If you need a break from finding creative ways to kill Bokoblins in Breath of the Wild, allow me to suggest a different type of game: Specter of Torment, a new standalone Shovel Knight expansion thatâs just as good if not better than the original
Although Specter of Torment will be free to anyone who owns the original version of Shovel Knight on other consoles, itâs a timed exclusive on Nintendo Switch, where you can get it now (either as part of the âTreasure Troveâ compilation that includes the other Shovel Knight campaigns, or as a standalone game thatâs simply called Specter of Torment). It is essentially a new version of Shovel Knight. The levels, bosses, and abilities are all entirely different, and itâs chock full of fun (and brutal) platforming challenges that make for a nice diversion after 10 straight hours of Breath of the Wild.
When I visited Shovel Knight development studio Yacht Club Games last year while reporting for my bookâpre-order now!!!!âone of the things that struck me most was that in 2016, two years after the release of Shovel Knight, they were still working on Kickstarter stretch goals for the game. Included in those Kickstarter stretch goals were three boss campaigns: Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight. Originally, Yacht Club hoped to get them all out within a year, but things didnât quite work out. They were, as you might imagine, a little sick of making Shovel Knight
The Plague Knight campaign came out in 2015, but it didnât get much attention, in part because it was simply a free update to Shovel Knight (only this year did Yacht Club decide to turn all the campaigns into standalone versions), and in part because it wasnât all that great. Bouncing around as the villainous alchemist seemed like an idea that was more fun in theory than practice, and Plague Knightâs charging mechanic could be a little frustrating to use.
Specter of Torment, on the other hand, is phenomenal. Playing as the cloaked, scythe-wielding demonic Specter Knight, you can slash monsters, climb walls, and perform air dashes by jumping and then slashing diagonally through any enemy or obstacle thatâs in your path. This is an incredibly fun mechanic that never gets old, and Specter of Torment uses it in some clever ways as the game goes on. (Thereâs even a story, and itâs surprisingly impactful.)
King Knight still isnât out yet, in case youâre wondering. Hopefully itâll launch before 2018 so Yacht Club Games can move on to a new game. But for now, if youâve got a Switch and want to play something that isnât Zelda, Specter of Torment is well worth your time.
