'Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment' trailer puts the focus on Specter Knight

By Brad Jones Published December 3, 2016

Yacht Club Games has offered the first detailed look at Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, airing a new trailer at The Game Awards. The game casts players as the shadowy Specter Knight, one of the bosses featured in the original title.

Specter of Torment will act as a prequel to the 2014 indie hit, following Specter Knight as he sets out on a mission to assemble the villainous Order of No Quarter for The Enchantress. The studio previously released Plague of Shadows — a secondary campaign that starred Plague Knight — as DLC for Shovel Knight, but Specter of Torment is being billed as a “unique standalone experience.”

Recommended Videos

However, the campaign will be offered as a free expansion to Shovel Knight owners, just like Plague of Shadows. Given that the base game was released way back in June 2014, it’s a testament to the developer’s commitment to fans that new content is still being offered up for free.

Specter of Torment will feature a new story, new areas, new music, new enemies and bosses, and new items, but the biggest draw for fans will be the dramatically different gameplay that Specter Knight offers up.

Rather than simply rehashing the same mechanics that helped make the original Shovel Knight such a success, Yacht Club Games has endeavored to make Specter Knight a compelling character in his own right. He’s a quick, nimble fighter who seems to spend as much time in the air as he does on the ground in the midst of battle.

Specter of Torment is scheduled to launch in spring 2017. The studio also teased “even more amazing Shovel Knight experiences” for next year in its blog post accompanying an extended version of the clip that aired at The Game Awards.

Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Topics

Gaming

Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair in Avowed

Environmental shot of Galawains Tusks Slumbering Fields in Avowed.

You will probably have a good grip on all the tips and tricks needed to beat Avowed by the time you reach the second zone, Emerald Stair. However, no matter how many abilities you have or how good your gear is, finding a missing person with just a vague hint never gets any easier. We already helped Sanza find a missing cartographer in Dawntrail, but he has lost another in Emerald Stair and needs us to track them down. Like last time, the Avowed won't tell you where to go so we explored the entire region to show you exactly where to track them down.
Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair

The first cartographer quest at least gave you the general direction to find them, but this time we are only given the name of the area within Emerald Stair. The area in question is called Naku Tedek and is the isolated island on the south end of the map.

Gaming

3 PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

The PC version of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.

The beginning of March was light in upcoming PS5 games, but the long-delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows is right around the corner. But we still have an entire weekend to fill before it comes out, which is where your PlayStation Plus subscription pays off. The Essential games for March were incredibly strong, but the back catalogue of Extra and Premium games has the perfect selection to get you excited for all the biggest upcoming video games, like Death Stranding 2. Or, it could be the perfect way to find a fun, bite-sized game to hold you over until next week's releases hit and dominate your time. As always, I have hand-selected only the best games in PlayStation Plus for you to play this weekend.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4

Even before Shadows was announced, Ghost of Tsushima was touted as being the Japanese AC game that Ubisoft should have made years ago. While that is a reductive way to frame it, there's no denying there are similarities, and the two will be directly compared. Whether you plan on playing Shadows or not, Ghost is a magnificent game that still boasts some of the best graphics on PS5. Exploring the vibrant island of Tsushima as you follow the wind and animals rather than waypoints gives you a deep appreciation for the world you're fighting for. If you missed out on the Director's Cut content, jumping back in for the Iki Island DLC is perhaps the best part of the experience.

Gaming

3 Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

Assassin's Creed Odyssey review

Game Pass serves many functions as a service. Some use it to play the best Xbox Series X games on release, others lean on it between games, and everything in between. One of our favorite ways to take advantage of the massive Game Pass catalog is in preparation for upcoming Xbox Series X games. Whether it be playing previous games in a series to get caught up, or games in a similar genre to get in the mood, Game Pass has what you're looking for. We have our eye on Assassin's Creed Shadows next week just like you, but what about this weekend? Here are the best Xbox Game Pass games to boot up over the break.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Launch Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

All the best Assassin's Creed games are on Game Pass, but we feel Odyssey is the best of them since transitioning into RPGs. Historically, this is the earliest game in the timeline, though that doesn't matter much since there are only loose threads connecting the games at this point. What does matter is how vast and enjoyable a world this is to explore. It isn't quite as bloated as Valhalla and will get you back into the groove of parkouring, stealthing, and fighting all over again. The story here is also one of the best in the series if you have the time to go all the way with it. But even just dabbling in it so you don't get burned out before Shadows is a great way to prepare yourself.