Shovel Knight: King of Cards is a 2019 downloadable content (DLC) addition to the 2014 platform game Shovel Knight, created and published by Yacht Club Games. In this DLC, players control a character named King Knight as he completes a mission to win a card game and earn the title "King of Cards." King Knight attacks enemies by running into them and is sent flying after hitting a surface or enemy. The gameplay is similar to the original Shovel Knight, but includes new areas. Compared to the main game, there are more levels, though each is shorter. In addition to platforming, players can play a card minigame called Joustus, where they place cards on a board to control specific spaces.
Yacht Club Games planned for King of Cards to be the last DLC for Shovel Knight and wanted it to be the most detailed expansion. After removing the world map from the previous DLC, Specter of Torment, the developers aimed to create a new map with secret levels and shorter stages. They wanted to offer a different experience than typical platforming, leading to the creation of the Joustus minigame. The DLC was released at the same time as the multiplayer fighting game Shovel Knight Showdown. When it launched, King of Cards received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the level design and King Knight's character. However, the Joustus minigame received mixed opinions.
Gameplay
King of Cards is a 2D side-scrolling platform game, similar to Shovel Knight. Players control King Knight, a character on a mission to win a card game named Joustus and earn the title of "King of Cards." King Knight has a unique set of moves compared to other characters in the Shovel Knight series. He attacks enemies by running into them and is sent upward after hitting a surface or enemy. When sent upward, he spins in a pirouette and can bounce off enemies and objects while spinning. King Knight can use magical items called Heirlooms, such as a sword for attacking or jumping higher, a cloak to block attacks, and a bubble that lets him float above the ground. Heirlooms are bought with Merit Medals, which are collected by exploring levels and defeating enemies in the Joustus card minigame.
Compared to other Shovel Knight games, King of Cards has more levels, but each level is shorter. These levels are placed in a nonlinear world map with multiple paths to progress. Some levels have hidden exits that lead to extra stages. Members of the Order of No Quarter, the opposing group from the original Shovel Knight, appear on the world map and can be defeated in optional boss battles for rewards. In addition to platforming, players can play the Joustus card minigame at pubs scattered across the world map. In Joustus, players place cards on empty spaces on a board. Some cards have arrows on their sides that can push neighboring cards into empty spaces. The goal is to move your cards onto spaces marked with gems while stopping the opponent from doing the same.
Plot
Before the events of Shovel Knight and Specter of Torment, a card game called Joustus becomes popular worldwide. A tournament offers the title of "King of Cards" to anyone who can defeat the three Joustus Judges. King Knight, an aspiring king who wants the title, receives a deck of cards from Specter Knight and begins competing in the tournament. His victories draw the attention of a bard and an airship captain named Cooper, both of whom seek a Joustus champion. Using Cooper’s airship, King Knight travels to Pridemoor Keep to face the first judge, King Pridemoor. Along the way, he gains supporters. However, the rules only state that the Joustus judges must be defeated, not necessarily through the card game. King Knight defeats King Pridemoor in combat instead of using cards. Pridemoor then offers to help King Knight defeat the remaining judges and joins Cooper’s airship.
As King Knight searches for the next judge, his mother begins showing romantic interest in King Pridemoor, which upsets King Knight. He defeats the second judge, the Troupple King, and continues toward the final judge. Near the final judge’s lair, King Knight overhears a conversation between Specter Knight and two hooded figures. He confronts and defeats the last judge, King Birder, who is revealed to be one of the hooded figures. The other figure introduces herself as an evil spellcaster named the Enchantress. She tells King Knight of her plan to create an army of knights called the Order of No Quarter to take over the world. King Knight, Pridemoor, and their allies chase the Enchantress to the Tower of Fate, where King Knight defeats her in combat. The Enchantress offers to make King Knight king in Pridemoor’s place, and he betrays his allies to join the Order of No Quarter. King Knight ends the Joustus contest, takes over Pridemoor’s throne, and is abandoned by his mother and King Pridemoor. In a post-credits scene, King Knight finishes renovating Pridemoor Keep and says to himself that he is finally able to enjoy his kingdom. Moments later, Shovel Knight arrives, and both prepare for combat.
Development and release
In 2013, during the Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games offered stretch goals—extra features added when the campaign reached specific funding targets. One of these goals included three downloadable content (DLC) expansions based on boss characters from the original game. A vote was held to choose which bosses would receive their own campaigns, and King Knight was selected as one of the winners.
The King of Cards DLC was the final planned expansion for Shovel Knight, alongside the multiplayer game Shovel Knight Showdown. It was intended to be the most complex DLC campaign. After removing the world map in Specter of Torment, Yacht Club Games aimed to create a larger game with secret levels and smaller, more focused stages. The new world map was inspired by Super Mario World, with green paths showing main routes and red paths indicating hidden areas. Red objects were placed to guide players to secret exits, which were located in the center of each stage to avoid requiring players to replay levels entirely.
To make King of Cards distinct from previous games, the team reduced the size of levels and cut the player's health in half. This was because earlier games used a health system designed for longer levels, and smaller health would make the new stages more challenging. To keep boss difficulty balanced, enemies were made to drop health power-ups after every three hits. King Knight was inspired by Wario and designed to move like a strong, overconfident character. His final design was compared to Plague Knight from Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows. The developers described him as an "over the top and decadent dandy" and focused gameplay on collecting treasure and supporters to expand his kingdom.
To add variety, Yacht Club Games introduced Joustus, a card game inspired by titles like Hive, Triple Triad from Final Fantasy VIII, and Magic: The Gathering. Joustus was developed separately to match the scale of the rest of the game and added as an optional feature to avoid distracting from the platforming. The early version of Joustus was called Cardurr and used a 3×3 board. Card abilities were designed using a shared spreadsheet, with features like "Bomb Arrows" to remove cards and "Cascade Arrows" to convert opponents' cards to the player's side. The game allowed players to cheat, reflecting King Knight's villainous character.
The developers planned the total number of cards, featuring characters from the Shovel Knight franchise. They brainstormed ways for players to collect new cards, including a collectible item called "Card Juice" that could turn enemies into cards. Stealing cards from defeated opponents was inspired by collectible card games, requiring unique decks for each enemy. To balance the game, the AI was programmed to prolong matches and adapt to the player's skill. Originally, Joustus was meant to take place in villages, but these were replaced with smaller pubs called "Card Houses." The DLC was planned for April 9, 2019, but was delayed. It was finally released on December 10, 2019, for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. A version for Nintendo 3DS was released on December 13, 2019.
Reception
According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, King of Cards received "generally favorable reviews." Some critics believed the game was a strong final expansion to Shovel Knight. Nintendo Life stated the game had a quality similar to earlier games in the series, while Shacknews called it the most ambitious expansion in the franchise. Although USgamer found the game less impressive than Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment, it still described King of Cards as a capable addition to the series.
Reviewers noted the shorter levels in the game. Nintendo World Report praised how the levels differed from the franchise's usual structure while remaining challenging, and appreciated how they could be completed quickly. Nintendo Life compared them to classic Nintendo platforming levels and said they added variety to gameplay. IGN stated the levels were well-balanced and difficult but not frustrating. However, some critics found certain stages and designs too familiar. Destructoid and Easy Allies criticized the reuse of settings from earlier games, while GameSpot saw the repetition as nostalgic but eventually uninteresting.
The character of King Knight and the writing received praise. Shacknews described King Knight as resembling "a bad Renaissance fair actor who's gotten too far into his role," and said this helped make him an enjoyable protagonist. GameSpot found the writing humorous and King Knight entertaining. GameRevolution appreciated the story, noting that Yacht Club Games unintentionally created a narrative relevant to modern times by showing an evil and incompetent character gaining power through chance. The reviewer also highlighted King Knight's character growth throughout the game. While IGN found King Knight less appealing than earlier protagonists, it praised his story and called him "The Jerry Lawler of Shovel Knight."
The Joustus minigame received mixed reactions. GameSpot found it challenging and said it provided a break from the platforming. Nintendo Life called Joustus more than a simple minigame, describing it as complex and fun. Shacknews considered it a bold and interesting addition that made King of Cards stand out from earlier games in the series. However, GameRevolution criticized the Joustus opponents as too easy, saying the game relied more on luck than skill. Nintendo World Report found Joustus difficult due to the many strategy elements included.