Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove review

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the best value per game on this list, even with the highest price tag. Yacht Club Games bundles all five games in the series: the original Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows with its bomb-crafting Plague Knight, Specter of Torment with wall-climbing Specter Knight, King of Cards, which the studio calls the biggest of them, and Showdown, a platform fighter for up to four local players. Everything follows 8-bit design, art and music, with modern parallax backgrounds and animation, and the soundtrack comes from Jake Kaufman with songs by Manami Matsumae. Shovel of Hope has a co-op campaign, and there are challenge modes and a Body Swap mode. It runs on 2 GB of RAM and needs 250 MB of storage. 95% of more than 10,000 English Steam reviews are positive. The $39.99 price is the highest here and the retro look will not suit everyone, but five campaigns make it a deep package.

Who it is for

Retro fans who want classic NES-style platforming with modern touches and couch co-op.

Price

$39.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

and world-class action-adventure gameplay. $39.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Five games: Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards and Showdown
• Co-op campaign in Shovel of Hope
• Showdown, a local fighting game for up to 4 players
• Challenge modes and Body Swap mode
• Music by Jake Kaufman with songs by Manami Matsumae

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Five full games in one purchase
• Strength: Local co-op and local 4-player Showdown
• Strength: Runs on 2 GB of RAM and 250 MB of storage
• Weakness: $39.99, the highest price on this list
• Weakness: Pixel art may feel dated to players who want modern visuals
• Weakness: Showdown is local only

Key facts

• Developer: Yacht Club Games
• Price: $39.99 for five games
• Steam reviews: 95% of 10,158 (English)
• Released: June 26, 2014
• Local players: Up to 4 in Showdown

Where it ranks

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is No. 8 in our Best 2D Games verdict.