At long last, it’s tunneling time
Even though I’ve failed to keep up with the Shovel Knight extended universe, as a fan of the action-platformer debut, Shovel Knight’s ensuing cameos, and Mr. Driller-style games in general, I’ve been looking forward to Shovel Knight Dig. Nitrome and Yacht Club Games finally announced a release date today — Shovel Knight Dig is coming to Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam), and Apple Arcade on September 23, 2022. No news about PlayStation.
Here’s a YouTube skit with gameplay footage beginning at the 1:09 mark.
Frantic, right? It looks great to me — better than I remember.
The concept for Shovel Knight Dig may be about descending, but there are a lot of familiar action elements here beyond just “digging” in hopes of catching up with Drill Knight. And with more of those hard-hitting boss fights, it looks true to Shovel Knight‘s roots.
The old “one more run” allure
As for the roguelite gameplay twist, Yacht Club says to expect permanent items and upgrades as you progress. “There are thousands of pixel-perfect level chunks, which are procedurally stitched together to create infinite adventurous combinations. Each trip down the well will bring you closer to discovering the secrets lying at the bottom.”
In a blog post today, the developers shared a bit more about Tinker Knight and Mole Knight, who are up to no good with the Hexcavators.
If you’re attending PAX West later this week (whoa, we blew past August), Shovel Knight Dig will be at Booth #217 on the fourth floor of the Seattle Convention Center.
At launch on September 23, Shovel Knight Dig will cost $24.99 on Nintendo Switch and Steam, though the latter will have a 10 percent off promo if you’re early enough. If you’ve got Apple Arcade, the game will be included in your $4.99-per-month subscription.
