A highly customizable blend of roguelike and puzzles | Full Review - Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

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Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a roguelike dungeon crawler puzzle game that serves as a spin-off to the critically acclaimed Shovel Knight series. In this game, players take on the role of the protagonist, Shovel Knight, who becomes trapped within a magical artifact called the Pocket Dungeon.

🟩Pros

+Unique gameplay blend of puzzles and dungeon crawling

+Challenging and Strategic puzzles

+Highly customizable game parameters

+Additional game modes like 1v1 and daily/weekly runs

🟥Cons

-High difficulty for the default game parameters

-Storytelling takes a backseat

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is an engaging and addictive roguelike dungeon crawler puzzle available on Switch, PC, and with a Netflix exclusive port for Android and iOS. It draws inspiration from retro-style 2D platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. With its pixelated art style and charming graphics, the game pays homage to classic video games.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is an homage to the retro 2D platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, taking inspiration from classic games. Its graphics strive to recreate the pixelated art style and nostalgic appeal of those early video games. By utilizing a restricted color palette and implementing precise pixel animations, Shovel Knight captures the aesthetic reminiscent of the NES and SNES era. The game showcases vibrant and colorful pixel art, with character and enemy designs that have slightly more detail compared to the original game.

In the game's storyline, players assume the role of Shovel Knight, the main character who finds himself trapped inside a mystical artifact known as the Pocket Dungeon. In order to escape, Shovel Knight must engage in battles against fellow knights who have also suffered a similar fate, fighting his way out of the perilous situation. The story isn’t the strongest point of the game, and merely saves as the premise to set up the puzzle-centric gameplay of this spin-off.

The core gameplay of Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon combines elements of three-match puzzle mechanics and Tetris style falling blocks, with dungeon crawling, resulting in a unique puzzle RPG experience. Players take control of Shovel Knight or nine other playable characters with their own abilities, navigating them on an 8x8 grid where they can move up, down, left or right. As enemies and blocks descend from above and fill the grid, players must strategically move and attack to clear them. Failure to defeat an enemy results in the player receiving damage equivalent to the enemy's offensive strength. Movement by one unit instantly drops the blocks downward, while choosing not to move causes the blocks to descend slowly.

Groups of enemies can be cleared simultaneously, a mechanic called "chaining," when they are connected with each other, resembling match-three puzzle clearing elements like Candy Crush. These enemies come in various shapes and sizes, with some being straightforward and having fixed health and damage values, while others pose more challenging encounters. Certain enemies deploy shields in the direction of the initial attack, necessitating attacks from different angles, while some enemies require precise timing to avoid devastating counter-attacks.

In addition to enemies and blocks, various elements such as keys and bombs fall from above. Keys are essential for opening chests and doorways, while bombs clear a significant portion of the surrounding area. The game also incorporates helpful items that enhance Shovel Knight's abilities, such as a spear that extends his attack range or a weapon that freezes enemies in place. These items can be obtained through in-game shops using gems earned during runs. The shops offer both persistent upgrades in the camp shop and temporary boosts in the in-run shops.

As a roguelike game, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon features two main ways to handle defeat. The default options are permadeath, where dying results in an instant fail, and a more forgiving option that allows players to respawn, and the game only ends when the grid becomes completely filled with blocks.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon offers a challenging gameplay experience, which can be attributed to the limited base HP (health points) and attack power of your character. This means that you will have to carefully strategize and make the most of your resources in order to overcome the obstacles and enemies you encounter in the game. However, the game developers have taken player preferences into consideration by providing a highly customizable feature.

This allows you to adjust the game parameters according to your liking, providing a more lenient experience if you find the default difficulty too demanding. You can modify various aspects such as character attributes, enemy behavior, and overall pacing of the game to create a gameplay experience that suits your skill level and desired level of challenge.

Beyond the main adventure mode, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon provides a range of additional game modes that add to its replay value. Players can engage in 1v1 battles against either real players (using two sides of the same screen) or CPU opponents, offering opportunities for competitive gameplay. The inclusion of weekly and daily runs, accompanied by preexisting dungeon modifiers and rewards when target goals are achieved, further extends the game's longevity and encourages players to return regularly for new challenges.

Conclusion:

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon successfully combines roguelike elements, dungeon crawling mechanics, and addictive puzzle gameplay to create a compelling bite-sized experience. With its retro-inspired graphics, the game captures the nostalgic charm of classic video games. The chaining mechanics, varied enemy types, and strategic decision-making keep players engaged throughout their journey. The ability to customize the difficulty level and the inclusion of various game modes ensure that Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon offers something for everyone. Whether you're a fan of puzzle games, dungeon crawlers, or simply seeking a nostalgic gaming experience, this spin-off is well worthy of a try for mobile devices for any Netflix subscribers.