Hear ye! Gather one and all… and then stand aside! True royalty is coming through!

King Knight

King Knight has a brash playstyle which focuses on multi-step, follow-up attacks. It’s not always about what you’re doing now — it’s about planning for what’s coming next!

Shoulder Bash

King Knight bashes forward with equal levels of confidence and destructive force! This quick attack propels King Knight a good distance, too, so you can use it to cross wide gaps. Normally, you can only bash once before you need to land on solid ground, so take some precaution. For a feint (or the faint of heart), you can skid to a stop immediately by moving in the opposite direction.

Spin

Hitting something or someone with a Shoulder Bash will launch King Knight high into the air, falling in a graceful spin. This spin attack will allow you to bounce on the heads of any enemies directly beneath you (literally, but also metaphorically).

The spin can be effective for carrying out follow-up attacks, dispatching multiple enemies, or bouncing out of harm’s way.

Stringing together Bash and Spin is critical for valiant platforming! You don’t always have to take the high road. Land a bash just below a platform, and rise up to higher ground with an overhead attack! You can even bash and spin from soft platforms and item cases.

Roll

Pressing attack again before the end of your Shoulder Bash will send King Knight tumbling ahead in a roll attack! A well-timed roll has all sorts of benefits!

Continue moving without breaking your stride!

Extend your bash just a little farther to land a hit!

Drop from the path of your shoulder bash for a surprise falling attack.

Recover quickly and stay low to the ground after a hit, instead of launching into the usual spin attack.

Rat Bombardier, Redirect, and Dismiss

One of King Knight’s most loyal starter subjects comes to your aid with a small bomb in tow to deliver to unsuspecting enemies. Oh, but don’t worry! King Knight also created a safety bomb shield all by himself, which protects the rat from any and all harm.

With much aplomb, the Rat Bombardier takes to the sky! This arc in and of itself is quite useful for dismissing meddlesome aerial antics. Once the rat touches down, he’ll charge onward, jumping over pits and turning around at walls. This rat is pretty smart… but no rat is smarter than King Knight! Press the sub-weapon button again to issue an order for the rat to turn around. Use these tactical skills to confound and surprise other players!

You can only have one rat out at a time. Press and hold the subweapon button while the rat is on the ground to dismiss them. The rat will quickly leap away and you can redeploy the next attack!

Bringing It All Together

King Knight’s bash, spin, and roll have a lot of utility when used together, so get used to moving between these different states!

While you can only bash once before you’ll need to land on solid ground, landing on an enemy or object with a spin also resets your bash. All of King Knight’s attacks cause sudden changes in motion, so it can be tricky for an opponent to anticipate how and where King Knight will move next.

For the ultimate surprise two-step attack, combine the Rat Bombardier and Shoulder Bash. Toss the rat out and then bash away.

This combination maneuver is perfect for starting a spin attack on your own terms and getting even more height. Oh, but what’s that just off to the right…

King Knight’s bash also knocks the bomb free, hurtling it far away. This fast-moving projectile is very much armed and dangerous! King Knight usually battles at close range, but this move will let you keep your regal hands clean from a safe distance.

If you just can’t get enough of this gilded goon, then we highly recommend checking out King of Cards – our largest-ever single player adventure starring King Knight! It releases alongside Shovel Knight Showdown this December.

Be sure to browse the royal archives for even more character highlights.