Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

Like Shovel Knight, Specter of Torment is a is a 2D side-scrolling platform game.[1][2] Players control Specter Knight, an undead warrior serving the evil Enchantress.[3] Specter Knight is tasked by his master with defeating several knights and forcing them to join the Order of No Quarter, the antagonist organization of the original Shovel Knight.[4][5] Specter Knight can run up walls, jump off of them, and attack enemies with his scythe.[6] Slashing an enemy or object with with his scythe allows him to move forward through the air in an upward or downward direction.[4][1]

Levels and bosses in Specter of Torment are redesigned from the original Shovel Knight, and are accessed from a central hub world instead of a large map.[4][3] As with the original Shovel Knight, players can destroy checkpoints to receive a reward, but must travel through longer portions of the level to progress if they die.[1] Hidden inside levels are red skulls, which can be traded at a vendor in the hub world for special weapons and abilities called Curios.[4][6] Curios serve a similar role to Relics in Shovel Knight,[1] and are powered using a consumable "darkness" meter that can be recharged by slaying enemies.[1][2] Examples of Curios include the "Green Skull" that can be used to regain health,[4] "Judgment Rush" which allows Specter Knight to teleport through walls,[3] and "Hover Plume" which permits him to temporarily float while mid-air.[1] Progressing through the game allows the player to learn Specter Knight's true identity and how he came to serve the Enchantress.[4]

Specter of Torment is a prequel to Shovel Knight (2014).[7] At the Tower of Fate, the Enchantress instructs her undead servant Specter Knight to recruit eight knights for the Order of No Quarter. She gives Specter Knight a magical locket, which grows in power as he defeats the knights. Once all of them are defeated, its magic will resurrect him as a living creature. As Specter Knight defeats the knights and forces them to join the Order, he recalls memories of his former life; Before dying, he was an adventurer named Donovan, who explored alongside his partner, Luan. The two scaled the Tower of Fate in search of a magical amulet to give to Luan's son. Once at the top, they ran into Shield Knight, who warned them that the amulet was cursed. Donovan fought Shield Knight against Luan's wishes, causing the floor beneath them to collapse and killing Luan. Shield Knight, having transformed into the Enchantress due to the amulet's corrupting power, offered to save Donovan from death in exchange for servitude. Oblivious to the identity of the Enchantress, he accepted the offer and was transformed into Specter Knight.

After Specter Knight assembles half of the Order, a boy named Reize breaks into the Tower of Fate with the hope of defeating the evil within. Seeing his potential, the Enchantress fills him with dark energy, corrupting him despite Specter Knight's protests. Once seven knights have been recruited, Specter Knight's old friend Black Knight breaks in and reveals that the Enchantress is Shield Knight. Enraged, Specter Knight goes after the Enchantress through the hole that Black Knight dug into the tower. Upon his arrival, the Enchantress summons Reize and fills him with more dark energy, turning him into a powerful monster. Specter Knight defeats Reize, but the Enchantress nonetheless intends to transform him into her eighth knight. Specter Knight abruptly promises to be the last knight in Reize's place, heals the boy with his locket, and returns him to his village. With the Order of No Quarter fully assembled, Specter Knight laments to Black Knight that the Enchantress is unstoppable. In a post-credits scene, Specter Knight reminisces over the locket, which is a keepsake given to him by Luan. In a final memory, it is shown that Luan asked Donovan to protect his son, Reize.

Yacht Club Games began development of Specter of Torment after finishing production of the previous DLC, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows. The developers hoped to make a more ambitious expansion than Plague of Shadows; the previous DLC featured a new character with unique mobility, but had the same levels of the original Shovel Knight. The team believed that playing through the levels again for a new expansion would be repetitive, so they decided to redesign all the stages while using the originals as blueprints. Specter Knight's increased mobility forced Yacht Club Games to add more walls and space to maneuver, as his abilities were too powerful for the levels of the original game. They intended for the expansion to be an equal combination of new and reused content, but the final product was composed mostly of new features. The levels took nearly a year to fully design and implement in gameplay.[8]

The levels contained new visuals, enemies, and objects not featured in earlier Shovel Knight titles, and some were taken from previously cut concepts. The developers also tried to redesign original gameplay concepts, such as Specter Knight breaking dirt blocks while jumping off of them, while the Shovel Knight character could only destroy them by digging.[8] Specter of Torment was released for Wii U, Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017.[9][10]

According to the review aggregate website Metacritic, Specter of Torment received "generally favorable reviews." for its Nintendo Switch version.[11] Nintendo World Report praised the story and platforming, saying that the expansion was nearly as good as the levels of the original game. However, the reviewer found some of the earlier bosses to be frustrating.[4] Shacknews liked Specter Knight's movement and praised his characterization in the story, but found the game to be on the shorter side.[2] GameSpot said that the game retained the platforming gameplay and appeal of the original Shovel Knight, but said that some of the boss fights were too similar to their original counterparts.[1]