Shovel Knight bounces onto shelves in retail release coming this fall

No matter how much modern games advance in terms of realistic graphics and physics, there’s always a simple pleasure to be found in the classics. Shovel Knight may not actually be one of those classics, but it sure does look and feel like one.

The game’s attention to detail and pixel-perfect platforming found Shovel Knight drawing more attention than developer Yacht Club Games ever imagined. So far the game has sold over 700,000 copies worldwide, while initially the developers hoped to sell less than a quarter of that amount.

“Shovel Knight’s phenomenal success is something we never dreamed possible,” Yacht Club Games wrote in a blog post yesterday. “Now, we’re ready to take the next step: into the REAL WORLD!!” That’s right — Shovel Knight will soon be coming to store shelves for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and PC.

Not only will the retail version of Shovel Knight include the original game, but the upcoming Plague of Shadows update will be also be included, as well as 50 challenge levels. If you’ve already bought the digital version of the game, don’t worry, as Yacht Club writes “this free update will definitely hit digital platforms BEFORE the boxed version.”

Both the digital and retail versions of the game have more free content updates to come. Two new campaigns — the Specter Knight’s Campaign and the King Knight’s Campaign — are on the way, as well as a Battle Mode and Body Swap Mode.

There are some extra goodies for those who buy the retail version, however. Every boxed copy of the game “will include a lavish instruction booklet similar to the Kickstarter reward. No 2-page inserts here! You deserve a full manual, to hold in your hot little shaking hands and pore over as you wait to get home!”

Yacht Club Games is publishing the retail version of Shovel Knight itself, with assistance from its distributor U&I Entertainment, who will actually ship the game to stores. While the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions will be available everywhere, the retail PC version will only be available in Europe.

Every version of the game will sell for $20, and will be available starting October 13 in North America and October 16 in Europe. Preorders should be available now at Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop, Amazon, and more.