Specter Of Torment Review

INTRO:

It's hard to believe it's been 5 years since Shovel Knight first hit the stores. It was a instant classic, no indie game was like it even to this day it holds a special place as one of the most recinisable games of all time. So where does its developers Yacht Club Games do next... Make a DLC. a new experience in the magical world they created people were so pumped.. But then Yatch Club come out and say there will be 3 more packs coming soon after that first pack! However no one knew how incredible the second of the now 4 DLC's would be. Then the trailer dropped and people pooped their pants for Specter Of Torment.

PRESENTATION: much like its predcessors Specter Of Torment stays true to its roots of classic NES games with it's beautiful 8 bit sprites. Each pixel is filled with love and care to make sure it looked as amazing as possible. Not to mention the wonderful animation. it's jaw dropping. Just like the soundtrack. Jake Kauffman somehow take an already near flawless Soundtrack and make it better! Because, it may just be remixed music from the first Shovel Knight game but.. It's better. Hidden By Night, Tools of War, Hitting Close to Home, An imposition of Order and a metric crap ton more are must listens. seriously there incredible.

STORY: So what is Specter Of Torment about? Well it's about an undead assassin know as Specter Knight.in a prequel to Shovel Knight telling the story of how the main antagonists Order Of No Quarter was formed. This Antaginist is none other than The Enchantress. And the members of the order. Well there are 7: King, Plauge, Mole, Treasure, Propeller, Tinker and Polar Knight. Specter Knight however needs 8 Knights recruited so an amulet givin by the Enchantress can give him his life back. All while flashbacks of the events leading up to the present day Torment him.

GAMEPLAY: Specter Of Torment is a 2d Platform with a hint of Run N Gun Mixed in. And as someone who grew up with Mario this is my Jam. Even if it's more complex. See your given a hub: The Tower Of Fate! That means no more overworld map like the first two. This is used as a market place to buy upgrades such as new garbs giving special buffs, talk to NPC's and practice your skills. But its main purpose is to teleport level to level. These are very reminiscent of Mega Man. you have a plethora Platforming which is capped of with a boss fight. Each level has its own theme, layout and gimmick. but I can't really continue this until I talk about Specter Knight's move set.

Specter Knight can run jump and wall climb as means of traversal as well as occasionally use his Scythe as a skate board on rails. for attacks he has one basic move with his Scythe on foot and in mid air. see when air born a diagonal line will appear on enemies and certain objects pressing the attack button here will lunge Specter Knight toward that entity. this is where combat meets Platforming. the way that this mechanic is used in the levels is masterful. because the levels are built around it, it creates a incredible level. this works co inside with the gimmicks each level has. all of which find a new way to use this attack.

Remember those Relics from Shovel Knight well they're back as Curios. they purchased by finding Red skulls. there are a set amount of Skulls per level, each hidden behind either a hidden wall or platform challenge. this gives the player the incentive to replay and explore the levels. when found the Skulls are traded in to Red a skeleton looking for his wife's remains who in return will give you a curio. and while very situational these curios are great. I wont say what any of them do but lets say they can break levels in a way that is fair and balanced.

But what about the bosses... I can only say that some bosses are definitely better than others. but they're all unique and do take time to learn but you can mostly just spam air attacks to get sick combos.

ENDGAME: After recruiting all 7 members Specter Knight will betray the Enchantress (for reasons I wont spoil) this leads into the Tower's Dungeon. the best level in the game. it tests all your skills bringing the gimmicks from early level into the mix. all this leads to a amazing boss fight with Black Knight and his war turtle. eventually Specter Knight catches the Enchantress. after a fight with her, she bring out Reize a child who Specter seems to know. another battle ensues. it all ends with our Knight becoming The Enchantresses 8th member... becoming a slave for the rest of his after-life.

VERDICT: Specter Of Torment is a extremely well made game, and while it may be short no one can deny its an absolute joy to play. the story the gameplay the art and mechanics truly succeed the old games there were inspired by. 4/5 despite this being really well made I fell that it really needs to be played twice to truly enjoy it. despite this its one of my top 25 favourite video games... so there's that to think about.