It’s been a while since we’ve run a piece on YouTuber Man at Arms — the Baltimore-based blacksmith that delves into non-conventional guerilla advertising by recreating video game weapons. In the past, this has ranged to MOBA League of Legends’ Nameless Blade to Geralt’s double-sword combination in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Now they are taking something a little more cartoony — Shovel Knight‘s shovel-based weapon, the Shovel Blade.
Seen in the 16 minute video below, the Man at Arms crew is taking a slightly different approach to this one. Instead of going with a more realistic blade-like adaptation (something we’ve seen from them in the past), they wanted to highlight the cartoon-ish nature of the Shovel Blade. This includes some unnecessary — but visually pleasing — brassing, an almost comical cross guard, and the shovel-like pommel/grip combination. Though my favorite component are the blue-dyed leather accents found on the Shovel Blade.
And it’s not to say that the Shovel Blade is not effective in the simulated combat. The finished product was able to take down the watermelon test, along with some other explosive staples from the grocery aisle.
For those curious about the source material (and if you’ve lived in hiding from the indie game scene), Shovel Knight is arguably Kickstarter’s most notable indie game project. Developed by Yacht Club Games as a love letter to action platformers like Mega Man, Shovel Knight has had tremendous success leading to the birth of various spin-off DLC and different editions.
Shovel Knight is available on Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and a host of other last generation consoles. You can check out the Man at Arms video, below: