Shovel Knight Dig is a procedurally generated platformer rocking up on Steam in September
They roped some YouTubers in to announce it
Platforming hero Shovel Knight dons their horned helmet again on September 23rd when the series next instalment, Shovel Knight Dig, arrives on Steam. This time, ol’ Shoves and pal Shield Knight are tangling with the nefarious Drill Knight, who’s pinched all the stuff from their campsite, believe it or not. Devs Yacht Club Games enlisted YouTubers Arin Hanson and Jirard ‘The Completionist’ Khalil to announce the game, and you can watch the trailer below.
Shovel Knight Dig is more of the classic platforming you’d expect from Yacht Club’s output. However, they’ve teamed with prolific UK-based indie dev team Nitrome, of Bomb Chicken renown, for it. Dig is a roguelike, with Shovel Knight and Shield Knight having to tunnel their way down through an “ever-changing chasm of mystery”. The game’s been in development for four years, so it’s had plenty of time in the oven.
Yacht Club are also working on retro-styled action-adventure Mina The Hollower, which takes its influence from NES and SNES games such as The Legend Of Zelda and Castlevania. Mina The Hollower was announced in February, passing its Kickstarter goal within a day. I’m keeping an eye on this one when it eventually releases, but there’s no firm date yet.
I can’t believe Shovel Knight’s been around since 2014. The character’s already had several games under their belt, including last year’s Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon. They’ve appeared as a guest character in shedloads of indie games too. At this point, the retro-inspired knight is almost just retro. Give it another few years and maybe we’ll get a 3D reinvention for Shovel Knight 64.
Shovel Knight Dig strikes out on Steam on September 23rd for £21/$25/€25. It’s also coming to Apple Arcade and Nintendo Switch.