Shovel Knight's Signature Moves

[@Megamean09]

You should do a video on menu design. It's baffling how despite being such a simple and universal element, people still constantly design menus poorly.

[@Little1Cave]

Megamean09 Idk if you’ve heard of them before, but check out Design Doc’s series of “Good Design Bad Design” He often goes into a LOT of menu and interface design both good and bad. Lol

[@jetfuelcantmeltdankmemes8238]

For an example of good menus: The Last of Us (if the backpack gun menu counts)

[@loganmcgahee6118]

Good God can video game menus suck. J know hes already covered a lot of the problems in his accessibility videos with things such as text size, but theres so much more shitty practices to be delved into. The worst offenders, generally, are jrpgs. I loved xenoblade chronicals 2, but even after 100 hours of gameplay, I was still getting stuck in menus I didnt want to be in and having to cancel the menu screen and then having to reopen to get back where I wanted to be.

[@DominiqueGendronLanglois]

And to add to that (Extremely great video idea), menu design is one of the first impression of a game. These days, I can tell you in 1 minute if I'm going to be into a game just by the first menus and main game UI. You just know how a bad UI and menus can be indicative of probably a dozen of other bad choices in the game design. Not all the time, though. Smash 4 was great, but GOD the main menu mess still haunts me. Metroid Prime 1 and 2 are..."Prime" exemple of good menus/UI design. MP3 was hit and miss. In this same video, maybe the differences and needs of an immersive versus a practical UI could be touched. Sometime, a game feels like it could greatly benefits from a more immersive and contextual menu/UI. Anyway, Good video Mark. extremely in depth and interesting, as always.

[@plaugish]

You know, despite him being incredibly goofy, NakeyJakey had a video on it, and I loved his closing statement. "The sign of a good user interface is that you probably didn't even notice it at all." kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqfJk4mMoNyXh9k

[@RetroNitro_TV]

14:22 There is a problem,what do you do? Shovel: Solve it King: Solve it later Plague: Avoid it Specter: *Destroy it*

[@Moss_Dude]

No, Plague says blow it up, and specter says confront it.

[@animarblemarblerace9232]

Do you know why Shovel Knight solve it? Because he is a problem shovelr ;)

[@ProjectSudoku]

@@animarblemarblerace9232 Treasure: TAX IT!

[@slothfulcobra]

I check out the beat while the DJ revolves it

[@LovingRonin]

I think King Knight should be 'solve it, but more fabulous'

[@first_glennie]

The highlight animations for each character and each of their moves are absolutely delightful and add some real oomph to the video. Great motion design work!

[@hrothgarnogar]

Seriously. As a motion graphics artist myself, I'm in love with Mark's style and technique.

[@Vilonu]

Yeah no kidding, that first one really surprised me. Feels very professional, so cool seeing the way Mark keeps managing to improve his already amazing videos!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

@@hrothgarnogar He's getting better and better with each video really neat and clean mographs!

[@GMTK]

Thanks! They were a lot of fun to make

[@TheGemsbok]

@@GMTK And don't think that moment when you edited together all four characters interacting with the same cannonball setup went unnoticed. Very sleek stuff.

[@evanjamesDX]

Each knights controls feel like they’re designed that way to fit the character: Shovel knight, our hero, uses shovel dropping in a heroic and mighty form Plague knight is kind of a shy little prick, so he gets the high ground by jumping high and throwing bombs Specter knight in his lifetime was a ninja. Ghosts cannot wall climb, or run up walls, can they? King knight has the most royal shoulder bash to show and say “I am glamorous and dangerous, back away!”

[@GMTK]

Zehr gut

[@tomepsilon]

Nize

[@Brick_Eater_]

@@GMTK Well now I'm just hungry

[@GMTK]

Why did I write that in German lol

[@birduwu]

@@GMTK also wouldn't it be sehr gut?

[@Mezurashii5]

DUDE THE EDITING These videos are silly high effort at this point Full interviews as supporter perks are a fantastic idea too.

[@axolofa]

King Knight was a JOY to control. His levels had this elegant, almost waltz-like flow to them. It allows skilled players to get into this bash-spin rhythm and it made me feel awesome. Also, having the shorter levels allowed the devs to experiment with so many different ideas and interactions with the players moveset! (and also King Knight has Axolongls yes please)

[@CSOTeam]

I'd personally say the opposite. King Knight is such a chore for me to go through. Sure, when it works, it works well. But I can't seem to get the flow down, which makes his levels absolutely frustrating. I'd say I died more on the first King Knight level than any other Knight's first. On the other hand the other "difficult" character, Plague Knight, felt rewarding and fun. -shrugs- Just my two cents.

[@CS_Mango]

I like King knight. His levels are pretty tough tho and I even had to buy one or two hearths to make it through. Needless to say didn't really played specter knight and plague knight before.

[@willyeeton4390]

I love all the campaigns, but definitely see the issues people have with King Knight. I've played through the other campaigns at least 4 times now, so I picked up on his rhythm and movement quickly, but know that folks with less practice had it harder. Joustus has been fun as hell, though, so KoC gets a thumbs up from me. Yacht Club is probably my favorite dev group now and I'm 100% there for anything they do in the future.

[@jonathanaguirre6508]

king of cards is the pinnacle of 2d platforming

[@razbuten]

tfw you wanted to make this video but are also happy mark made it instead.

[@butterstik]

Hello!!

[@ahmir5798]

I’d be mad

[@walkerx1813]

Just do it, link to his video and expand on the subject

[@FL-Einhander]

Haha! so good when different youtubers you just love, acknowledge and like the existence of one another.

[@sangdrako]

Honestly, Make it! You'll have different comments and means to present things

[@channelremoved32]

i really appreciate how you acknowledged plague knight's steeper learning curve without just writing him off as bad design or having awful controls like a ton of other reviewers i've seen. plague knight's my favorite campaign by far

[@prettyradhandle]

plague knight dance plague knight dance

[@binchamers]

I’m curious how levels made specifically for plague knight would be.

[@MP-S-TG]

Look at his challenges

[@Hugop_arts]

If you play the challenges designed for him it can give you a glimpse

[@peon9584]

Compared to the other knights enemies would purely be obstacles since he can’t interact with them besides getting hurt.

[@Hugop_arts]

@@peon9584 Potentially. But they could also design around the different bomb combinations and have a very interesting puzzle-solving aspect to it as well

[@delta3244]

@@Hugop_arts that fits the character too. Would be interesting to see!

[@RedtailArt]

Little tip for those who want to play Shovel Knight but haven't yet: Plague Knight's burst is actually more efficient if you jump, then burst, then double jump. This will give you far more horizontal distance.

[@darkwing1979]

Yeah, it's crazy for me to see people double jump before the second burst

[@DrL5721]

@@darkwing1979 wait people do that? I thought it was just common knowledge to use your second jump after the burst

[@darkwing1979]

@@DrL5721 I know right! I see people doing it and falling off ledges and I'm thinking why they didn't just do a double jump

[@BookWyrmOnAString]

Also use the float burst

[@icetornado7773]

@@BookWyrmOnAString n o

[@sentientblender]

I really admire what they did to make Plague Knight fun to play. Sometimes it feels weird to say Plague of Shadows is my favorite of the four campaigns, but there's really nothing else like the joy of mastering Plague Knight's bonkers momentum. Nothing but praise for the new levels they made to work with Specter and King Knight's movement, but there's just some kind of magic in traversing the exact same levels as Shovel Knight with a move set that makes them an utter breeze. Plague of Shadows hands-down has the best story of any of the four as well.

[@mateusmundstock8225]

The thing I live the most about Plague of Shadows is the sheer amount of different solutions a single problem presents. That encourages experimentation and well, science, and Plague Knight *is* a scientist. Definitely the best campaign.

[@sentientblender]

That’s why I was actually hoping they’d repurpose Specter Knight’s levels for King of Cards. It’s fun and all to navigate through a level in the single rigid way they intend you to, but being given a different tool set and the freedom to solve the same problems however you want feels so right.

[@nyarlathoteppol2177]

​@@sentientblender I actally hope for the exact opposite, I loved the mobility of plague knight, and I was hoping that one day (not before long that's for sure), there could be some kind of remake of these games, and plague knight would have level actually suited for it's moveset (well, it would be my second wish for a potential remake in the far future, the other one would be to have the other knight campaign). Because while it was really cool to revisit the shovel knight level with this new moveset that can trivialise them, I really liked the new bits of level that were designed specifically for plague knight, and I wanted to see how it could be expanded.

[@Georgeorat]

Plague knights campaign was the only one I couldnt finish... Or pass the first level... Because really, making such unresponsive mobility(after Wall jump/bomb jump) and pits is too much for me. Maybe because of that I liked Spectre knight campaign more. You Just fly through gaps, spikes and enemies.

[@harrylane4]

A lot of people dislike plague of shadows, but I stand by my opinion that it has the best movement in the game, and some of the best feeling gameplay of anything I've ever played. KoC on the other hand... I still haven't finished it. It feels stiff and unfinished IMO.

[@ReiDuran]

Plague Knight was my favorite. It was such a blast trying to master his jumping and momentum. Seeing how long I could stay airborne was the best part.

[@ryodestroyer2]

Definitely King Knight. That was a guy that knew how to flow with the area. A big hefty bash, his acrobatic spin, it's all just a big cluster of fun.

[@MissAshley42]

He was so fun that when I bought his flashy armor, I never took it off. It's the only armor befitting of royalty!

[@alienki3710]

Plague Knight 100% He's got such a great feel to him and mastering the way he moves feels so rewarding

[@jonathanaguirre6508]

The green cloak thing and the spinning bomb burst is the best way to play, trust me

[@Giant_Flying_Hermit_Crab]

I would like an open world kinda of game with Plague Knight movement.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ooooh, I like the encroaching study into animation here, *feel* and *fluidity* are really knitted into game design, so animation designs are really important. Fantastic work on your graphics this time Mark!

[@bigbirdbathtime]

I had a feeling you would like this video, Mr. Dan Root. I've only played Shovel Knight, but my mind was blown here when Yacht Club mentioned that they didn't incorporate momentum into the physics. It helped explain why Shovel Knight feels both very heavy and very crisp to control, since his run animation is a bit of a trudge but he still moves exactly when you move, and stops exactly when you stop. I think this contradiction adds to the humorous vibe I get from the character animations in general too. Anyway, just wanted to say I love your work. Your videos are really thought-provoking and they've opened up for me a whole new vocabulary with which to appreciate games. I used to think certain animations "looked cool," but now I can see them as thoughtful or groundbreaking. I'm cheering for you to keep it up!

[@odanemcdonald9874]

HEYYYYYYYYY

[@ZachAttack6089]

I like how you and the designers talked about how Plague Knight's abilities are hard to master, so they designed Specter Knight to be easier to use. Plague Knight has less mobility when you don't know how to use him and more mobility when you do know how, and Specter Knight has moderate mobility no matter what. Plague Knight is a "high-skill" character and Specter Knight is a "low-skill" character. It would be interesting if you made a video about low-skill characters vs high-skill characters, especially in the context of PvP games. Edit: typo

[@multiphotochronos3748]

Agreed. I played Plague Knight and died countless times, to the point my frustration got to me and I couldn't finish the game. When I went to spectre knight I immediately felt a sense of control again.

[@Graphomite]

You're asking Mark Brown to explain to competitive gamers how/why their character is objectively "low skill"? Awright. Yeah, that sounds like a GMT video.

[@aloysiuslim914]

I think there was something in his "who gets to be awesome?" Video. The low skill floor, low skill ceiling(Spectre knight) vs high skill floor, high skill ceiling (plague knight)

[@Blackthornprod]

Fantastic video Mark! I've only played with Shovel Knight so can't really say if I prefer him from the rest- but after watching this new piece I certainly feel like diving back in and experiencing the other characters :)!

[@darkspine9365]

tbh imma go with shovy boi

[@ven6815]

the rest is better, trust me

[@leofrohwirth4392]

Specter knight is incredible

[@lazilexi]

Specter's got to be my favourite. He just feels so cool to play as.

[@drbuni]

To me, it feels like there is someone holding my hands when I play as him. It is just too restrictive.

[@TomatoBroth]

On mobility alone: Plague (freedom) Specter (ease and grinding) Shovel King (not bad at all though)

[@harrylane4]

I really, REALLY don't like king's control. Maybe I need to jump back into it and get the hang of it, but it feels very stiff compared to the rest of the characters

[@ralphthejedimaster]

@@harrylane4 that's the point, king Knight is all about working around his limitations. personally I love the challenge that poses, but I can understand why some don't

[@nyarlathoteppol2177]

@@ralphthejedimaster Is it weird if I found the king to have more fluid control than shovel knight or even specter knight? He had a bit less basic "reach", but his gameplay really felt like some kind of dance to me, really fluid. On the other hand, shovel knight felt more "stiff", with less options and no recoveries, and specter knight, while quick and with a lot of reach, had a very restrictive level design that felt like he was on a rail, which kinda reduce the feeling of fluidity for me.

[@simono.5698]

@@nyarlathoteppol2177 nah i feel exactly like you once u understand kings knight movement it feels extremely fun to control

[@mattontop]

@@nyarlathoteppol2177 I felt the same way. Its the reason why I started to speedrun him

[@cairill]

Plague Knight was byfar my favourite, easily the most satisfying character to learn and the customisation elements lent itself well the Plague Knight's expressive movement.

[@duchi882]

When you're not even a Game Developer but you still watch all of Mark's videos anyway

[@Megamean09]

Mark DOES make these to be entertaining to consumers as well. Plus, understanding what goes in to good design helps you appreciate it more.

[@GMTK]

GMTK is always intended for a wide audience of gamers and game devs alike! :)

[@laggalot1012]

@@Megamean09 No kidding. I'm no dev, but I've learned so much watching Mark's videos and it has lead me to view many games in a very different light than before. They have helped me understand why I like or dislike certain things about games, increasing my appreciation for some games (Breath of the Wild is an example of a game I could gush over near endlessly and my appreciation grows every time I learn more about the thought and design concepts that went into it) and making me more capable of articulating my issues with other things, making me more invested in discussion on such topics. I find the theory behind game design immensely fascinating, even if I don't have the means to actually put it to practical use, so I really enjoy these excellently crafted videos.

[@roomtemperature7096]

@@GMTK did you do the editing and graphics yourself? Cause it's always awesome

[@GMTK]

@@roomtemperature7096 I do! And thank you :)

[@tristanneal9552]

17:23 Did you purposely align the animations of the characters jumping to the upper right of the screen with prompting us to check out the information card in the upper right corner? If so, nice.

[@da14a49]

Ikr lmao

[@Pedro_eqw]

Genius.

[@caleblatreille8224]

"what makes a good speed running game?" is an amazing question i hadn't considered, please explore. or framed a different way, why have certain games have developed speedrunning communities?

[@OrigamiPhoenix]

Predictability (low or high), pacing, and alternate routes are the three things that jump out to me. There's also a big difference between a big speedrunning community and a few people. For example, Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 isn't great for flashy speedruns because of the calendar for most scenario requires a set length every time (four games years, etc) and a mod only makes all scenarios runnable.

[@TheRedCap30]

BLJ's

[@Kithara1117]

There are different definitions of "good." Good to run? Good to watch? Those two aren't always in sync.

[@BackwardsPancake]

In addition to what's already mentioned here, there's also the obvious: In a good speed running game, it should actually be possible to consistently save time thanks to your mastery of the game's systems. If saving time is all down to RNG and has little to do with player input, what you've got on your hands is a meme run - It may still be entertaining to watch, but it's not exactly "good".

[@i_fish6657]

Fluid movement high skill ceilings predictably and complexity while not being grindy or to long

[@enderethan229]

Specter Knight was definitely the most fun to use, at least in my case. Everything felt so fluid and easy to grasp while still having complex applications. I think that the platforming puzzle in the Tower of Fate with Horace demonstrates this perfectly.

[@drecksbongert4367]

going ballistic with plague knight was one of my most favourite gaming experiences.

[@PlayerCraft]

Zoooom

[@_mint38]

I love the splash screens that pop up for each move’s section. This series is presented perfectly

[@podman36]

An amazing video again! I've always loved Plague Knight- he's probably one of my favorite playable characters period, not just from Yacht Club. I remember when I started my save on him I must have spent 30+ minutes on the first stage, or even just the first part of the first stage. It forced me to do a bomb burst over a wall and I immediately started thinking of how to combo stuff together in acrobatic chains- and then all of my ideas worked! Having fun with that experimentation and being given the freedom by the foresight of the devs really made me feel fluid, as you put it. Looking forward to the next video!

[@michaelnelson2976]

YES! I had this experience as well! There was one specific pit that I COULDN'T get past so I spent 10 minutes making myself learn and then I stayed there trying out resultant ideas from what I had guessed and learned! It was an impressive moment of gamedesign

[@E_Fig05]

I know this is an older video, but I've watched this one at least five times. It's very helpful for me (who's making a fan-game of Shovel Knight with a character who will have their own movement mechanics) so I want to say, thank you Mark, this video has helped a lot.

[@FLXEP]

I enjoy using Specter Knight than the other, his moveset is just feel responsive, fluid, and looks way cooler in action

[@FabulousJejmaze]

I dislike how he has to beat almost every room in exactly one way and how I can't control the air dash.

[@Harpotos]

I'm surprised that people found Plague hard to control, he is my favourite and I think he is a lot more versatile than Specter.

[@FLXEP]

@@Harpotos I actually didn't have any problem with plague knight. I beat his story and enjoy his story the most. But I have a little problem with King Knight, somehow even the level is shorter, I feel frustrated with cheap dead because bottomless pit and enemy placement

[@Harpotos]

Sorry if I implied anything, honestly it was more of a response to what was said in the video! Haven't finished King Knights campaign yet, but I'm interested in seeing how he plays.

[@yehuda8589]

@@Harpotos I think the reason people feel that way is because you can upgrade plague knight with a floating bomb burst which while it makes him easier to control in mid-air, completely removes the fast and fluid movement that makes him so fun to play as. As such they never mastered his moveset and probably just beat his campaign with the mind-set that they'll never be good enough at the game to control him properly.

[@yehuda8589]

While King of Cards is my favorite campaign, Plague Knight definitively has my favorite movement options. Once you get the hang of the bomb burst it feels incredibly satisfying to clear a section that would've taken Shovel Knight 1 minute to clear, in a couple of seconds.

[@dragonturkey6070]

The most enjoyable character to use for me was king knight. He had the satisfying bounce of shovel knight while also having a wall bounce for quick saves. These attributes gave for a simple playstyle while aspects like resetting the shoulder bash and the roll to do a solid landing gave the complexity to make the character feel fast and fluid once mastered. Also compared to specter knight the bash was less rigid than the slash which in turned made it feel like there were more options of traversing the level. The levels with few bashable surfaces mostly felt like playing a worse shovel knight though.

[@39ocean]

I love that you talk to the game developers! It’s not something I see outside of promotional material, and even then, it’s a pitch, not an interview. Combined with the well thought out analysis, it makes these videos super interesting and informative!

[@EMPerror403]

This editing is EPIC. Just like when you buy all fancy Mr. Hat stuff in King of Cards.

[@superdude4464]

This is for sure one of my favorite videos that you've done Mark. Information was extremely thorough, the graphics and editing were smooth, and all of your main points flowed super fluidly.

[@HenNgTr]

I just finished the entire package a couple weeks ago and Shovel Knight has to be one of the top games of the generation. The REAL "Best On-Going" game

[@MissAshley42]

Yup, and sadly so many people write it off as a just a "nostalgia game" based upon the pixel art alone. Heck, I still can't forgive Giant Bomb for not awarding it with "Best Soundtrack" the year it came out. It was deemed as just "more chiptunes."

[@BaldorfBreakdowns]

"When you put a platform somewhere, people go to stand on it." *Look of confusion*

[@michasengotta2295]

I don't think he's confused. It's more like a "duh, sure they do".

[@Phychologik]

This is kinda off topic but this reminded me of how much depth ability refreshing mechanics can add to an otherwise simple ability. One example aside from the ones covered in this video is genji from overwatch. Hear me out for a second. The premise of genji's kit is that he has an ability that not only dashes him forward, but also deals damage. It has a relatively decent cooldown time, coming at 8 seconds but if he gets a kill, not just with the dash but in general, he refreshes this cooldown immediately. With this ability you can do things like dashing into enemy territory to confirm a kill then safely dash away. And his other abilities along with damage buffs from a teammate, allow him to one shot enemy teammates, possibly chaining kills into a complete team wipe. This mechanic is so fun to use and we need more things like this in games. Things that have the ability to exponentially increase their output with the right execution.

[@Sambhaid]

I personally dont like this kind of stuff and prefer consistent abilities that can be learned into muscle memory but perhaps this is just because I suck :P

[@heintz223]

Yes this is off topic apart from the fact it allies movement and combat ability but it's still interesting, you did well *pat on the head*

[@yoshiisland8263]

So like Demo Knight from TF2

[@user-sn7yq8ch4j]

Plague was my favorite! Loved the feeling of mastering a character while progressing in the game!

[@mm7967]

Gmtk is the most organized channel I've seen and I always learn and enjoy from it I hope they reach the one million subs and continue the great work

[@EarthRyno]

Plague is my absolute favorite. You nailed it on the head with the closing remarks. There’s a joy in mastering complex movement and using those skills to get through various types of levels. The other three are fun, but there’s not much room for deviation with your route. A lot of people are wondering what Plague specific levels could be like, but, honestly, I think I’m pretty happy with the open levels we got and the freedom to navigate how you want. What I’d really love is to have Plague do Richter mode through Spectre and King’s levels.

[@TheWayOfShawn]

I JUST got done re-binging older episodes to come back to a new episode. I love ya Mark.

[@Frostmute19]

Spectre was my favorite overall, everything felt satisfying and quick to learn.

[@ganaham9144]

14:21 This little clip is a really nice touch, I bet it took a some setup. I have to put Plague Knight as my favorite, the insane amount of options you have once you get into all the different bombs, bursts, etc really makes him an interesting character throughout the whole game.

[@genericfriend2568]

This is honestly a gorgeously made video, the transitions are excellent and this video made things so clear without being obnoxiously over-verbose.

[@WhiteKnuckleRide512]

Characters often have a single move that defines them, like EA with microtransactions

[@miksuko]

Or Bethesda with broken games.

[@ebbandfloatzel]

Or Blizzard and Qua- OH wait. They picked up Frostmourne and now they're Blizzard and Activirus.

[@peparony]

Ok redditor

[@harrylane4]

@@ebbandfloatzel ***blizzard and consistent disregard for human rights

[@datlad35960]

@@peparony This comment must have given you much pride and accomplishment.

[@Specter_N]

King Knight is fun to use since the levels are made for him and it’s really fun to do combos out of this. Then, Plague Knight is fun to use because of the mobility. These are my favorite characters to use.

[@floatingpyro2050]

Damn bro early on one of my favourite channels covering one of my faviroute games!

[@Stewerrvideos]

13:02 dude, I want that frame on my wall with all the characters. Looks dope!

[@nathanieldellapenta8200]

By far King knight is my favorite. His moveset is very fluid and feels amazing to control. I also love to clear a long section of stage without touching the ground at all. His movement options just make it feel almost as if I'm controlling water.

[@MaykoJester]

Plague Knight felt like I earned my movement options after learning the kit and distances. Once I learned how to press down on the floor with Spectre Knight I was instantly a badass.

[@An0therGuy100]

Im split. I think overall, I had fun with specter straight away, he was very smooth and satisfying to play, but after figuring out plague, Was definitely my favorite character.

[@user-lt3op3uy1w]

Great video as always. Shovel Knight is one of my top ten favorite games ever made, so it's always awesome to hear about the mentality Yacht Club had while creating each campaign.

[@Zackapo]

I'm torn between Spectre and King Knight. Spectre felt a bit like cheating sometimes, with the wall climbing, and levels seemed a bit too deliberate, but it's just *really* cool. King Knight confused me with the double shoulder bash, but it was the most interesting of them all, mastering switching between vertical and horizontal movement feels the best.

[@melwugon3687]

You are torn between them but king knight is the best? That doesn’t sound like being torn between to me.

[@matthewbraselman4289]

King Knight’s gameplay captivated me the most, but I felt an awesome sense of accomplishment feeling in control of Plague Knight’s bomb burst. It’s between the two for me.

[@skywardmarcus]

Spectre Knight makes me feel like a boss. Love playing as him more than anyone.

[@GoneFishingAmalgam]

Thank you for putting out this amazing content, and its so cool to see you actually reached out to score an interview with the developers.

[@Spritesuit]

Shovel Knight benefits heavily from the simplicity, but can be a bit dull compared to the others. Plague Knight is perhaps the most inherently fun to play around with, but harder to grasp. It's almost a blessing you don't also have to learn new level designs for that character. Specter Knight is the most "slick" of the four, to the point of being 8-bit _too_ easy to use (basically becoming Showdown's Answer to Brawl's Meta Knight). King Knight has a distinct, forward motion and looks fab doing it, but there is an issue on telegraphing the extra bashes. I think a simple flash would have done it, but the player does quickly get used to it. I'd probably say King Knight is my favorite. I think his movement gets the best of being simple enough to intuitively execute and complex enough to combo into the level design.

[@GameDevYal]

I've only watched one second of the video and I'm already blown away! Didn't expect that stylish retro edit of the channel's intro xD

[@engineer-of-souls]

3:08 seasnake? Isn't that clearly a tentacle? or a Grapps if we go by the official enemy name. Do other people see that as a seasnake?

[@noahabry619]

Yes, I "sea" them

[@jackdunn3127]

Engineer-of-Souls I think it looks like a snake. It can’t be a tentacle because it has an eye.

[@blinkingberry9591]

I thought it was a snake, but it does look like a squid arm with an eye, now that you mention it. And ycg's blog post mentioned hitting the eye, not hitting the head. Hm, thanks. Then again I thought the blue dragons with the red throat were blue birds with red noses.

[@nomf34]

i just call it "that thing"

[@Jetswitch]

At first glance that's obviously a tentacle to me, one of the longer ones on a giant squid as it has suction cups and that distinct shape. Take away the eye and that's clearly what it is. However, since it does have an eye it seems more likely that it's its own thing like a mix between tentacle and sea snake.

[@flawbertrobert]

Can I say, I'm super happy you are including interviews now.

[@GMTK]

I've had interviews in previous episodes too! Check out my videos on Celeste's movement and Hitman 2's Miami level :)

[@ThatsJustLikeYourOpinionMan]

I actually really enjoy Plague the best, followed by King, then Specter, then Shovel.

[@oscarmorales7406]

Plague knight was my favorite knight overall. It felt amazing to be able move so freely, if you can manage to understand how his bomb hover mechanic works, that you only have 1 second jump no matter what, screen transitions, and how to optimize the bomb burts, you can stay in the air forever (you wont beat the stage that way, but still).

[@ysquaredyobozo]

havent played king knight, but plague is by far my favorite, i never really had trouble controlling him, its one of the few platformers im actually pretty decent at

[@K1Cartoons]

I absolutely loved loved LOVED King Knight, the spinning animation is just SOOOOO satisfing, I love the acting on his running, bashing and spinning animations, specially with the armor that makes it all beautiful and fabulous.

[@erok0809]

I think specter knight's movement is my favorite in the early stages, since it's so intuitive and fluid, but plague knight becomes my favorite once you actually get over the learning curve. I like king knight's next, but only because I'm simply better at controlling him than shovel knight, I like shovel knight too.

[@jerowns]

Your channel made me consider starting a game dev journey. Every video you put out is pure gold and so informative! I’ve got a notebook full of game ideas and mechanics, level layout, maps etc. etc. Absorbing all content and hoping to put out a few (easy to make) games this year to build a basis for my “masterpiece”. I can’t wait for all the upcoming content you’ll put out. Maybe you could try out podcasting so we can enjoy your knowledge while in the car or at work. Greetings a new total fan

[@GMTK]

Cheers!

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I guess I'll have to pull this out of the acrid dark abyss of my backlog and play it so I can come back to this video long after anyone cares and post which one is my favorite...

[@occamsbeatinstick.3076]

In terms of getting around, King Knight, but in terms of attacking I far preferred the endless combinations with Plague Knight's bombs. Both of these characters really lent themselves to creativity in approaching a problem when they were fully kitted out.

[@Protofall]

"No one ever calls Specter knight uncontrollable" I must be that one person who had an issue with his movement, I died far too many times because he would start a wall run when I didn't expect it, and because I didn't expect it I usually fell to my death. Aside from that he was good, but yeah not my favourite knight. (EDIT: My favourite character was Plague, but its been a while since I last played him)

[@michaelbesser5348]

Yeah, Plague was my favorite also. I really loved his cloak that made you bounce off of walls in a bomb burst especially. It really opened up even more movement options for him.

[@Protofall]

@@michaelbesser5348 I think why I like plague so much is because his attacks are unconventional and also explosions are fun. We've seen every other knight's playstyles in other retro game (King is Wario + Mario, Shovel is Link/Ducktales plus some new shovel moves, Specter is Ninja Gaiden) so Plague feels much newer.

[@jack8162]

Ok, this is my new favorite channel on youtube. You do an amazing job on every video you do, really high quality stuff.

[@LaZodiac]

"You don't have to hold down to hold that position" Shit that's news to me.

[@LaZodiac]

Also I'll be honest, "which was the most fun to control" is a hard question since the most recent one I played is King Knight, so "that one" but I know at the time of release, every single character has felt WONDERFUL. They all give not only a powerfully good mechanical feeling, but they also FEEL like the bosses, when you're fighting against them. Even King Knight, who is mostly divorced from his actual boss fight in terms of mechanics, he still caries this feeling of "utterly straight forward and outlandish". I feel like the favorite of them for me is probably King Knight, but they're all so good I'm really not sure I CAN pick.

[@sockatume]

This wonderful video has done more to convince me to try Shovel Knight than all the reviews and recommendations I’ve seen over the years. :)

[@firebadger4191]

Ok, for my ranking of each characters mobility at least for me it was: Specture (ease of movemnt) King (shoulder bashing) Shovel Plague

[@shadowself88]

Great video! I think I like Plague Knight's movement the best. It definitely has the highest learning curve, but there's a lot of freedom when you get it down and it feels rewarding to master. Combine that with all the attack modifiers, and he's a character you can really make your own.

[@morgen3369]

13:01 When he asks the developpers about this they seem a bit at loss for words ahaha. kinda feels like they just didn't think of making a different effect or animation to indicate the player for the bash. Although it might just be my impression of it. It's also a total valid choice to choose not to indicate it and just leave it at the player's focus

[@dostipos1]

As an amateur game designer, this video was very useful. The interview sections provided really interesting insights from the dev team.

[@a_person5668]

Worst to best (based on movement alone): 4. Shovel knight: Boring, never feels cool, slow, just... no thanks. 3. Specter Knight: Feels really good like 10% of the time, but the moves are way to circumstantial to use often. 2. Plague Knight: Feels really good like 40% of the time, and you feel so good once you get the hang of it. 1. King Knight: The best movement I’ve seen in a 2D platformer ever. No issues at all.

[@elecboy5126]

Plague knight’s my favorite, because I noticed and appreciated the design mentioned from 3:42-4:14. I can’t believe my observation was proven by interview!

[@Madderthanjoker]

Favorite knight has got to be Hollow Knight, there's nothing beating that good ol Dream nail.

[@isaacbryce2748]

Specter Knight was so much fun to play as. To this day he's the only character I've finished all the challenges for, not because I find it particularly easier, but because I just love how he feels.

[@duwang3195]

When in the first ten seconds of a video, you have a parody of yacht club games' logo, sonic mania and ori and the blind forest footage, and celeste music, you know you're in for a good video.

[@bobmcbob8044]

King knight's moveset is used used in the most consistently interesting and varied ways in my opinion, and I really like the back and forth of bouncing and bashing leading into each other, even if it can occasionally be confusing or frustrating.

[@Rodanguirus]

Plague Knight has some of my favorite movement I’ve ever experienced in a video game. So satisfying to master. Also, even if it wasn’t what Yacht Club intended, I loved that brief period shortly after Plague of Shadows’ launch when you could throw bombs while charging/saving a bomb burst as long as you mapped attack to two separate buttons. You may be gone, overpowered original Plague Knight, but I won’t forget you!

[@pentbot]

I just want to shout out to the devs for Plague Knight's dance animation @ 3:24, nice work!

[@ManArkham]

Personally king knight felt very solid and weighted but you still have the ability to masterfully fling yourself around and thats why i love it

[@geannicolasvenegascalderon7561]

These kind videos make my whole day and def pump up the inspiration gauge. Keep up the top notch work!

[@noidea796]

This is one of my favorite videos. And the way you decided to showcase the different abilities? 👌🏾👌🏾

[@sprucefruit]

Mark, those signature move freeze frames were so good!

[@ramherrump]

The editing is fantastic in this one! Cheers!

[@floppydysk]

Hey GMK I'd just like to say that I'd absolutely LOVE if you made a video about the relation between technical movesets and speedrunning like you suggested near the end. Awesome vid as always.

[@dragonsswarm1987]

Videos like this make me want to see campaigns for all of the knight characters in Shovel Knight, but I recognize that that would be unfeasible and expensive.

[@Reggie1408]

Yay the intro is back!!!

[@hiteshk1]

wow!! i never thought about their movement and maneuverability so deeply. Thanks man!

[@ArtistGamedev]

Great job. I really liked how you broke down the state machine for the characters.

[@isofruitfruit9357]

Plague Knight was by far my favorite. The sheer versatility and range of options and power that gave you made me love it more than any other.

[@rder2793]

I love king knight's mobility for how simple it seems (you just can jump and bash) and how fun it can be. Specter knight is close to be the best one too but I just love the simplicity of king knight and how effective it is.

[@Acradius]

I love this series, keep up the fantastic work! My vote goes to King Knight, mainly because his jump felt extremely similar to Megaman, and the shoulder bash in the air felt a lot like Megaman X, both of which I played to death as a kid.

[@emilhaugsbakk7281]

I loved playing as palgue knight because of the customization off the bombs and the very tight platforming.

[@ethanhayes7038]

Plague Knight's movement is my favorite. Knowing just how to chain together his abilities for maximum effect is incredibly satisfying. [Bomb Throw/Begin Charge -> Jump -> Burst -> Bomb Throw/Begin Charge -> Double Jump -> Burst -> Bomb Throw] can get you insane distance. I recently tested its height and you can scale an 11 block wall if you get it just right.

[@polecats6922]

I peeped that dandara in the intro, absolutely adore that game. it would be a really good case study as well as the game's overall design concept came from how to make this work and not based around how to make this unique. there's no shortage of interviews from the team I suggest taking a look