me and brought my experience up a lot, but I can totally see that it's not for everyone. Finally, I would love to see you make a video on King Knight's NG+. It doesn't make you rethink how you play quite as much as Specter Knight's, but it still brings some interesting concepts to the table. The gold multiplier made levels basically rain cash if you avoided damage, which made buying all the Joustus cards from Chester much quicker.

[@DanielGonzalezL]

I don't know, man. The entire Shovel Knight Treasure Trove is good, and pretty easy, but it still feels kinda...unfair? most of the times I die. Don't get me wrong, I beat it without much effort, but the times I did die, it felt unfair, unbalanced, maybe a little unpolished. Like I was expecting a little more refinement, and that feeling of "it's completely my fault" I get from games like Celeste. I can see why people like Shovel Knight, but I wouldn't say it's as good as people say it is. It's well above average, but definitely no Hollow Knight kind of masterpiece.

[@Jbswe]

Yeah it’s just not as polished but it’s fun to play right now I’ve beat hollowknight and Celeste and most good 2d platformers

[@WyattWentWacko]

How do you have the exact same ranking as me, it’s insane

[@CaptainOlimar-qf8dc]

Competitive shovel Knight showdown rules 3 stock 6 minutes Showdown sudden death off auto balance off hazards off items off Legal stages are Event horizon celestial plane. village house of joustus and undervillage potionarium enchantress is band on event horizon because she can go in to the top corner and shoot diagonally down and fly nearly infinitely any other unbeatable strategies will be band these are me competitive rules

[@thegamer7496]

What about Doubles? I'd say Axalongal Cave first.

[@henrriquetordoya1637]

The final ránking is the same for me for diferent reasons

[@Leafair2017]

Gameplay IS the most important aspect, I agree! With the music, you could just turn it off and put on your own if you don't like it. The story gives some context as to your journey, but some games don't NEED a story to be fun. Consider Tetris. The music is good, but I prefer my own. There is absolutely no story. The main thing is the gameplay, because that's what you're experiencing THE MOST. I'm not against you on this. I actually completely agree! I'm glad I get to see someone's breakdown on it, even if it's just opinionated.

[@ethanalexander2109]

My HC is that King of cards is a story King knight tells the rest of the bosses while they’re having that big dinner thing. He got beaten by specter knight just like everyone else but whenever Donovan isn’t listening, KK somehow beat him twice. Plague knight is the only one who believes him even if KK once told a version of the story where he bests plague knight

[@luigi-db2mo]

It’s sad to see shovel knight go, I still wish we could have gotten a propeller knight dlc, he was a fun character and I think he would have had a really great and unique story mode in terms of gameplay mechanics

[@samadams8533]

See it’s weird cause I found this campaign to be the easiest. And the gyro boots are seriously underrated for both mobility and damage

[@JimothyRoss]

I highly agree with the final ranking. All of them are great but Specter of Torment was just so SLEEK.

[@amaclikanal]

In my opinion Gameplay: 1- Specter of Torment 2- King of Cards 3- Shovel of Hope 4- Plague of Shadows (just realized there is an ''of'' in each game's title) Music: 1- Shovel of Hope 2- Specter of Torment 3- Plague of Shadows 4- King of Cards Story: 1- Plague of Shadows 2- Specter of Torment 3- King of Cards 4- Shovel of Hope Overall: 1- Specter of Torment 2- Shovel of Hope 3- Plague of Shadows 4- King of Cards

[@hollowknightenjoyer]

Please be joking

[@hollowknightenjoyer]

Nvm

[@QuartzIsAnOxide]

I'm gonna craft my own Joustus board. I love card games and that one was the cherry on top of an already amazing campaign.

[@Desticler]

I'd watch King of Cards NG+ video on release day.

[@kennyhernandez2617]

I actually played showdown and clocked in more than 20 hours on battle mode alone and more if I count story etc it’s a much more fun experience when u get to learn all the characters move sets and go in depth like mr hat is capable of hopping on his platters in midair allowing for infinite airtime and the enchantress hovering around with dark strafe(her charge move) gives a lot of movement options. Also I learned that the rat heirloom functions so much better as a double jump/ projectile which also translates into his campaign where the explosion is more powerful making fights attacking airborne opponents much easier and satisfying including the bosses I know I’m late responding to this video but I’m gotta say the rat bomb is underrated. Edit: also I like to think of king knight as Dio when I cast scepter of swiftness idk why it just seems fitting

[@akiuta4]

Do the new game plus please

[@kanegd2990]

I agree with most points in the video, but I can't rank king of cards or spectre of torment over each other. Regardless, I especially agree with the fact that the gameplay ranking was always going to be the final ranking! Great video in general though!

[@dragonsswarm1987]

I can't rank things because too many aspects of myself start arguing and I end up with everything being virtually/vaguely ranked, if ranked at all.

[@kushkungvivo744]

King of cards topped all the other Shovel Knight experience I've had for me honestly.

[@theargento3134]

*K I N G O F N A R T S*

[@mr.magichat3614]

You should try to go against the secret boss, cardia, easily the hardest boss fight in the entire series. Although it is locked behind multiple joustus battles

[@patrickdees5256]

Mona is best girl.

[@ArcNeoMasato]

Honestly I tend to agree with.... like 90% of what you say in all these videos, so my ranking is about the same. I don't care so much about the balance of side items that are just a matter of "don't like, don't use", and while I see how some of them are almost thoughtlessly powerful, it just doesn't bother me. (So I'm just kinda neutral on it, I find most challenge arbitrary anyway, so I don't see not using them as any more arbitrary than anything else. I know people who still fail hard at the game even with all those items anyway, so take it for what it's worth) End of the day, I'm just glad to see everything release for this game finally, and I'm really impressed with the quality of it all! I think I still like playing on the 3DS the most, just cause the effect does REALLY make things pop, but there's also a reason I own the whole series 3 times over. lol

[@esmooth919]

I admit that Joustus is not for everyone... But I ended up loving it so much, that I wished it had it's own standalone mode. *_SPOILER ALERT!_* ...but that was before I walked into my (King Knight's) room.

[@esmooth919]

13:45 What did I expect?? I expected to at least be given an option to _not_ betray my friends! This ending makes King Knight look like THE biggest asshole to ever walk the Earth! I don't give a damn _how_ much he hated King Pridemoor for hitting on his mom! TL;DR: _This ending sucks!_

[@mythosinfinite6736]

Weird, the story rankings are completely swapped for me. I enjoyed what Specter of Torment brought to the lore and universe and thought it to be very intriguing and vast, I enjoyed the characters in King of Cards the most, and the events of Plague of Shadows were an interesting and fun take on the main campaign that I overall enjoyed more than the main one it's based off of. I just don't find Shovel Knight's writing anywhere near as interesting, with the only standout parts for me being the intermissions by the campfire and the very ending. Everything else it did well, I felt the other campaigns did better, for story.

[@AdamTheGameBoy]

The gameplay had one big issue, which is how it sometimes forces you into a situation where you kind of need a particular setup or good luck. The big example being the super boss once you fully complete all the joustus matches. She is completely unreachable except for brief moments, but her pattern allows her to just spam crystals safely out of reach that don't allow you to reach her and she can leave the screen from the top and have a new set of crystals and wait until you inevitably slip up and die from taking the occasional hit. The game almost always starts you with full magic so you can use heirlooms, but this fight starts you with no magic. You're clearly intended to come in with the armor that let's you earn some magic by fighting, but you are forced into the super boss fight immediately after completing joustus. You can't just swap your armor and go back to fight her; you are locked in with whatever you are wearing. I only beat her because I completely mastered dodging all her attacks and got lucky that she only stayed out of reach a few cycles during the second phase, so I went into phase 3 with enough health to win the dps vs dps fight.

[@averypatrick5279]

I used the suicide rats all the time, they are great for boss fights.

[@oliwierbober648]

you can also shoulder bash off of them which is cool

[@ellocojoncrazy3270]

In general all the weapons of King of Cards are great, I honestly do not know why everyone always says that the weapons in Shovel Knigth are useless in general, that they do not use them does not mean that they stink, they are to make easier some situations not mandatory objects , which seems that nobody understands

[@michaelbesser5348]

Honestly, the rats bothered me because I couldn't throw one when another one was out. Afaik, you couldn't manually detonate your rats, so if you were trying to use the rats like Shovel Knight's anchor or Plague Knight's arching bomb, missing meant that you couldn't just throw another one.

[@Jacobadia]

Its fascinating to me that even though I also play games gameplay first my final ranking is so different. It’s crazy how even valuing the same thing I came out with a completely different opinion! Great video! Love hearing others thoughts on this franchise!

[@danzoz164]

Great vid! About King Knight's NG+, maybe do a comparative video on all of the campaigns NG+ modes