Shovel Knight is an ode to Capcom games gone by, with attacks and movement inspired by DuckTales’ fancy canework and bosses and structure inspired by Mega Man. With nine days remaining in the campaign, developer Yacht Club Games announced it has even signed Mega Man’s original composer to provide two tracks for the nostalgic platformer.
Manami Matsumae’s work on the series ended with the first Mega Man (until she was asked to contribute to Mega Man 9 and 10), but her contributions defined some of gaming’s most-hummed soundtracks long after Cutman and Gutsman fell to the Blue Bomber.
Developer Yacht Club Games has quite a legacy to uphold. The studio is staffed with WayForward veterans of Contra 4, A Boy and His Blob, and Double Dragon: Neon, so they have some experience bringing retro designs to modern life, at the very least.
Shovel Knight is slated for completion on PC in September 2013, and Wii U and 3DS versions have also been confirmed. Backers can get shovelling with a minimum pledge of $10.