After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight became an indie hit. Not only did we get the excellent original game, but three expansions that offered their own twists on retro-platforming goodness (not to mention puzzle and fighting games starring the helmeted hero). Shovel Knight Dig, co-developed by Nitrome, is the most ambitious spin-off yet. This $24.99 PC game turns familiar Shovel Knight gameplay into a new roguelike adventure. Although the swap ultimately leaves this game less fulfilling than the side-scrolling original, it still makes for a fun, endless journey to the center of the Earth.

Unearthed 

In keeping with its old-school homage, Shovel Knight Dig doesn’t waste too much time on setup. Shovel Knight must burrow through the ground to claim treasure, and stop Drill Knight’s gang of dastardly Hexcavators. Instead of focusing on a tedious narrative, Shovel Knight Dig takes advantage of the understated worldbuilding that’s turned Shovel Knight into a beloved franchise. You’ll see familiar friends, fight familiar foes, and find fleeting bits of lore that add an appreciated depth to the experience.

Most exciting, though, is how well Shovel Knight Dig carries on Shovel Knight’s wonderful presentation. Colorful character sprites bounce around with more expressive personalities than in previous games. Exaggerated animations and sound effects are powerful and satisfying, while never getting in the way of gameplay. Additionally, Jake Kaufman’s new chiptunes-based video game soundtrack pulses and pushes you forward. It’s proof that even purposefully “primitive” games can have rich production value.

The Descent

Past Shovel Knight games were fairly straightforward 2D platformers featuring a shovel-toting hero, but Shovel Knight Dig flips matters by centering digging as the central mechanic. It’s a very vertical game, like a cross between Downwell and Mr. Driller. You still avoid obstacles, grab treasure, and battle enemies. However, you now reach the game's end by tunneling down, not running to the right.

These constraints enable new gameplay opportunities. Shovel Knight often falls down from the top of the screen when he transitions between level chunks. As he does, he’ll automatically stick out his shovel so you can string together nimble pogo stick combos as you bounce on blocks and enemies. Skillfully timing these bounces is sometimes the only way to reach elevated locations filled with extra goodies. Shovel Knight can also horizontally dig through dirt patches in rapid fashion. 

Some of Shovel Knight Dig’s most clever enemies force you to reconsider your new relationship with how you navigate the world. Fungal spores turn you small enough to slip through crevices. Giant worms eat through dirt, constantly limiting your movement options. Boss fights take place in enclosed arenas, making their more traditional gameplay a nice change of pace.

Going Rogue

Shovel Knight Dig’s gameplay is a radical departure from the series' typical mechanics, but its overall structure represents an even greater shift. Shovel Knight Dig, like puzzle spin-off Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon, is a roguelike. Although this is fertile territory for Shovel Knight, the indie roguelike field is a well-worn subgenre at this point. As a result, Dig doesn't feel particularly special.

The game’s algorithm does a good job generating fun platforming levels. Oftentimes, I stopped to consider what the game wanted me to do to reach faraway treasure. And if you wait too long, a giant drill tries to kill you, which adds just a little pressure. However, randomized levels lose their charm when you learn all their possible gimmicks. The original Shovel Knight saga had some of the best, most creative, and most polished platforming levels of this current indie boom, which makes Dig feel a bit like a step back.

Shovel Knight Dig doesn’t take full advantage of the roguelike genre’s possibilities as well as it could have, either. Each level features three golden gears hidden in risky spots as bonus objectives. Nab them all, and you can choose to gain more health or a random power-up for the rest of your run. These power-ups are definitely useful. For example, you can pick boots that don’t take spike damage, a feather that revives you after death, or a helmet that bashes blocks above you. Still, they don’t freshen up the inherently repetitive gameplay loop all that much. Neither do the sub weapons or extra combat techniques you can purchase from the occasional shop. Instead of buying temporary or permanent upgrades, I saved most of my cash for tickets that let me skip to later stages and avoid the repetition. Compare that to all the creative combat experiments Hades encourages you to discover. 

When you’re not digging, you can check out the leaderboards and in-game achievements. If you need some extra help, turn on helpful accessibility options to give yourself more health or slow down the game's pace.

Can Your PC Run Shovel Knight Dig?

Like prior Shovel Knight games, Shovel Knight Dig resembles your memories of classic, 8- and 16-bit games. Although Dig's gorgeous sprite art couldn't run on retro consoles, even the most modest modern PCs should have no problems handling the game. Dig's Steam page recommends a PC housing at least a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or equivalent) CPU, 8GB of RAM, a GPU with 1GB of video memory, 2GB of storage, and the 64-bit Windows 7 operating system. 

In addition, Shovel Knight Dig is Steam Deck verified, and that’s how I played the game. I occasionally experienced brief and mild stutters during screen transitions. However, the game stayed locked at a smooth 60 frames per second during the vast majority of my playtime.

You Can Dig It

Shovel Knight Dig suffers a bit from its roguelike structure, especially compared with its predecessors’ superb simplicity. Still, with its awesome aesthetic and innovative gameplay twists, Dig is a worthy entry in the Shovel Knight canon. 

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