In Plague of Shadows, the player takes control not of titular hero Shovel Knight, but instead plays as one of Shovel Knights main enemies during the main story, Plague Knight. The plot serves as a sequel to the events of the main game:
“Using his maniacal scientific mind, Plague Knight is seeking to concoct Serum Supernus, the Ultimate Potion. However, to retrieve these ingredients, he must extract them from his former allies… the villainous knights of the Order of No Quarter!”
The new playable character offers up a wealth of features and gameplay changes that truly differentiate this expansion from vanilla Shovel Knight. You can now craft items, such as equipment and power ups, by collecting different loot. There are also new recipes and regents to discover on top of those in the main game. Most importantly, Plague Knight functions somewhat differently from Shovel Knight; where as Shovel Knight’s attack were mainly focused on the usage of his trusty shovel, Plague Knight instead attack using alchemy, bombs and other explosives.
Plague of Shadows also contains new bosses, new locations and a brand new Challenge mode, which Yacht Club Game explains as a chance to “Take on speed run challenges, boss rematches, and other rule-benders… and expect some tricky puzzles!”
Plague of Shadows is available to anybody who already owns Shovel Knight ($14.99) or purchases it after Septemeber 17. Shovel Knight is available on the Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.
