+ Fantastic spritework, solid sound design and game feel that is faithful to the source content
+ Lots of polish on the bomb throw mechanics, with bombs responding to momentum and interacting with various object types in interesting ways
+ Mirrors the source material with a complex toolkit that makes platforming and exploration more interesting while allowing ample opportunity for movement optimization in speedruns
+ Battle ability feels like a natural compliment to his existing toolkit
- Blast jump's strafe inputs feel like a detriment. I never execute these intentionally because the speed makes it too difficult to predict where it will send me, but I'm always executing it by accident because I use strafe to make gradual adjustments to my momentum.
- Blast jump is able to air stall indefinitely with good timing (most easily done with the back input variant), and this becomes even easier to do while underwater.
- Stalling methods become a balance issue in Battle, particularly since Plague Knight has many ways to to run out the timer in arena mode by staying airborne. Might be worth considering diminishing returns on blasts and throws in order to foolproof potential exploits.
For general platforming, Plague Knight requires management of multiple tools in order to optimize his movement, which makes him difficult to grasp at a base level but a highly effective explorer and speedrunner in the hands of a skilled player.
The vanilla campaign's dull combat scenarios allow little room for Plague Knight's advanced combat playstyle to shine, but a combat-heavy mod such as Chaos or Battle sees players using tactical blasts to avoid conflict and burst groups of enemies, all while issuing death from above with a bombardment of air throws at an optimal distance. Plague Knight's ability to prepare massive jumps and apply constant ranged pressure makes him a force to be reckoned with, but his sluggish base speed and lack of quick melee options counterbalance this by making him vulnerable and easy to overwhelm in close quarters engagements.
The character itself is impressively polished and perfectly reflects the personality and complex playstyle of the character based on his original appearance in Shovel Knight. There are some control quirks to the blast jump that require getting some used to, and SRB2's floaty air physics make it a little too easy to avoid ever touching the ground, but beyond these few issues, the mod does a stellar job of translating Plague Knight's aesthetic and gameplay into SRB2's 3D environment.
