Talk:Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

GA Review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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This review is transcluded from Talk:Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: TrademarkedTWOrantula (talk · contribs) 00:43, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Shovel. TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 00:43, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

@The Night Watch: I would recommend marking my comments when you have responded to them. To me, it looks less confusing. Thanks, TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 23:42, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

What way would you like them to be marked @TrademarkedTWOrantula? The Night Watch (talk) 23:45, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

Preferably, I like seeing verbs such as "Done" or "Fixed" under every comment. TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 23:49, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

@The Night Watch I think an edit conflict deleted some of your edits. Once that's done, I'll pass this article. TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 03:07, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

BTW the edit I'm referring to is the Prism Knight source thingy that wasn't covered TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 03:08, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Think I got it The Night Watch (talk) 03:11, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Alright, passing this article... TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 05:05, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Rate	Attribute	Review Comment
1. Well-written:
	1a. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct.	Prose is smooth. Spotted no typos. Technical terms have been clarified.
	1b. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.	Lead section is of adequate length and sufficiently summarizes the article. Layout is correct. Article is not bombarded with words in the WTW list. Fiction is out-of-universe. List incorporation policy does not apply.
2. Verifiable with no original research:
	2a. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline.	There is a reference section. I spot no bare URLs.
	2b. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose).	Every citation has a reliable source per WP:VG/S. Besides the plot section, the article is well referenced.
	2c. it contains no original research.	Spotchecking proves that there is text-source integrity and therefore no original research.
	2d. it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism.	At the start of this review, there is a 69.9% (nice) violation similarity. However, this source is a Wikipedia mirror (there are even reference numbers in the text). Everything below that seems to be fine.
3. Broad in its coverage:
	3a. it addresses the main aspects of the topic.	The article talks about how the is played, how it was developed, and how it was received. These are all adequate topics for a video game article.
	3b. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).	Article does not go into unnecessary detail.
	4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.	Article is neutral; it does not try to promote or criticize the game.
	5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.	Article is stable and has no edit wars.
6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
	6a. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content.	Both images have valid non-free use rationale.
	6b. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions.	Cover art and gameplay screenshot provide adequate visual context to the reader.
	7. Overall assessment.	Can't wait to see the Shovel Knight good topic!

Important issues

• I would use the video game cover art non-free use rationale instead of the logo one.

Quickfail?

• Y I don't spot any major flaws.
• Y This is the article's first review.
• Y I don't spot any cleanup banners or citation needed tags.
• Y The article is stable.
• Y Earwig report (other than the Google forum post) is fine.

Lead

• the player takes control of the eponymous character - So his name is "Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon"?

Changed to namesake since the title of Shovel Knight is mentioned in the preceding sentence. Does this work?

• with the player able to move in one of four directions. → on which the player can move in one of four directions.
• Might want to link "bosses" to Boss (video games)
• I think you could cut "playable" in "playable characters"
• Noting similarities between Puzzle Knights and Shovel Knight → Noting similarities between both games...
• Not sure what "establish a development team" means here

Changed to "helped him assemble a team of developers"

Infobox

• Where'd you get the credits from? Not really an issue; I'm just curious.

They were added by someone else, but since there isn't any sourcing for them, I just went ahead and removed the credits.

• Why does the infobox say "Puzzle and dungeon crawler" but the lead say "roguelike puzzle game"?

Gameplay

• "is set on" kind of sounds odd. Not sure what I'd suggest here.
• an 8x8 grid...
• "Hit points" may be a technical term for readers
• If the player attacks...

Made all changes suggested in Lead, Infobox, and Gameplay.

• Could replace "objects" with "obstacles"
• I'd recommend reducing the number of times you say "the player character"
• Remove comma between "attacks" and "and"
• Why is "gem meter" quoted?
• Adding to this meter by killing enemies in quick succession - Previous sentence already mentions that killing enemies fills up the gem meter.
• I feel that the acronym for hit points, HP, should be used throughout this section.

I think this acronym is a bit too technical, and have not seen it included in other video game articles so I would prefer to keep it as-is.

• they keep a portion of their gems - How much?

Unfortunately never specified in the sources.

• which can be spent at a shop to unlock new Relics that can be randomly purchased and discovered inside levels. - Huh? Too quick for me :P

Shortened this segment somewhat

• "accessibility options" could be linked to Game accessibility
• Remove comma between "damage" and "and"
• Split screen link should point to "In video games" section
• causes the grid of the other player - Typically, when I hear the term "multiplayer mode", I think of four players and not necessarily two. Also, the phrase "fill up at an increased rate" could be changed to "quickly fill up".

Clarified as two-person

Plot

• Y Plot section is less than 700 words - currently at 379.
• A mysterious cube

But just saying "cube" is a little bizarre, no? What kind of cube? a rubik's cube, a block of wood? The current description is fine I think

• he becomes magically trapped in a realm → he is trapped in a realm...

 Done

• ...who has remained trapped inside the cube...

 Done

• "transverse" → "traverse"
• Could replace instances of "Pocket Dungeon" with "the dungeon"

 Done

• defeating and recruiting them to his side. - I assume these knights were controlled by some greater threat? Hypnotized? Poisoned? Manipulated?

No, it is never explained why the knights are fighting him, only that they encounter each other and do battle.

• Remove comma between "Master" and "and"

 Done

• Puzzle Knight informs Shovel Knight of the existence of a magical key inside the Pocket Dungeon that was broken into several parts - Might want to inform the reader that the key was broken in four parts. The second paragraph is too late to say that.

 Done

• Cut "located in some of the levels" (I don't know, looks redundant to me)

 Done

• Puzzle Knight to his original form - Uh.... what original form?

The form before he was transformed into the monster.

• manage to escape

 Done

• He gives Prism Knight this artifact, a magic telescope that causes a shooting star to appear in the sky. - Is the shooting star important?

Not really. It's a telescope that causes a shooting star to appear in the sky every time it is used. There's some narrative significance about it but I want to avoid getting into that level of detail.

Unrelated

• Might want to provide alt text for the images.

 Done

Development and release

• Is that all there is to be said for development?

All that can be found in reliable sources is already included. There were three more interviews that I could find but they were from unreliable sources and repeated the same information mostly.

• after Yacht Club Games had finished [...] An employee found...

 Done

• Does "solo developer" mean the same thing as "indie developer"?

No, a solo developer is a single person developing a game. An indie developer can be an individual or a small team with a limited budget.

• "was working" → "worked"

 Done

• Interested in both game genres and finding similarities between both games, - What similarities (besides the name)? Were the graphics 8-bit?

Although the writer implied that there were similarities, since they aren't explicitly written out I will just remove that part.

• "established contact with" → "contacted"

 Done

• The game was created over the course of three years, - From what three years specifically?

Not explicitly stated.

• who had done the same with all the previous Shovel Knight titles. → ...who had done the same with previous Shovel Knight titles.

 Done  Done

• Remove comma between "controls" and "and"

 Done

• ...three planned downloadable content expansions.

 Done

• "Ports" should be linked to Porting

 Done

• I'd cut "several" in "several new locations"

 Done

Reception

• Y Very minimal amount of direct quotes.
• Might want to add that the game received a positive reception for the three platforms listed in the table.

 Done

• I usually prefer having the first paragraph contain only aggregator scores. Also, I've added a missing OpenCritic rating for you.

 Done

• Critics praised the game's mixing of puzzle and roguelike mechanics. → Critics praised the game's combination of puzzle and roguelike mechanics.
• had combined several dissimilar genres - "Several dissimilar genres" isn't specific enough

changed

• Remove comma between "experience" and "and"

 Done

• Remove comma between "overwhelming" and "but"

 Done

• Remove comma between "mistakes" and "but"

 Done

• despite frequent player deaths - Needs rewording. Not sure how I'd reword this though

I altered it a tiny bit, but it seems fine to me

• Sentences about accesibility options should be split into new paragraph

Your suggestions below made the new paragraph a bit short, so I just combined it into the previous one instead of splitting it.

• helped the player better fit their desired gameplay style → ...gave the player options to adjust the gameplay.

 Done

• and NME said that they helped reign in the discouraging difficulty, although the reviewer was disappointed by the lack of support for colorblindness. → Although NME said that they made game easier to play, the reviewer found the lack of support for colorblindness disappointing.
• Third paragraph is about soundtrack and graphics. The topic sentence should reflect that.

But as-is the opening section focuses on the soundtrack and then shifts to the stuff about the graphics. Changing it would make the rest of the structure disjoint. I admit that this isn't the best structure as-is, but we aren't looking for a FA-quality reception

• of each of the levels → ...in each level

 Done

• Remove comma between "game" and "and"

 Done

• Reviewers widely praised the playable characters. - I wouldn't say "widely"

Virtually every review praised the characters, so I added another citation.

• altered how the game could be enjoyed - ???

Changed to "played"

• Remove comma between "enjoyed" and "and"

 Done

• Link "replayability" to Replay value

 Done

• However, the reviewer felt that some of the knights were better than others, and made the original Shovel Knight character feel boring by comparison. - In ability? In character? In graphics?

The review just said that that they made Shovel Knight feel "obsolete" and didn't really develop why.

Spotchecking

• For this review, I'll spotcheck sources that are used at least two times. Reference numbers are of this revision.
• #2
  • Y Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a roguelike puzzle game.
  • Y The player character is set on an 8x8 grid, on which the player can move in one of four directions.
  • Y Damaging enemies causes the player character to lose hit points, though this loss is avoided if their attack kills the monster.
  • Y Lost hit points are restored by collecting potions that intermittently spawn alongside the enemies.
  • Y Gems can be spent at shops in exchange for items called Relics, which provide useful effects such as more hit points.
  • Y For example, Specter Knight has the ability to regain hit points by slaying creatures, Prism Knight teleports around the grid, and Plague Knight poisons enemies after attacking them. - Specter Knight part verified
  • N When the player experiences a game over, they keep a portion of their gems; kept gems can be spent to unlock new Relics that can be purchased or discovered inside levels.

Its in the Nintendo Life source.

• • Y Review in reception table
  • Y while IGN was impressed in how the developers had combined the dissimilar roguelike and puzzle genres.
  • Y Reviewers widely praised the playable characters.
• #3
  • Y Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a roguelike puzzle game.
  • Y Players take control of Shovel Knight and other playable characters as they attempt to escape the titular Pocket Dungeon.
  • Y Review in reception table
  • Y Hardcore Gamer felt that these settings gave the player options to adjust the gameplay.
  • Y Reviewers widely praised the playable characters.
• #4
  • Y Players take control of Shovel Knight and other playable characters as they attempt to escape the titular Pocket Dungeon.
  • Y Review in reception table - Surprised this review isn't used in the reception section at all. Why is that?

I didn't use every review I could find, just most of the ones from the major outlets. I have heard that it is preferable to use every review in the box in Reception even if not explicitly required, so I can include it if you would like.

• #5
  • N The player character is set on an 8x8 grid, on which the player can move in one of four directions. - The grid part is verified, but the information about how many directions a player can move isn't.

The information is included in the preceding IGN review source.

• • N Damaging enemies causes the player character to lose hit points, though this loss is avoided if their attack kills the monster. - NME doesn't cover the idea for the second part of this sentence

Also included in the IGN source, second paragraph.

• • Y Review in reception table
  • Y NME said that the pace of each level could feel overwhelming but considered the difficulty manageable after the player learned each of the mechanics.
  • Y Although NME said that they made game easier to play, the reviewer found the lack of support for colorblindness disappointing.
  • Y and NME said that they fit the tone and pace of the levels.
  • Y Reviewers widely praised the playable characters.
• #6
  • Y Lost hit points are restored by collecting potions that intermittently spawn alongside the enemies.
  • Y Enemies and other obstacles move down the screen every time the player moves or attacks, and continue to move at a slower rate if the player remains idle.
  • N For example, Specter Knight has the ability to regain hit points by slaying creatures, Prism Knight teleports around the grid, and Plague Knight poisons enemies after attacking them. - I see Plague Knight, but no Prism Knight. Gonna be bold and remove Prism Knight.

Added hardcore gamer source to verify that detail.

• • Y Adding to this gem meter allows the player to yield an increasing amount of jewels.
  • Y When the player experiences a game over, they keep a portion of their gems; kept gems can be spent to unlock new Relics that can be purchased or discovered inside levels.
  • Y In this mode, players compete to slay as many enemies as possible through chained attacks, and killing enemies causes the grid of the other player to quickly fill up.
  • Y Nintendo Life found Pocket Dungeon to be well-designed and fun, saying that it was a worthy entry into the franchise.
  • Y Score in table
  • Y Nintendo Life found the difficulty to be punishing when the player made minor mistakes but contended that the game remained fair despite the frequency of player death.
  • Y Nintendo Life called the music similar in quality to Kaufman's earlier work,
  • Y Nintendo Life thought that the characters offered significant replayability to the game,
• #7
  • Y In note B: Optional settings can prevent a game over from losing hit points by allowing the character to slowly respawn while the grid continues to fill. - I would clarify that this is the infinite lives mode.

 Done

• • Y A game over occurs if the player loses all their hit points or if the grid becomes completely filled with enemies.
  • Y Score in reception table
  • Y Shacknews felt that the game was not a casual experience and said that the difficulty rapidly increased.
• #9
  • Y Interested in both game genres and finding similarities between both games, Yacht Club Games contacted Vine and helped him assemble a team of developers.
  • Y The soundtrack was composed by Jake Kaufman, who had done the same with previous Shovel Knight titles.
• #17
  • Y Score in table
  • Y According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon received "generally favorable reviews" for its PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 versions.
• #18
  • Y Score in table
  • Y According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon received "generally favorable reviews" for its PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 versions.
• #19
  • Y Score in table
  • Y According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon received "generally favorable reviews" for its PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 versions.
• #20
  • Y Score in table
  • Y On OpenCritic, the game received a 93% approval rating.
• #21
  • Y Score in table
  • Y GameSpot felt that their abilities altered how the game could be played and liked defeating each of the bosses in order to unlock them.
• #22
  • Y Score in table
  • Y Other critics liked the visuals.
  • Y Nintendo World Report considered them visually pleasing and distinct from the rest of the franchise,
  • Y Reviewers widely praised the playable characters.
• #23
  • Y Eurogamer called its gameplay innovative and smart
  • Y Other critics liked the visuals.
  • Y Eurogamer said that they were one of the main appeals of the game and were well-designed, highlighting Specter Knight in particular.
• #24
  • Y Score in table
  • Y The reviewer for Paste related that they would sometimes restart the game just to hear the first level's song again.
  • Y Other critics liked the visuals.
  • Y while Paste found the character designs in particular to be charming and neat. - Sentence isn't a contrast; both reviewers are praising this aspect of the game.
  • Y However, the reviewer felt that some of the knights were better than others, and made the original Shovel Knight character feel boring by comparison.

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.