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[Chairhome]

I wonder what is the actual necessity this mode is trying to cover. Aside of the gender swap, there is no other changes, right? Well, it's free DLC after all...

I showed this mode to my daughter, and now she really wants to play it as a girl after not giving it a try originally. That is the need that it is meeting

yes, besides the gender swap you can also change the body of the characters.

This mode increases self identification and makes the game more acessible for people who are tired of games full of hetero man with just a single token woman

Exactly

 

[Brakke]

It is a bit of a double standard that they threw out the "sexy" characteristics of the female version in favour of more normal armour.

Ehh female Enchantress is wearing an evening gown with a high neckline. Doesn't even have slits to expose her legs or anything. She has a curvy femme body but her costume isn't really sexualized.

 

[jacobeid]

This is amazing. Queen Knight is life.

 

[Neptonic]

Yacht club confirmed for coolest dudes.

 

[Already Torn]

Ehh female Enchantress is wearing an evening gown with a high neckline. Doesn't even have slits to expose her legs or anything. She has a curvy femme body but her costume isn't really sexualized.

They explain that both designs are based on traiditional Japanese attire as well.

 

[Inferno313]

Cool feature! They should probably add They/Them pronouns as well, though.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

Ehh female Enchantress is wearing an evening gown with a high neckline. Doesn't even have slits to expose her legs or anything. She has a curvy femme body but her costume isn't really sexualized.

fair enough. as i was saying, was just a nitpick. it's all awesome.

 

[Syril]

Wow, even swapping the pronouns. I'm guessing games that allow you to choose genders already do this, but just hearing it explicitly mentioned makes it sound impressive

For games it's almost but not quite unheard of. In Read Only Memories there are five sets of pronouns to choose from for the player character, or you can use custom pronouns.

 

[wamberz1]

I mean that's cool but I can't look at enchanter and not see this guy

I guess the faces just kinda look weird in that art style

 

[oreomunsta]

Yeeeeaaahhhhh, gonna have to buy this again on Switch.

 

[Brakke]

Speaking of sexualized, I was curious to see lady Propeller Knight after they explicitly said she's allowed to be sexy since dude Propeller Knight is a handsome flyboy but... they didn't include that one in this blog lol.

 

[Crocodile]

I'm glad they seemed to have put a lot of thought into this. Cool

I'm a bit bummed they didn't reveal the rest of the new designs and didn't do swaps for more of the cast (though they do have limited time & money).

It is a bit of a double standard that they threw out the "sexy" characteristics of the female version in favour of more normal armour.

But overall the effort is commendable, I'm just nitpicking.

Do we know how much Shovel Knight will cost on Switch? Might finally be time to pick it up.

I don't think I agree just because I don't think Enchantress was really sexy in any objectionable way and I think based on body type I would argue the version of the Enchanter they chose is the most stereotypically physically appealing? We didn't go from bikini armor to full on plate mail

At the end of the day though I guess I agree that we would all just be nitpicking here

 

[JonnyDBrit]

It is a bit of a double standard that they threw out the "sexy" characteristics of the female version in favour of more normal armour.

But overall the effort is commendable, I'm just nitpicking.

Do we know how much Shovel Knight will cost on Switch? Might finally be time to pick it up.

At the very least, you can appreciate the fact they're pretty open about the thought process that led them to their current result.

The original design was inspired by traditional Japanese attire, so we started with a kimono/robes that would feel similar in a male counterpart. This didn't capture the original's essence quite right. We moved towards a bulkier samurai-inspired design instead. One of our artists was likely playing a lot of Ganondorf in Super Smash Bros., as you can see elements of his same cold, mean spirit in this design.

I suspect the Enchanter design they came up with came off too... mild, for lack of a better term, instead of imposing, while switching to the Samurai armour - to retain some Japanese theming - managed it a lot easier.

It's also worth noting that it's noted as one of the first redesigns they did, so ended up not quite necessarily following the rules they would later impose because it's where they figured those rules out.

YCG remains one of the most open companies around with regards to their development processes, and it's pretty awesome honestly. It's excellent material for anyone getting into game design.

 

[WarRock]

Black Knight actually looks more imposing with the extra red spots in her sprite.

What I really like are the extra designs at the end of the article though, specially those two:

Small changes but badass as fuck. Also, Topple Queen caught me off guard, hah.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

Cool feature! They should probably add They/Them pronouns as well, though.

I was thinking this, too. I wonder if they would/if there are any major issues with doing so.

 

[BabyFaceKillah]

you can barely tell with shovel knight and black knight

 

[Choppasmith]

What a fascinating addition. They could've just added a Rule 63 mode and have been done with it, but to have individual toggles providing a near infinite amount of combinations for whatever you fancy.

 

[mclem]

In the bonus reimaginings of the minor cast at the bottom of the article... I demand that Troupple Queen become a thing!

 

[Syder]

Yacht Club's dedication to supporting this game is commendable.

 

[Vena]

I... don't see a difference for Shadow Knight? Shovel Knight looks more slender but Shadow Knight just looks the same aside from pose, maybe its the armor being more elaborate that it hides the change.

 

[MasterShotgun]

Will this be available for all campaigns or just Shovel Knight's?

 

[Deleted member 465307]

I... don't see a difference for Shadow Knight? Shovel Knight looks more slender but Shadow Knight just looks the same aside from pose, maybe its the armor being more elaborate that it hides the change.

In case you didn't get a chance to read it, the article discusses when they decided to make bigger changes and when they kept them more subtle. In the case of Black Knight, it's definitely less dramatic than, say, Queen Knight. However, there are changes to the armor if you compare between the two versions. AFAIK, the chest, shoulders, and legs (perhaps more) are different.

 

[jett]

I can hardly tell the difference on anyone except queen knight :/

The sad reality for YCG, and they bring it up in the article, is that all of these characters weren't particularly gendered one way or another. I never really got this stretch goal, it seemed (and it indeed is) like a lot of work for a barely noticeable difference. Black Knight looks like he's just wearing somewhat different armor. In sprite form the difference borders on non-existent for Shovel Knight and Black Knight.

Still props to YCG for doing this in the first place and going all the way about it.

 

[Shredderi]

That's a pretty funny idea. Kind of a redundant stretchgoal though since the differences in actual game will be miniscule, visually. I just hope that they are well into development of their next full game :/ I fear that all this stretchgoal stuff has taken so much work that they haven't been able to start development of a new game.

 

[PSqueak]

I seriously cant tell what's different on Shovel Knight's sprite.

I also like that it's pick and choose, so you can do stuff like both Shovel and Shield knights being the same gender.

 

[Galang]

This is just simply amazing!! The fact that they gave options for pronouns too is absolutely incredible. I'll definitely triple dip when this update comes. I love their approach to each character and being more inclusive is always a good thing. In no way is this update minimal

 

[JonnyDBrit]

I seriously cant tell what's different on Shovel Knight's sprite.

I also like that it's pick and choose, so you can do stuff like both Shovel and Shield knights being the same gender.

It also allows a player to ultimately balance out the cast in a way the game devs - by their own admittance, in fairness - didn't in the end. Didn't like that Shovel Knight was mostly men? You can have it all be women! Or you can decide you'll go for a 50:50 split, right down the middle.

I don't think it's necessarily a method every game can or should use, but in the context of a game like Shovel Knight which is otherwise not especially reliant on gender roles, and whose spritework is relatively easy to modify (I mean, it's still a fair bit of work, but less so than altering a 3D model), it's certainly a neat experiment and a good place to showcase it in practise. At the very least it gives a popular precedent that other devs can look to when considering if and how they might want to implement such a feature themselves.

 

[Zero-ELEC]

Neato.

 

[Platy]

Will this be available for all campaigns or just Shovel Knight's?

The screenshot does mention Plague Knight so maybe ?

 

[Zubz]

I definitely wasn't expecting the pronoun option, but I love it.

Hm, I was hoping for a little more from the Enchanter.

Queen Knight is incredible, though.

Going through the gallery makes me a little upset that they're only focusing on the main cast, Chester and Mona both look great.

Ditto. Maybe they might change their mind down the road? Or if the option returns in SK64 (Or whatever they do next)?

 

[The Flash]

 

[Toxi]

Hm, I was hoping for a little more from the Enchanter.

Queen Knight is incredible, though.

Going through the gallery makes me a little upset that they're only focusing on the main cast, Chester and Mona both look great.

That Mona would inspire so much fanart.

 

[jett]

That's a pretty funny idea. Kind of a redundant stretchgoal though since the differences in actual game will be miniscule, visually. I just hope that they are well into development of their next full game :/ I fear that all this stretchgoal stuff has taken so much work that they haven't been able to start development of a new game.

I think all they have worked on so far is Shovel Knight. The game getting continued free support is nice and all but I also would've preferred if they had been developing a new game instead. It's been three years.

 

[Tavernacle12]

For those who can't tell the difference between SKs, male SK has a secondary armor plate over his whole chest while female SK has it only on her upper chest.

This is a really neat idea, though the fact so much of the cast is in full armor kind of undoes how noticeable the effect is.

 

[Zubz]

I think all they have worked on so far is Shovel Knight. The game getting continued free support is nice and all but I also would've preferred if they had been developing a new game instead. It's been three years.

Their team's large enough that I think a 2nd project has been in the works for awhile, but yeah. Shovel Knight's great & all, & YC honoring all of their stretch goals is a beautifu thing. But it's time for something new.

 

[Eusis]

... Can you have Queen Knight referred to as he but stay named Queen Knight? Inversely, King Knight as she?

And yeah, this kind of runs into the Samus problem. Only those that are blatantly gendered will have it show, and part of that entails exposed faces or at part of them.

 

[Toxi]

For those who can't tell the difference between SKs, male SK has a secondary armor plate over his whole chest while female SK has it only on her upper chest.

This is a really neat idea, though the fact so much of the cast is in full armor kind of undoes how noticeable the effect is.

It works better with the bosses because they have larger sprites.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

... Can you have Queen Knight referred to as he but stay named Queen Knight? Inversely, King Knight as she?

And yeah, this kind of runs into the Samus problem. Only those that are blatantly gendered will have it show, and part of that entails exposed faces or at part of them.

I'm fairly certain the answer is yes. I assume the names are tied to the chosen sprite and that the pronoun switch only affects the dialogue. Since "King/Queen" aren't pronouns, I believe you should be able to do the scenarios you're talking about.

 

[jholmes]

The sad reality for YCG, and they bring it up in the article, is that all of these characters weren't particularly gendered one way or another. I never really got this stretch goal, it seemed (and it indeed is) like a lot of work for a barely noticeable difference. Black Knight looks like he's just wearing somewhat different armor. In sprite form the difference borders on non-existent for Shovel Knight and Black Knight.

Still props to YCG for doing this in the first place and going all the way about it.

I can't say I really get it either, but they promised it and as usual are going full bore on it.

Or I should say I didn't get it before I saw Queen Knight. Not a queen, but a queen-themed knight.

 

[Golnei]

So can I keep Shovel Knight as a male and change all of the Order to female so I can play the entire game just shoveling the shit out of a bunch of women?

A-asking for a friend.

The burgeoning Shovel Knight ryona community applauds your ingenuity.

 

[SenorArdilla]

Do the side characters too. Please.

 

[Platy]

Do the side characters too. Please.

If you click the article it has some drawings .... but no sprite in the final game

 

[Regiruler]

Black Knight actually looks more imposing with the extra red spots in her sprite.

What I really like are the extra designs at the end of the article though, specially those two:


Small changes but badass as fuck. Also, Topple Queen caught me off guard, hah.

Ms. Hat would probably have to be my favorite after seeing this.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

Yacht Club just further cementing money from me in the future. This is fantastic stuff.

 

[Blues1990]

This is pretty cool. Black Knight's redesign in particular looks awesome.

I really want to see what the rest of the 'Order with No Quarter' look like in this mode. Polar Knight and Mole Knight immediately come to mind.

 

[Cindro]

This is really awesome.

Do we know when this update is launching?

 

[Gin-Shiio]

Shovel and Black Knight look almost the same. Good. A woman in armor should look no different from a man in it.
Really great stuff Yacht is doing here.

 

[KelpPlankton]

... Can you have Queen Knight referred to as he but stay named Queen Knight? Inversely, King Knight as she?

And yeah, this kind of runs into the Samus problem. Only those that are blatantly gendered will have it show, and part of that entails exposed faces or at part of them.

I believe so, I think the name of King Knight or Queen Knight refers to their style of dress and therefore theme, and is not attached to their gender.

 

[Novocaine]

Shovel Knight. The game that just keeps on giving.

 

[Mista Koo]

This makes it so obvious that the only characters that had faces are the women.

I think I might've still liked Shield Knight if I never found out she was a woman. Heck they had it almost right but missed the mark. With a full-face helmet and less romantic allusions I would've thought of her as a captive comrade rather than a damsel in distress (she's basically Zelda in armor).