Shovel Knight Dig

I really have a hankering to talk to you guys about Shovel Knight Dig today. This is a game that feels like it has been getting made forever! It was first shown back in 2019 (if I recall correctly) and while progress is certainly coming along nicely and it looks like a fantastic follow up. I thought that today we could have some fun by taking a closer look at the game and seeing how they are improving on what was already a fantastic formula.

Working In A Cole Mine, Going Down, Down, Down

The premise of Shovel Knight Dig is just as much fun as the previous game. Once again, our hero is just living his best Knight life. He is resting by a campfire with his spoils after another successful adventure. All of a sudden that dastardly Drill Knight shows up, steals his loot, and then starts digging into the ground to make an escape!

Shovel Knight needs to get his loot back (and find some more) so h sets out to dig deep down into the ground to find Drill Knight and the other Hexcavators such as Hive Knight and Spore Knight!

A Pixelated Cartoon Come To Life

A huge part of the charm of the original game was the presentation and Shovel Knight Dig is kicking that up a few notches. This game has that same retro pixel art style as the original, but it has a much finer and higher quality look about it all this time. You could argue that this is the best looking pixel style game to date. It just has so much personality and the animation here is just fantastic. It also features an epic musical score by the very talented Jake Kaufman.

The Descent!

No, I am not talking about the epic horror movie here, but the gameplay of Shovel Knight Dig. For the most part, it is the same as we enjoyed in the original Shovel Knight. You have your trusty shovel that you use Scrooge McDuck style to defeat enemies, jump around and dig. There is a new speed shovel mechanic that lets you move even faster and the way the games levels are procedurally generated ensures that no two playthroughs will ever be exactly the same. It is looking like great stuff indeed and I like how they have taken the formula from the original and expanded on it.

I know that it feels like Shovel Knight Dig has been in development for a very long time and it has now had its release date pushed further back! However, this is certainly one game that is well worth the wait.

Pros:

• The storytelling has a real charm to it
• I love the way this game looks, some of the best pixel style graphics ever!
• It has a rocking and very fitting soundtrack
• The gameplay is expanding on what came before it
• I like the way the levels are created

Cons:

• Will the game get delayed again?
• Will there be a physical release at launch?