thou shalt not pass!

There are many things I could say about Plague of Shadows, but I'll keep it to a few aspects.

First off, I love how the game does many things to contrast with Shovel of Hope. As in Soh, you are very much playing as a hero. Where as in PoS, you are very much playing as a villian. In Hope, the town welcomes you with open arms and you are free to go as you please. In Shadows, you are banned from entering and have to sneak into your secret base underneath the town. In Hope, you are on a quest to save your beloved partner. In Shadows, you and your partner are on a mission gain ULTIMATE POWER and maybe cause some chaos while your at it. And so many other details that makes it stick out from Soh. While Plague of Shadows ultimately has a fairly simple story like Shovel of Hope, it feels a little more engaging. I feel more invested in Plague Knight's and Mona's relationship than Shovel and Shield's (though I do care for them very dearly they are couple goals). And Plague Knight overall feels more fleshed out. I love this little gremlin so much. He is a menace and somehow really cutiepies. I like a lot of the side characters aswell. Many moments feel like a Saturday morning cartoon at times.

I also really enjoyed Plague Knight's gameplay. It at first took a little bit to get used too as his move set is fairly different from Sk's (I died more times than expected on the first level....). He definitely feels heavy(?) But once I got used to it, he felt good to play. Plague Knight also has way more abilities and upgrades than Sk ever had. It can feel quite overwhelming at times. I like how you can mixed and match the different powders, casings, and fuses to get a combination that fills right for you. I personally stuck to one combination once I got the upgrades so I'll have to try the others in the future lol.

I will say, part of me kind of wishes the levels were a little more based around Pk move set? Specifically the boss fights minus the final one. I know there were many new optional sections in the levels that were centered around him. But some of the bosses either felt way more difficult or way easier. Idk that's just me. Maybe I'm being unnecessarily nitpick.

Overall, I had a wonderful time with Plague of Shadows and I can't wait to make art for it. I wish I could say more but I am tired lol.