December 24, 2019|

Filed under: Featured, History, Speculation, Super Smash Bros. Series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Dream Smasher: Specter Knight

Thanks to Cart Boy for help with edits.

By far one of the most influential and well known indie game franchises ever made, Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight saga needs no introduction. With its lovable cast of characters, superb level design, and challenging gameplay that calls back to retro platformers of old, Shovel Knight has dug its way into many fans’ hearts since its release in 2014. Owing to Shovel Knight’s groundbreaking success, the titular lead has procured an impressive library of cameos in other studios’ games as well. One such guest appearance of Shovel Knight’s is in the legendary crossover fighting game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Blue Burrower serves as an Assist Trophy in this installment, bringing along various characters from his home series in the form of Spirits as well. While the iconic platformer’s inclusion in such a major title was a monumental development for indie games as a whole, the Shovel Knight world can still offer so much more to Smash with the potential inclusion of music, stages, or even a fighter. But with the game’s mascot serving as an Assist Trophy for now, who is left to spearhead the addition of such content as a playable character? Well, following the release of new adventures in the Shovel Knight world, three characters have risen up to stand alongside Shovel Knight in terms of prominence and popularity, one of which being the topic of today’s Dream Smasher: Specter Knight.

Who Is Specter Knight?

(Courtesy of Voyager)

Specter Knight, otherwise known as Donovan, is a member of the Order of No Quarter, a group of Knights commanded by the Enchantress who terrorize the land and rule with an iron fist. A cunning and ruthless apparition, Specter Knight is first seen watching over the Lich Yard as either the first or second Order member Shovel Knight must defeat. The wraith’s past was a mystery until the release of Specter of Torment, Specter Knight’s own prequel campaign, where his backstory was revealed. Once an explorer and treasure hunter, Donovan roamed the world alongside his friend and partner, Luan. However, while journeying through the Tower of Fate in search of a powerful amulet, the duo encountered Shield Knight, whose battle with Donovan resulted in the chamber the three were in collapsing, killing Luan and leaving Donovan on death’s door. Unfortunately, the wounded rogue was quickly found by the mysterious Enchantress and proposed a deal: Donovan was to serve as an enforcer for the sorceress in a state of undeath and gather an Order of eight Knights for her, at which point she would give him the power to restore his humanity. During Specter Knight’s hunt, a young traveler named Reize storms the Tower of Fate and attempts to put a stop to the Enchantress, only to be caught by the villain and corrupted by her dark magic.

Later, having gathered seven Knights, Specter Knight learns that the Enchantress was responsible for him and Luan’s death. Enraged, he attempts to put a stop to her himself, only for her to summon Reize and turn him into a massive monstrosity that Specter Knight promptly defeats. The Enchantress, impressed by Reize’s strength, decides that he will be the eighth member of the Order of No Quarter. Specter Knight, desperate to save Reize from this life of suffering, submits himself to the witch as the eighth Order member and agrees to be her slave forever. In the last act of his own volition, Specter Knight uses the power he obtained from assembling eight Knights to restore Reize to his former self before getting him to safety. It is then revealed that Reize is Luan’s son, and that before Donovan and Luan’s journey to the Tower of Fate, the former had promised he would protect Reize with his life. Specter Knight is one of the most fleshed out and tragic characters to hail from the Shovel Knight world; he sacrificed his humanity and, since the Enchantress has been defeated and is no longer capable of sustaining him, might pass on at any moment. However, his compelling, memorable appearances have cemented him as one of the strongest figures in Yacht Club’s roster.

Importance to Nintendo/Series

As one of the three bosses chosen to receive their own adventures through the Dig the Vote campaign, Specter Knight proved himself to be a fan favorite before Shovel Knight had even released. In fact, Specter Knight took first place in Dig the Vote, beating the Enchantress, Black Knight, and the rest of the Order of No Quarter. Plague Knight came in second and King Knight in third, resulting in the creation of campaigns for all three of them. The three playable Order members were given special treatment from this point onward, but Specter Knight has occasionally been a step above the other two in terms of representation. For example, in Smash Ultimate, Specter Knight is an Advanced-class Spirit while Plague Knight and King Knight are both merely Novice-class Spirits. King of Cards also features Specter Knight as its only recurring boss, and Shovel Knight Showdown puts a heavy emphasis on Specter of Torment rather than any of the other three campaigns. While Specter Knight is normally put on equal footing with Plague Knight and King Knight in promotional material, his popularity with fans and overall significance when compared to the rest of Shovel Knight’s cast cannot be denied.

Although Specter Knight is a major player in his own franchise, arguably more than Shovel Knight at times thanks to the Burrower’s absence in half of the campaigns, Shovel Knight still has the edge over Specter Knight thanks to his wide array of guest appearances in games like Yooka-Laylee, Rivals of Aether, Blaster Master Zero, and so much more. These cameos have cemented Shovel Knight as not just an indie icon, but a legendary gaming mascot in his own right. Specter Knight has yet to reach such a level of popularity, but he and the other two playable boss Knights have still made appearances in games like Brawlhalla and even got their own amiibo pack to coincide with the release of King of Cards and Showdown. Overall, Specter Knight’s chances to join the Smash roster are slim given his series of origin’s main character’s status as an Assist Trophy, but if Shovel Knight were to ever join the battle alongside another member of his franchise, or Sakurai and the Smash team simply wanted to throw a curveball and give the world of Shovel Knight another look without upgrading an Assist Trophy, then Specter Knight’s inclusion wouldn’t be as unlikely as it’d initially seem.

Colors & Design

Specter Knight has taken on many designs across Shovel Knight’s various campaigns and modes, but his sleek redesign from Specter of Torment would be the most fitting for a platform fighter like Smash. The design was made with a playable Specter Knight in mind and was even used for his amiibo, so it would naturally be the phantom’s default look here. That being said, given Specter Knight’s diverse lineup of alternate designs, at least one of them should be included alongside the signature cloak and armor as an alternate costume. For this concept, I am going with Specter Knight’s Lich Lord costume, as seen in Specter of Torment and Showdown. This design is unlocked upon scanning the Specter Knight amiibo and is thus exclusive to versions of Shovel Knight on Nintendo consoles. All eight of Specter Knight’s palettes would naturally be based on his palette sets from Shovel Knight Showdown. His first palette would be the original red color scheme, his second would be Donovan’s blue color scheme, his third would be a green color scheme, his fourth would be the Rail Mail’s black color scheme, his fifth would be the default Lich Lord costume, his sixth would be the Lich Lord with the Striker’s Shawl’s purple color scheme, his seventh would be the Lich Lord with a black and red color scheme, and his eighth would be the Lich Lord with the Ghostly Garb’s silver color scheme.

(Courtesy of Voyager)

How Would He Play?

Now, let’s have a look at some stats:

Can they crawl? No
Can they wall jump? Yes
How many jumps do they have? 2
Are there any exclusive abilities they have*? Yes
Weight Class: D
Height Class: B+
Speed Class: A
Are they mirrored when they face left? Yes

*Like Peach’s float

Like Mega Man and the Belmonts, Specter Knight would feel like he stepped directly out of his home game, right down to his attacks, abilities, and animations. Staying true to his appearances in Specter of Torment and Showdown, Specter Knight would be all about mobility. He would excel at rushing opponents down with his deceptively impressive attack speed and range, but he would be pretty light for his height and thus susceptible to being launched early. While Specter Knight would have his scythe out at all times and use it for the majority of his attacks, he would also use his signature Curios for certain moves. These subweapons would be the most powerful parts of Specter Knight’s moveset, coming out very fast and often being exceptionally powerful. However, Specter Knight would also have a Darkness Meter (which could be seen on his HUD) that would deplete every time he used a Curio.

Unlike Hero, whose MP Gauge refills with time and damage dealt, Specter Knight’s only source of Darkness would be his opponents. When hit by a move of Specter Knight’s that does not involve a Curio, enemies would drop Darkness Jars in the form of small purple orbs that Specter Knight would immediately absorb. While Specter Knight could quickly refill his Darkness Meter with a few well-placed attacks, he could also lose Darkness just as quickly since the use of Curios would require a decent amount of it, ultimately making for a much more dynamic take on Hero’s spells. Specter Knight’s up special would be one such move that requires Darkness, but unlike Hero, there wouldn’t be an especially weak and cost-effective variation of it to rely on when offstage. To make up for this shortcoming, Specter Knight would have two additional means of recovery: gliding and wall climbing.

Gliding could be performed for a short period of time by holding down the jump button following Specter Knight’s double jump, giving him a decent horizontal recovery option. Meanwhile, wall climbing could be performed in a similar manner to a wall cling, allowing Specter Knight to briefly run up walls before falling back down, grabbing any nearby ledges, or jumping off with an additional input. These abilities, while not as effective as most recovery options, would be there to help Specter Knight make it back to the stage when his up special is not available. Overall, Specter Knight would very much be a momentum-based fighter. When near his opponents with plenty of Darkness to spare, he would be a terrifying presence that could dispatch foes with ease. However, if Specter Knight were to be zoned out or caught off guard without enough Darkness, he would be at a massive disadvantage.

Boxing Ring Title: “The Specter of Torment”

Series Icon

Stock Icons

(Courtesy of Voyager)

Kirby Hat

Move Type

Description

On-Screen Appearance:

The sound of thunder striking the ground would be heard as the screen turned black for a split second. Suddenly, Specter Knight would appear and be seen staring off into the distance before readying his scythe for battle.

Stance:

Specter Knight would stand slightly hunched over with his scythe in hand.

Idle Animation #1:

Specter Knight would put his scythe-holding arm down and give an intimidating pose while facing the camera.

Idle Animation #2:

Specter Knight would hold his hand out while emitting a dark aura.

Walk:

Specter Knight would dash forward at a fast pace.

Dash:

Specter Knight would float in midair and charge forward as his cloak temporarily grew beyond his legs.

Jump:

Specter Knight’s first jump would be a simple hop and his second jump would have him float upward with a menacing pose, mimicking his animation when using the Hover Plume. Holding the jump button after the second jump would make Specter Knight glide.

Damage Animation:

Specter Knight would recoil and clench his scythe tightly as pieces of his cloak fell off and disappeared.

Crouch:

Specter Knight would simply bend his knees a bit.

Shield:

Specter Knight would hold his scythe out in front of himself to block attacks.

Neutral Attack: Scythe Slash

Specter Knight would quickly slash forward with his scythe. This attack wouldn’t lead into anything, but it would come out fast and have impressive range.

Forward Tilt: Scythe Toss

Specter Knight would throw his scythe forward and stand still as the scythe went a short distance before returning to its owner.

Down Tilt: Scythe Poke

Specter Knight would quickly stab his scythe at the ground, like Marth’s down tilt.

Up Tilt: Rogue’s Kick

Specter Knight would plant his scythe in the ground and kick upward while holding onto it, somewhat like Pit’s up tilt.

Dash Attack: Rail Ride

Specter Knight would toss his scythe on the ground and ride it for a few seconds before stopping and picking the scythe back up.

Forward Smash: Dread Talon

Specter Knight would equip the Dread Talon Curio and wind his arm back to charge the attack up. Specter Knight would then slash forward with the gauntlet, dealing a lot of damage and even sending out a weak energy projectile if no one was hit by the slash. However, if Specter Knight does not have enough Darkness, the gauntlet would deal much less damage and would not fire a projectile.

Up Smash: Lich Swing

Specter Knight would swing his scythe upward from front to back, like Ike’s up smash.

Down Smash: Incorporeal Cleave

Specter Knight would swing his scythe at the ground before turning around and doing the same to the ground behind himself.

Neutral Aerial: Scythe Slash / Dash Slash

When there are no enemies nearby, Specter Knight would simply perform an aerial version of his jab. However, when in the air and near an enemy, a gash would appear over them, making Specter Knight perform a Dash Slash in their direction for his neutral air instead.

Down Aerial: Rail Chopper

Specter Knight would ride on top of his scythe as it spun like a propeller, damaging opponents underneath him.

Forward Aerial: Showdown Slam

Specter Knight would wind his scythe back before slamming it downward with both hands, like Cloud’s forward air.

Back Aerial: Shadow Mirror

Specter Knight would use the Shadow Mirror Curio to summon a translucent clone of himself that would appear a set distance behind him. The two would then strike behind themselves with their scythes as the clone disappeared. If Specter Knight does not have enough Darkness, he would simply strike behind himself with his scythe.

Up Aerial: Aerial Slice

Specter Knight would simply slash upward with his scythe, hitting foes directly in front of, on top of, and behind himself.

Grab:

Specter Knight would grab the opponent by their neck (or where their neck would be) with one hand and hold them up at eye level.

Pummel:

Specter Knight would tighten his grasp on the opponent as more Darkness Jars than usual flew out of them and into Specter Knight.

Forward Throw:

Specter Knight would toss the opponent forward before Dash Slashing directly into them.

Up Throw:

Specter Knight would slash the opponent upward with his scythe.

Down Throw:

Specter Knight would throw the opponent onto the ground and toss his scythe at them, which would then spin into them like a saw blade before launching the foe and returning to Specter Knight.

Back Throw:

Specter Knight would simply turn around with the opponent in tow before tossing them to the side.

Neutral Special: Throwing Sickle

Specter Knight would toss the Throwing Sickle Curio forward, which would move a fair distance forward before going back in the direction it was thrown. Like the Belmonts’ Cross, the Sickle would simply go in reverse after reaching a certain distance rather than attempting to return to Specter Knight. While the Sickles would not launch opponents very far, they could be thrown at a rapid pace for as long as Specter Knight has enough Darkness to keep throwing them.

Side Special: Bounding Soul

Specter Knight would throw the Bounding Soul Curio, a projectile that would initially go down at a 45 degree angle before hitting an enemy and disappearing or reflecting off of a surface. Specter Knight could have two Bounding Souls out at a time, and while they would deal little damage, they would be effective against airborne opponents and those off stage who would be susceptible to surprise shots off the floor or even the stage’s sides.

Up Special: Judgement Rush

Specter Knight would use the Judgement Rush Curio, briefly freezing in place before quickly slashing upward. If there are enemies nearby, Specter Knight would home in on and float towards the closest one before slashing them. However, Specter Knight would slash where his opponent was when he used the attack, not where they are by the time he reaches them, making the attack easier to dodge. As one of Specter Knight’s best options for approaching, the homing version of this attack would consume more Darkness than the standard one. If Specter Knight only has enough Darkness for the standard version and is near an enemy, he would simply perform the standard version instead of the homing one.

Down Special: Skeletal Sentry

Specter Knight would use the Skeletal Sentry Curio, pulling out a skull and tossing it behind himself. Upon touching the ground, the skull would turn into a Boneclang that would immediately fire laser beams forward from its eye sockets. The Boneclang would fire five laser beams before blowing up, damaging any nearby enemies. Opponents would be able to destroy Boneclangs early to prevent their explosion, and Specter Knight could only have one out at a time.

Final Smash: An Imposition of Order

Specter Knight would look up in confusion as the Enchantress appeared and summoned Nightmare Reize in the background, who would then lay waste to the stage with a wave of fire from his claws before slamming his massive body into the ground in front of Specter Knight. The Enchantress would then give a sinister laugh as she and Nightmare Reize disappeared.

Up Taunt: Cold Shoulder

Specter Knight would stand tall and cross his arms. This taunt would be unique in that Specter Knight would maintain his pose for as long as the player held the input down.

Side Taunt: Will Skull

Specter Knight would pull out the Will Skull Curio and absorb it through his helmet. Of course, this taunt would simply be an animation with no effect.

Down Taunt: Reminisce

Specter Knight would sit down, take out his Keepsake Locket, and stare at it for a few seconds as his cloak swayed in the wind.

Victory Animation #1:

Specter Knight would spin his scythe around before holding it close to his chest as he looked downward, mimicking his victory animation from his home game.

Victory Animation #2:

Specter Knight would toss his scythe forward, rise into the air as his cloak grew beyond his legs, and catch his weapon as it came back to him before giving a menacing glare.

Victory Animation #3:

Specter Knight would begrudgingly kneel before the Enchantress as she floated above him and gave a sinister laugh.

Victory Fanfare: Naturally, Specter Knight’s victory fanfare would be an arranged version of the theme that plays when he completes a level in Specter of Torment and wins a match in Shovel Knight Showdown:

Outro

When speculating about which characters have the best odds of joining Smash, fans often only look at the main protagonist of a given series rather than its supporting cast. This is only natural since Smash has always prioritized the inclusion of the represented franchises’ most famous characters before adding their friends and rivals. Sakurai and the rest of Smash’s developers never would have added Palutena before Pit or Ridley before Samus, and they probably would not include Specter Knight before Shovel Knight either. That being said, Shovel Knight’s status as an Assist Trophy does not mean his series getting more content is out of the question. Following the completion of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, the franchise is more worthy of another look than ever, and if those behind Smash were to see the value in the inclusion of more Shovel Knight content this time, I doubt they would let the opportunity pass just because Shovel Knight is already present in the game. And who knows, if Shovel Knight’s chances of joining the playable roster aren’t completely dead, then who’s to say Specter Knight couldn’t appear alongside him?