Wow. What a game! Ever missed the old school, 8-bit styled platformers you used to play on the NES? Look no further! Shovel Knight is your express ticket to Nostalgia City! Shovel Knight brings back the 8-bit nostalgia with it's fun, very unique, yet simple gameplay. Although the gameplay is simple and easy to learn, it does get quite challenging! It also features many familiar game references. Everything about this game is simply fantastic! The gameplay, the nostalgic retro music, and the fun storyline including some old english writing. Basically, you play as Shovel Knight and your on a quest to save your girlfriend, Shield Knight. There are many different bosses and enemies to fight, as well as items to collect. You have lives so if you lose your lives, its not your typical "game over." You end up back at your previous checkpoint and you lose a portion of your money you've collected. You can always collect some of the money back if you get back to where you've been defeated. This makes gameplay a little easier unless your desperate for gold. The coolest part is, Shovel Knight isn't just a wonderful game you can get for only 25 bucks, it's also available for any platform! If your the type who loves modern platform games but miss the old nostalgic 8-bit graphics, this masterpiece has your name written on it! Highly recommend this game!Cover art not included. Generic case sleeve, not ideal for collectors like myself. Disappointed.i actually have never played one of the old school platformers besides the original Mario, but this game still was challenging, fun and with an engaging yet simple story.the idea is that shovel knight and shield knight where once great knights until a cursed amulet took shield knight away from shovel knight, causing him to retreat into solitude, but in his absence, the foul enchantress and her order of no quarter conquered the land with evil intent, so you as shovel knight must fight your way to the enchantress to stop her and her villainous squad.the gameplay is simple and elegant with enough variation so it makes you think through your actions, and this is the first time a game made its bosses feel like a worthy challenge, rather than stupidly easy or stupidly hard.so if you are a fan of any type of platformer then definitely give this a play.Found this game to be really challenging and a blast to play through. Each death was frustrating, but the pacing of saves was done just right so that you never felt like you'd like too much progress. That pacing kept it exciting enough to try one more time, and then another one more time, and another...Stayed up late getting the last fight down, and then SURPRISE! I won't ruin it any more than that.If you're up for a challenging game that is highly rewarding, pick this one up. I don't think you'll regret it.One of the best games I have played in a long time. It reminds me of the old 8 bit games like ducktales and super mario bros 3, but with much more customization. You can add health or magic or upgrade armor while trying to find relics (different weapons) in game to use. I love the secret areas that are built in and the collectible music scores you can try to find that actually will give you access to the music in game. Price is good too. You can get both verstions (3ds and wii u) for the price of a normal game. Even though I beat this game rather quickly, it was a great value and provided me lots of fun.This game is awesome!!! First off let me say that this is a platformer, so difficult jumps and using different techniques and out of the box thinking is encouraged. The specter of torment add on is by far the best, I couldn’t put the game down and ended up 100% it. I haven’t said that about a game in a long long time. Do yourself a favor and just pick it up and give it a try there are different stories and skills for each character and new game + is worth it.The game itself is an amazing love letter to 8-bit style platformers, as well as an amazing game in its own right - it doesn't need me to echo what everyone else has to say about it. If you're viewing this item here, I assume you're interested in picking up a physical copy of the game instead of digital only and I would very much recommend it. It includes a full color manual - a rarity in games in recent years as physical manuals have sadly largely disappeared - and a link to a digital copy of the soundtrack. More indie games like this need to see physical releases so consider picking this up to show that there is still a desire for physical media in games!One of the best games I've played in a long time. If you're a fan of classic platformers like Mega Man and Castlevania, you've love this game. The graphics and sound are NES retro and the play control is tight. The game is very challenging, but you have infinite lives, so you won't have to keep starting over at the beginning of a level every time you fall down a pit. It's the kind of challenging that makes you want to try again, not the kind that makes you frustrated. The story is good and has lots of humor. There are plenty of extra challenges besides the main quest, too. There's a lot here to keep you entertained for a long time.Can only echo comments of other reviewers - this is being sold as a 'region free' version of the game but will not work with UK versions of the 3DS console. New mission in life is to make sure Amazon either remove this product from sale or amend the description.Had to return didn’t fit uk type ds.This game does not load. I will be returning it.Do not buy, does not work on EU consoles.The description of this item fails to inform that this is a North American game release, which means that it won't work on European consoles.