Honestly, by the time Yacht Club Games got around to releasing Shovel Knight King of Cards in late 2019, people were kind of exhausted. The original Shovel Knight had been out for five years. We’d already played through the plague-doctor alchemy of Plague of Shadows and the high-speed scythe-swinging of Specter of Torment. It felt like the developers were just checking a box to finish their Kickstarter promises. But then you actually sit down with King Knight’s prequel story, and it hits you: this isn't just a "bonus" campaign. It’s a massive, weirdly experimental platformer that completely reinvents the movement mechanics of the series while throwing in a full-blown card game that has no business being this addictive.
King Knight is a loser. That’s the starting point. Unlike the stoic Shovel Knight or the tragic Specter Knight, King Knight is a delusional momma’s boy who lives in a literal house on wheels and wants to be a king just because he likes the outfits. This shift in tone changes everything about how the story lands. It’s funny, sure, but it also has this biting undercurrent about ego and what people are willing to betray to get a plastic crown.
The Weight of the Crown: Why Movement Matters
If you've played the original game, you're used to the pogo jump. It’s reliable. It’s safe. Shovel Knight King of Cards throws that out the window for a shoulder bash.
You bash into a wall, you spin. You bash into an enemy, you spin. That’s the loop.
It feels heavy. Clunky, almost, until you realize the level design is built specifically to reward you for being a human top. Most players struggle with the timing at first because it’s not about precision landing; it's about momentum management. You’re constantly looking for the next thing to bounce off of to keep your spin going, which allows you to reach higher platforms or secret areas. Yacht Club Games basically took the Wario Land 4 playbook and cranked the speed up to eleven.
It’s satisfying. There’s this specific "clack" sound when the shoulder bash connects that just feels right. You aren't a graceful hero. You’re a gilded wrecking ball. The levels are much shorter than in previous campaigns—usually just a couple of minutes long—but there are over 30 of them spread across a world map that looks suspiciously like Super Mario World. This was a deliberate choice to keep the pace brisk. You aren't slogged down by twenty-minute marathons; you’re darting through bite-sized challenges that test your mastery of the spin jump.
🔗 Read more: Blox Fruit Current Stock: What Most People Get Wrong
Joustus is the Real Hero (or Villain)
Wait. We need to talk about Joustus.
Most "games within games" are filler. You might play a round or two of Gwent or Triple Triad and then go back to hitting things with a sword. In Shovel Knight King of Cards, Joustus is basically half the game. It’s a positional card game played on a grid where you push cards around to claim gem slots. It sounds simple. It’s not. It’s a tactical nightmare in the best way possible.
You’ll find yourself wandering into a Joustus house, thinking you’ll just play one quick match, and forty-five minutes later you’re screaming at a pixelated NPC because they used a "double-arrow" card to shove your king off the board. The brilliance is how it integrates with the platforming. You find new cards hidden in the levels, or you buy them from vendors using the treasure you’ve looted. It creates this loop where the platforming feeds the card game and vice versa. Some people hated this. They just wanted to jump and bash. But if you get the rhythm of Joustus, it becomes the primary motivator for exploration.
The strategy is deep. You aren't just playing high-value numbers; you’re playing directions. If an opponent places a card with an arrow pointing right, you can place a card to its left and push it. If there’s a wall, the card can’t move. It becomes a game of "crowding out" the opponent until you occupy the squares with the gems. It’s brutal.
A Prequel That Actually Labors to Build a World
Most prequels feel like they're just filling in blanks no one asked about. Shovel Knight King of Cards actually explains the formation of the Order of No Quarter without being boring. We see the origins of the Pridemoor Kingdom. We see King Knight’s relationship with his mother, which is surprisingly wholesome and then increasingly awkward as his ego grows.
💡 You might also like: Why the Yakuza 0 Miracle in Maharaja Quest is the Peak of Sega Storytelling
The game is set before the "Tower of Fate" was ever a thing. The world feels more colorful, less decayed. You see characters like Specter Knight or Propeller Knight before they were completely corrupted or settled into their roles. It adds a layer of irony to the whole experience. You know where King Knight ends up—sitting alone in a ruined castle after being defeated by Shovel Knight—so watching him triumphantly "conquer" these silly card-playing kingdoms feels bittersweet. He’s winning the battle but losing his soul, or whatever counts for a soul in a guy who wears golden armor and lives with his mom.
The boss fights are another high point. They're tuned to the shoulder bash. Fighting the Troupple King or even just rival Joustus players requires a completely different mindset than the previous games. You can't just wait for an opening; you have to create one by bouncing off projectiles.
The Art of the Expansion
Yacht Club Games could have stopped after Specter of Torment. That game was widely considered a masterpiece. By comparison, King of Cards is weirder. It’s more "video gamey." It embraces the absurdity of the medium. The color palette is brighter, the music (by the legendary Jake Kaufman) is more regal and brassy, and the sheer volume of "stuff" is overwhelming.
- Over 30 levels.
- Dozens of Joustus NPCs.
- Unique armor sets that actually change gameplay (like the one that makes you better at Joustus but worse at platforming).
- Secret paths that lead to entirely different map sectors.
It’s a lot. If you're a completionist, this game is a 15-20 hour endeavor, which is insane for a 2D platformer expansion.
Is King Knight Actually a Good Protagonist?
Look, King Knight is a jerk. He’s arrogant, he’s selfish, and he’s not particularly bright. But that’s why he works. In a genre filled with silent protagonists or "relatable" heroes, playing as a narcissistic buffoon is a breath of fresh air.
📖 Related: Minecraft Cool and Easy Houses: Why Most Players Build the Wrong Way
His abilities reflect his personality. The shoulder bash is aggressive and thoughtless. The "Heirloom" items he uses—like a scepter that summons a literal golden statue of himself—are ridiculous. He doesn't want to save the world; he wants people to bow to him. This creates a different kind of engagement. You aren't rooting for him to succeed in the traditional sense; you’re enjoying the chaos he creates on his way to the top.
The ending of the game is actually quite poignant. Without spoiling the specifics, it bridges the gap to the original Shovel Knight in a way that makes King Knight’s boss fight in the first game feel much more significant. You realize he didn't just stumble into his position. He worked for it, betrayed people for it, and ultimately, he got exactly what he wanted—and it's kind of pathetic.
Why You Should Care in 2026
Even years after its release, Shovel Knight King of Cards stands as a masterclass in how to do DLC. It’s not just "more content." It’s a reimagining of the core mechanics.
Most modern games are afraid to be this dense. They want to be streamlined. They want you to follow a golden path. King of Cards wants you to get lost in a card game for three hours, then spend another hour trying to find a secret red coin in a level you’ve already cleared. It respects the player's intelligence while also being incredibly silly.
It’s also one of the best-looking pixel art games ever made. The animations for King Knight’s cape alone are a triumph. The way he sashays, the way he strikes a pose after a victory—it’s all dripping with personality. If you haven't played it because you thought "I've already played Shovel Knight," you’re missing out on what is arguably the most polished entry in the entire Treasure Trove collection.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you're jumping into King of Cards for the first time, don't play it like the original Shovel Knight. You will die. A lot. Here is how to actually enjoy the experience:
- Master the Bash-to-Spin Transition: Go to the first level and just practice hitting a wall and seeing how high you can bounce. The height you get from the spin is your most important tool for survival.
- Don't Ignore the Joustus Houses: Even if you aren't a "card game person," the rewards for winning Joustus matches are too good to pass up. Plus, the NPCs in those houses have some of the best dialogue in the game.
- Buy the "Battery" Heirlooms First: Some items consume a lot of energy. Focus on getting the heirlooms that help with navigation (like the wings) before the ones that are purely for combat.
- Check the Walls: Yacht Club loves fake walls. If a screen looks like it has a suspicious dead end, hit it. There's probably a card or a pile of gold behind it.
- Talk to Mom: Seriously. Go back to the airship (the Glidewing) frequently. Your mom is there, and her interactions with the rest of the crew are hilarious and sometimes offer gameplay hints.
The game is currently available on basically every platform—Switch, PC, PlayStation, Xbox. If you own the "Treasure Trove" bundle, you already have it. Just open it up and start bashing. You might find that the most annoying knight in the Order is actually the one you have the most fun playing.