Shovel Knight artist says throwback games need 'retro authenticity' but can't coast on nostalgia alone: 'Part of the appeal of the NES era of game making was that everything was a new idea'

Shovel Knight key art showing the titular knight brandishing his titular shovel in front of a gaggle of the supporting cast.

Ahead of the Shovel Knight: Steel They Shovel live concert series coming to New York and LA in the next month, I got the chance to talk to Yacht Club artist Nick Wozniak about the indie game's legacy and the state of games today. Wozniak understandably had a lot of thoughts on nailing an authentic retro arty style, but also pointed out that you can't get by on nostalgic authenticity alone.

With Wozniak having defined the look of one of the most successful retro throwback games ever made, I was curious as to what he looks for in one, and how he judges their success. He cautioned that the sort of authenticity that distinguishes a really good nostalgic game is "hard to define," but argued that there's no faking real familiarity and love for a given era of games.