#9- Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight made me nostalgic for an era of games that I was never a part of. By the time I began to play video games somewhat seriously, the PS2 was in full swing. I do, however, love me some 8-bit and 16-bit old school platformers. I went back and played Mega Man 2 a while back, and I must say that I enjoyed it thoroughly. Sure, I took advantage of the Virtual Console’s ability to have save states, but it was nonetheless a challenging venture. Enter Shovel Knight, a 16-bit action platformer that I legitimately could not put down. It felt like an NES or SNES game that was resurrected for modern times; All the charm of an old-school game, but with added elements to fit modern tastes. The gameplay is some of the most fun and challenging platforming I have played in a while, and it feels so good to use all of Shovel Knight’s abilities. And the music; oh, don’t get me started on the music. Every stage and boss battle has its own distinct theme, and I couldn’t be happier with each and everyone of them. Shovel Knight just oozes charm in every sense of the word- If you haven’t played it yet, it’s a must-play for sure.