Shovel Knight Dig

Genre: Platformer / Roguelike

Players: 1, Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Shovel Knight Dig is a Platformer with strong Roguelike elements released on PC, mobile devices, and Nintendo Switch in 2022. This game takes the core gameplay of the original Shovel Knight and reimagines it as a vertically-oriented Roguelike, with players progressing downward through randomized dungeons.

I’ll be honest, after Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, which I found to be unintuitive and overrated, I’ve been wondering if handing the reins to developers other than Yacht Club Games for spin-offs based on the Shovel Knight franchise was a bad idea. However, Shovel Knight Dig has put to rest those concerns, as this is a marvelous and unique spin on what was so endearing and enjoyable about Shovel Knight in the first place.

This starts with the presentation, which is absolutely gorgeous. Puzzle Knight Dig makes use of colorful, fluidly-animated 2D pixel art visuals that are a step above what we saw in the original Shovel Knight, and these visuals are backed by an outstanding chiptune soundtrack. For a few examples, check out Spore Judgment and Thermal Vent.

The core gameplay here tweaks Shovel Knight’s gameplay just slightly to make it better both for the game’s vertical orientation as well as for a game where you’re often digging through multiple blocks of dirt. Shovel Knight’s DuckTales-style pogo jump is automatic here, and Shovel Knight propels himself forward through dirt with each strike, as if his shovel were incorporating the ability of the Dust Knuckle relic from the original game.

The result of this is that movement in Shovel Knight Dig is similar but slightly different, and players familiar with the original game will have to get used to those changes, such as being unable to jump on destructible platforms without attacking them.

Of course, that’s not all that’s changed here. As mentioned before, Shovel Knight Dig is a Roguelike, and that means that you’ll be facing a pretty harsh difficulty here, to the point where I think many fans of the original game will be somewhat taken aback by it. I’ll note also that this game is definitely closer to the “Like” side of the Roguelike/Roguelite spectrum – you will get permanent upgrades, but for the most part your progress will be due to gaining increased skill and familiarity with the game, and to some extent also unlocking the randomized extras that come hand in hand with Roguelikes.

However, while the harsh difficulty of Shovel Knight Dig may make this game harder to dive into than the original Shovel Knight, it still bears the same great level design, well-crafted gameplay, fun and varied content, and overall top-notch level of quality that this franchise has come to be known for. If you’ve never played Shovel Knight… well, then you should play Shovel Knight, that game is too good to miss. However, if you have played Shovel Knight and want to challenge yourself with a Roguelike spin on the formula, Shovel Knight Dig is pretty much everything you could ask for in that combination of ingredients.

tl;dr – Shovel Knight Dig is a Platformer with strong Roguelike elements, tweaking the excellent Platformer gameplay of the original Shovel Knight and using it to have the player digging down into the earth in a Roguelike-style structure. This game captures much of what worked so well in the original Shovel Knight but recontextualizes it into a Roguelike experience, and for the most part this works brilliantly, though the high challenge level may put off fans of the original game. Still, if you’re not intimidated by a challenge, this is a superb game well worth playing.

Grade: A-

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