“Are you sure it isn’t Rocket Knight Adventures that’s responsible?” said Sean Velasco of Yacht Club games, his vocal pitch shifting to a higher, more humble tone. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, so I spelled out to him.
Since Shovel Knight, the game he co-created with the rest of the Yacht Club Founders, became a hit in 2014, we’ve seen a huge influx of indie games with the word “knight” in their names: Hollow Knight, Gryphon Knight, Portal Knights, Knights and Bikes, Knight Simulator, Fight Knight, Knight Club, Type Knight, Knight Club, Knight Terrors, and Knights are just some of the better-known examples.
Its a trend that stands in stark contrast to all the “War” games (God of, Gears of, World at, Total) and “Dead” games (Never, Rising, Red Redemption, Walking, Left 4, Island, or Alive) of the early 2010s. Gaming isn’t trying as hard to prove it’s “not for kids” anymore. Levity, altruism, and sincere goodness are fashionable again, and I think Shovel Knight helped make that happen.
If you agree, then you’ll be happy to hear that the next two (or is it three?) games that are set to include Shovel Knight work to keep that trend going in all the right ways.
Source: Destructoid Shovel Knight devs ‘flattered’ at the notion that they started the indie game ‘knight trend’