This game is amazing. I've made no secret about the fact that I'm pretty much over the 8-bit aesthetic when it comes to games, but Shovel Knight manages to be a great looking and great sounding game with amazing art direction and music that I'm totally into. What's more is that level design is top-notch, which I feel really sells this game as one of the greats. Giving a game a retro look and sound is one thing; making it feel like a great retro game is another thing entirely. The game teaches you how to play without telling you how to play, and whenever you die, you know why you died, and you know how to do better.
Planning on tackling New Game+ soon, but I have to say I'm a big fan of the game and I'm looking forward to Yacht Club's next project.