Yacht Club Games Reveals Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

Nice! I had already forgotten about it hah.

I should probably beat Plague of Shadows first...

How about a new game? This free content is great & all but a sequel would be preferred at this point.

I've never been a Shovel Knight guy but I really appreciate Yacht Club keeping their word and give the DLC to us for free. Their actions should be an example to every gaming Kickstarter everywhere.

http://yachtclubgames.com/2016/06/the-return-of-specter-knight-and-a-revitalizing-announcement/ Found a few gifs of footage through here. Looks pretty good!

it's hard to be upset about a delay,
when you're getting a whole new story campaign FOR FREE

@Dreamcaster-X they promised these updates as part of their Kickstarter. Keeping their promises means building a good name.

Anyway, working on these updates does not mean they're not working on anything else.

@Dreamcaster-X They are still working on Kickstarter goals they promised. They need to finish those first, which they have been doing before they move on.

Edit: Ninja'd by 47 seconds.

Thankfully, King Knight's campaign shouldn't take as long, since it's being developed simultaneously with Specter of Torment.
It's worth mentioning that Yacht Club Games is also working on an update to change language settings, including Japanese. It may not sound like much, but there are plenty of visual changes to sprites as well.
http://yachtclubgames.com/2016/07/japan-localization/

I've been eagerly waiting for the expansions. I can't wait to see what Yacht Club has in store for us.

...Why do I keep forgetting about this game?...I still need to play Plague's mode. >.<

I used one of the mod codes they provided to make Specter Knight dance when idle and it broke the game. Haven't been back to play since.

Kind of wish they had saved the physical release for when all expansions and patches were done, so the 'whole package' could be burned forever.

Although they did an excellent job, the bomb burst mechanic in Plague of Shadows isn't exactly my favorite, so I'm excited to see how this campaign turns out!

Also, battle mode is gonna be awesome!

@Meowpheel
"They promised these updates as part of their Kickstarter. Keeping their promises means building a good name"

Looks at Project Cars... looks at Hyper Light Drifter... Looks at Road Redemption.... 90's Arcade Racer...

Seems developers care more about mitigating losses and lining their pockets nowadays more than they care about keeping a good name.

It's always refreshing to see a developer that actually follows through.

I love that there are still expansions coming out. I played Shovel Knight for the first time LAST WEEK, but I don't have to feel late to the party 👍🏼

Plague Knight was so good. Definitely looking forward to this.

Plague was amazing!
They get their mechanics so perfect, it's art in every sense of the word.
... And with the Amiibo the best co-op game in recent memory!

I'm telling the truth, Shovel Knight changed my life. It will be forever my favorite indie game. Thanks to exist Shovel Knight!!!

I shouldn't complain because this is all free but I wish it came out sooner, this is the longest waits between DLC that I've ever experienced. Still it's free... Just wish that they could use this time on a sequel, I'll happily play this content but it's starting to feel like I should be paying for this stuff.

Beaten Shovel Knight twice, but stopped at the last level of Plague of Shadows for some reason.

Should probably get to that before this.

battle mode please.

Sure are taking their time with this.

I'm looking forward to it but I would gladly pay for these campaigns separately because they are so full of content. Kinda makes me sad they are obligated to make it free because it was promised in the kickstarter. Shovel Knight deserves the attention for its loyal developers and quality.

whoa it's further away than I though. still very exciting I can't wait!

Can't wait!

Seeing a lot of people saying they never beat Plague of Shadows. DO THIS NOW, YOU WON'T REGRET IT. TRUST ME.

It would be awesome if 2 was a 16 bit game or if they made a game in the style of Zelda II.

With this coming soon, I really need to finish shovel knight; been stuck at Tinker Knight, any tips?

This game grows bigger and bigger without needing sequels to do so. It's a grand thing, and every time it makes the media circle again, new people buy into it.

You really can't complain about this, it's free and expands on an already amazing game... but, I'd also be fine if there weren't anymore expansions and they simply worked on their next game.

@JaxonH Bit harsh including Hyper Light Drifter in that statement given the poor health of its developer Alex Preston.

Cool, Specter Knight is one of the characters I cared about the least, but its hard to complain about free content.

King Knight is the one I'm far more excited for personally.

I found the gameplay in Plague of shadows difficult and gave up. Loved the original game, so feel sad for being such a lousy gamer But I look forward to more content. Maybe time to get it for my Wii U and see if it's better to play as Plague knight with better controllers!

@Meowpheel I agree it makes little business sense, but it's great for the fans. Nintendo, take note. Mario Kart 8, Smash and Splatoon should still be getting this kind of tlc.

Oh god, it's been too long. All my yes. All of it.

@JohnnyC Nah, all those games are several years old now and we've already got a bunch of dlc for them. Better to work on new games imo. Besides, Splatoon's last update was in July and all content has been free. That said and although it's a bit odd to release a new dlc so long after the initial release, I am definitely looking forward to Specter Knight's campaign.

Shovel Knight is probably the best platformer I've ever played. I love Yacht Club, and I'll be sure to beat this next expansion like 4 times.

Omg, can't wait! I love Plague of Shadows, so I hope it's as good as that expansion!

@BionicDodo
Ya know, his health isn't stopping him from continuing to work on updates for other versions as he said. And it's not like he said "I need a break, but after a few months I'll
come back and spend the little 6 months to finish the job.

It seems more like a shield to hide behind. No mention of real actual sickness, just "I've been working hard and therefore my health". I don't buy it. I work hard every day, and for years worked 12 hour shifts, 6-7 days a week. Nothing ever wrong with my "health". If he's working too hard, then cut it back to 8 hours a day. And if it's actually an issue then why is he still working. Seems to have no issue continuing to work, just don't wanna work on that.

It's weak sauce. Could have easily said, "give it a few months, then we'll come back and finish the job. But they don't want to. And the Vita is proof. Claims "issues with Nintendo" but what about Sony? Why is that getting cut? It's cause they just don't wanna spend time making good on the lesser selling platforms. Coincidence it's Wii U and Vita? I think not.

Geez, I can't believe this game is still worth $15!

I LOVED Shovel Knight, but found Plague of Shadows to have slightly less tight and intuitive controls. I love free content, but hope this plays a bit better.

@JaxonH He doesn't have undefined health issues, he has congenital heart disease and has suffered with very poor health throughout his life. Hyper Light Drifter is a story influenced by his own experiences with this condition.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/02/hyper-light-drifter-heart-disease-inspired-alex-preston

Obviously, if you feel you are going to be unable to complete all of the work you set out to do then you prioritise and you are always going to prioritise the formats that received the most backing and have the largest user bases, so Wii U and Vita were cut. It's a shame and he is sorry that it has happened but at least he has said that it won't happen and offered refunds rather than keep stringing people along.

All that said, knowing he had poor health he probably shouldn't have ever offered Wii U or Vita versions as he clearly bit off more than he could chew.

@Ed_Fairway

Win.

@Zach777 Thanks for the tip. I'm guessing the other tip would be not dying

Never really cared about SK as much as everyone else (felt a tad generic, I don't really see "best game of all time." Still good though.)

I'm definitely playing the DLC Ince it comes out.

I hope it has multiplayer using the Amiibo. Plague of Shadow does not.

Spring 2017? Good gosh, so the next big update will be around 2 years after Plague of Shadows, and almost 3 years after the game first released. While I think the love and care they have given this game is great, I'm having a hard time fathoming how it's taking so long to complete the stretch goal content... Unless their work force is divided between Shovel Knight and a new, unannounced project.

AWESOME! Now, what would be REALLY cool, is a Plague Knight, Specter Knight, King Knight amiibo 3-pack when all the DLC has come out. Sooooo nice.

I beat Shovel Knight on the 3DS and then immediately played through all of the New Game Plus. When Plague Knight came out I beat that too. Just this week I was thinking about how much I loved the game and I bought a second copy on Wii U. Can you tell I'm a fan?

@Dreamcaster-X they have to make it. These are Kickstarter rewards.

I actually enjoyed the Plague of Shadows campaign more than the first run through with the title character. Hopefully YC will give this new one the same treatment.

@BionicDodo
Well then I can certainly sympathize with him, but working on a game won't make his disease worse. He's gonna continue to work to support himself and provide a living, and I can almost guarantee his health won't stop him from doing that. Just seems like what his health "prevents him from doing" is extremely selective.

If it's truly an issue, why not delay it and say "guys I need 6 months to chill, I'll start working on it early 2017. But using it to outright cancel it entirely, knowing good and well he'll still be continuing to work anyways (just not on that), just seems like hiding behind a health issue to get out of it.

Like my co-worker with diabetes. Misses 2 days a week, every single week- I know cancer patients who don't miss as much work- all because "she's diabetic" and doesn't need a doctor excuse to miss. People abuse their health status all the time to get away with stuff, knowing people won't wanna say anything because it'll look like they're heartless.

@JaxonH Obviously his illness doesn't mean he can't work at all, it means he can't work as much as he would like. So he has to pick which projects he will work on and which he won't. It's easy for us to say down tools for six months or a year and then code the Wii U version but that work will costs him money and time when he will then deliver to a tiny handful of people on a dead system. I assume there weren't that many backers requesting Wii U/Vita versions in the first place and there aren't going to be many more queueing up in a year. As you said, he has to be able to support himself.

I agree that a lot of Kickstarter developers seem only too happy to screw over their backers, I just think there's enough evidence with this one for 'reasonable doubt'.

@BionicDodo
"cost him money and time when he will turn deliver a tiny number of people on a dead system"

Yes, it absolutely will. But that's his responsibility considering he pitched the platforms when fundraising. It was his choice to include those platforms. He made his bed now he needs to lie in it.

And you will then say to me, "but he offered refunds or other platforms". But I will say to you that's irrelevant, because he used pitching those platforms to aid him in reaching his goal so he could keep all the pledged funds.

If people just start promising platforms to get their raised funds over the limit so they can keep the money, then abandon whichever platforms "aren't as profitable" after the fact and offer refunds, people are gonna stop funding Kickstarter games. I know I will.

The game that keeps on giving!

But in all honesty, I have only played 1 or 2 levels since beating the game. I think I tried it with the Amiibo but not Plague Knight.

@Muddy_4_Ever that's exactly why I like Plague of Shadows more. I enjoyed the main game quite a bit, but I found Plague Knight had more replay value for me because the controls were looser and trickier, requiring me to stay on my game and plan well. They're distinctly different styles between the two campaigns so people will be able to pick a favorite. For what Plague of Shadows was, I think they did a good job with it as I took to it pretty quickly and found the controls reliable. So far, I like both campaigns a lot and expect to replay both quite a bit.

I think I got Shovel Knight just a year ago. I loved the main game and the expansion, so I'm quite excited for the rest of the promised extensions. Despite it being the same game engine with a lot of recycled levels, they did wonders making Plague of Shadows feel fresh. Finishing the Kickstarter stretch goals will do wonders for Yacht Club in the long run as I, and I suspect many others, will be more likely to support upcoming projects and possibly even double dip on some.

Absolutely love Shovel Knight, it's one of my favourite games to come out in the last couple of years. Already beat the main game and Plague of Shadows, so I'll be waiting for this in Spring!

Yacht Club games is great to do such fan service to their game, and the expansions being free is absolutely great! They are one of the only companies to do Kickstarter campaign right.

@Pimmen True, but the Animal Crossing New Leaf DLC has given me hope, although as others have pointed out, a big reason for that is probably to shift excess stock of Animal Crossing Amiibo.

I've been waiting for this, although I was positive that King Knight was next. Oh well, I like Specter Knight's boss battle. This will be interesting!

One of the only games of my 20+ years gaming that I've beaten the new game plus and done so happily. Such a fun game to play, can't wait for more

Yaaaaay the knight that matters most to me gets his own game