Shovel Knight- I Dig It

Let’s start this out real blunt. This game is best played on the 3DS. Not the PC, not the WII U, but the 3DS. Why? because this game looks stunning when you use the 3D slider. The parallax scrolling and the layers just look beautiful when this game is in 3D. I also think the graphics look sharper.

Now that that is out of the way let talk about Shovel Knight. Shovel Knights represents a lot of things that I am not super fond of right now in the games industry 1. Kickstarter projects and 2. A retro indie-platformers. I will elaborate on my issues with both in future post but long story short, I think Kickstarter is set to put consumer in a position to make more risk than they should ever need to and I think indie games with “retro” graphics are getting stale and lazy. These retro games are profiting on my generation’s nostalgia more than anything.  Knowing that Shovel Knights represents these things to me, trust me when I say this game is very good almost in spite of itself.

The story starts off as a tale of rescue…typical shovel knight in shining armor kind of stuff but ends as a tale of empowerment on all sides. There is a nice reversal of the Damsel in Distress trope that is very refreshing (refreshing…in a retro game… must be good).

Gameplay-wise Shovel Knight is tight. It plays like Megaman if it was made now. There are elements of Ducktales and other Capcom platformers but Megaman is the feel that resonates most for me. The game is very linear but you progress on a Mario 3 style map. As you beat levels you unlock more of the map. I didn’t find the game innovative from a gameplay perspective but it has mastered the formula. Maneuvers that were more complex in say Ducktales are simpler now. Using the cane to pogo in Ducktales would take you pressing down on the d-pad and a button press but Shovel Knight allows you to pogo off of your shovel by just pressing down on the D-pad. So many secrets to unlock and the game is perfectly paced. The boss fights are innovative and captivating. My only complaint with the gameplay is that I wish the game was harder. Being raised on Megaman and other games, I found the difficulty to be trivial. It’s a minor complaint. 

The music. Man… the music is so good. Jake “virt” Kaufman is my favorite videogame composer and he is frankly one of my favorite musicians on the planet. His music evokes pain and passion in a way that I can’t even begin to describe. The music somehow tells a story all on its own. Listening to the soundtrack in my car, I can visualize the bosses and the mood of the dream sequences. His music builds the world around it. Shovel Knight Soundtrack

I love Shovel Knight. I have to wonder if I love it because it is a realization of what I always wanted in a platformer? Do I love this game because I have the context to love it? Would a 14 year old like this game? I have no idea. That’s where I have to question if this is a good game for me or a universally good game. Playing the game is a “best of” for my memories of gaming past, but what does that mean for a teenager today? I’d love to know. That sai, Buy Shovel Knight. Listen to the soundtrack. Thank me later. Peace.  

And you think you know somebody….

Giantbomb.com has been a staple in my gaming life for years. I don’t know anybody who works there bu I consider them friends. The closest I have ever been to the crew is when i was playing Blur on 360 and we did a few races together. I sent them a message and they responded, one my favorite gaming experiences. I bomb in the A.M and I schedule my weeks around the bombcast. These guys (Patrick, Brad, Jeff, etc) are people that I truly think are good and really bring a lot of joy to the field.

They are the type of guys I would love to have a beer with, and that’s why it was so disappointing last week when the hiring “scandal” and twitter harassment ensued. A quick recap of events- Giantbomb has been an advocate for equality in game for years, Giantbomb has 2 openings, they hire 2 white men. While this may not seem like a shocking turn of events. It was really sad and a stark realization of the good ole boys network that is videogame journalism. They picked people who “fit in”. They hired people who they were “comfortable” with .  They picked “known commodities”. They did what people do to my sister, Dara, all the time.

My sister has CP and is in a wheelchair. She is super smart, has a master’s degree and has a large network of friends. This is all well and good until it comes to hire somebody and all of sudden she can’t find a job. She can’t get jobs that she is qualified or over-qualified for…and shes applying with people she knows and works with. They always choose a better fit or somebody who can hit the ground running (for lack of a better metaphor). The reality is they don’t want to hire somebody different. They don’t want to see a black woman in a wheelchair everyday. They don’t want to worry about how wide the doors are or if the light switches are accessible. These people will never say this to her but they don’t need to, their actions speak volumes. She is unemployed.

Taking this back to Giantbomb.com, it is just so disheartening that the hired 2 more white men. 2 qualified talented white men that I am sure I will like. But 2 more white men none the less. Rarely do people have a chance to make a difference but here was there shot. Hire a black guy, hire a woman, hire a veteran. They took the easy way out and thankfully got lambasted for it. It’s just so sad to see this play out. People talk about glass ceilings and what privilege looks like and this is it. Giantbomb can keep doing the status quo and be acceptable, they never have to hire anybody different and that’s ok. Giantbomb had a chance to put their money where there mouth was and they dropped the ball.

I still visit Gianbomb but it’s a somber experience. On some weird level I feel rejected by them. By there refusal to hire diverse people I feel like they don’t really care about my thoughts and feelings. It’s like when you best friend tells you he loves black people but he would never want his sister to date a black woman. That’s different. Giantbomb loves diversity and inclusiveness but not enough to date it…not enough to put money towards it. That’s a shame.