Yacht Club Games has announced that Shovel Knight Dig will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One in a couple weeks’ time, on May 15. Why a PS4 version isn’t on the docket is a mystery, especially with the game set to release for Xbox One. 

Meanwhile, on the same day, Yacht Club Games will also release Wicked Wish, the game’s second major free update, which will add new Relics, bosses, localization improvements, bug fixes, and more. 

In our review of Shovel Knight Dig, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Shovel Knight Dig, while far from being the furthest departure from the franchise’s classic gameplay, still manages to be a unique experience thanks to the unique twist of having to use a platforming move set to make progress by traversing vertical space. The Shovel Knight gameplay is still as crisp as ever, and Shovel Knight Dig’s story and progression systems do a great job of staying out of the way, and ultimately encouraging you to try one more run.” Read the full review through here.

Shovel Knight Dig is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PC, and Apple Arcade. 

What Yacht Club Games has announced a second free expansion. Dubbed Wicked Wishes, it will launch this summer, bringing new Relics, bosses, and more, alongside updates to the base experience that include over 100 bug fixes, localization improvements, and more. Yacht Club Games has also confirmed that Wicked Wishes will be the game’s final DLC.

As part of its presentation, Yacht Club Games made several announcements, including Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX and a new mainline Shovel Knight game being in development. The developer also showcased a new trailer for the upcoming Mina the Hollower.

Right from the beginning you can be rest assured that Shovel Knight Dig still feels just as good to control and play as the original release did. The platforming is snappy, and the level design goes quite far in making good use of the titular knight’s limited arsenal. The big thing to keep in mind, however, is that, for a change, Shovel Knight is going to be focusing on digging downwards.

"The platforming is snappy, and the level design goes quite far in making good use of the titular knight’s limited arsenal. The big thing to keep in mind, however, is that, for a change, Shovel Knight is going to be focusing on digging downwards."

In having its levels progress downwards rather than sideways, Shovel Knight has introduced a major shift to how the classic gameplay works. Rather than the original’s emphasis on figuring out the best way through a level while avoiding or taking out enemies and traps, Shovel Knight Dig, instead, focuses on keeping your downward momentum going. Rather than juggling having to deal with small monsters as you try and complete some challenging platforming puzzles, you’re going to be focused almost entirely on digging down.

This doesn’t mean that you don’t travel sideways at all; several of the randomly-generated levels have you visiting side rooms for some extra challenges, a merchant, or even just free loot. Some levels even have you move over a screen to your left or right in order to progress further downwards. But ultimately, the game is squarely focused on going down.

If you look at the release platforms for Shovel Knight Dig, it might start becoming more and more obvious just what kind of game it is. Considering the fact that it’s also being released on iOS devices through Apple Arcade, Shovel Knight Dig would obviously have to be designed around shorter play sessions; can’t really be in the middle of an intense boss fight while you’re waiting for your bus, after all.

This means Shovel Knight Dig’s challenge level isn’t as high as compared to the original. This, of course, also comes with the territory when you have randomly-generated levels rather than handcrafted ones with meticulous enemy placement. That’s not to say that it’s an easy game, however. You’ll be dying quite a bit as you try and make your way further downwards. It’s still a fair bit easier than its predecessors though.

The general gameplay loop of Shovel Knight Dig has been designed to encourage just one more run. Starting up a new run is as simple as jumping down a hole, after all, and the game doesn’t really bog you down with complicated progression systems. Even if you die, a fresh run is just a button press away.

"Shovel Knight Dig’s challenge level isn’t as high as compared to the original. This, of course, also comes with the territory when you have randomly-generated levels rather than handcrafted ones with meticulous enemy placement."

This roguelite gameplay loop works surprisingly well in Shovel Knight Dig. Nothing that could possibly discourage you from trying out another run is present in the game. Even upgrades are priced in such a way that you’re only going to be visiting the stores sometimes. You won’t really have enough currency to keep visiting the stores in between every run—unless you’re an absurdly good player, of course.

As for the story, Shovel Knight Dig is a far cry from the surprisingly involved plot of the original Shovel Knight. Rather than going on a grand quest to save a friend and a kingdom, you’re instead just trying to get your backpack back. While our titular knight was taking a nap in the woods, someone decided to dig a giant hole right next to his sleeping spot, taking Shovel Knight’s backpack as they went down. It’s now up to you to stop whatever nefarious plot is happening, and hopefully get your backpack back in the process.

This story isn’t really going to win any awards, but like I mentioned earlier in the review, there isn’t really anything present in the game that’s going to eat up too much of your time. Shovel Knight Dig really doesn’t want you to waste your time with a story. It really just wants you to engage with its gameplay.

This design philosophy works out incredibly well, largely because the core gameplay is fantastic. The controls are simple, movement feels snappy, and mistakes feel like your own. It never really feels like the game is acting against you. Instead, every hit you take and every death you die ends up feeling like they’re all just mistakes that you made. This encourages the player to try and get better at the game.

Visually, Shovel Knight Dig is gorgeous. While still using a pixel art style, just about every aspect has been touched up to a considerable degree. In fact, if you compare its looks to that of the original Shovel Knight, the difference becomes abundantly clear. Shovel Knight Dig is also a brighter and more colorful game than its predecessor.

Where the original Shovel Knight was focused on evoking a very specific look—that of a game running on a older hardware—Shovel Knight Dig manages to hang on to the same general aesthetics while still offering up more detail and more color. There are some spots where the higher fidelity might make things like secret destructible walls less obvious, but once you’ve played a few runs of Shovel Knight Dig, these concerns largely fall by the wayside.

"Visually, Shovel Knight Dig is gorgeous. While still using a pixel art style, just about every aspect has been touched up to a considerable degree."

The audio is no slouch either. Sound effects feel right at home with the art style, and the music, while sometimes repetitive, still feels quite at home. It’s able to capture the intensity of the general gameplay quite well, and the sound effect for when you land a killing blow on an enemy is still one of my favorites in just about any game. Even the boss fight music captures the hectic fight of classic Shovel Knight-styled bosses perfectly. Really, the only complaint I have here comes from the repetitiveness of the music in the regular non-boss levels.

Shovel Knight Dig is far from the biggest departure from the Shovel Knight formular. It doesn’t really change genres like, say, Shovel Knights Pocket Dungeon did. Rather, it takes the existing framework of Shovel Knight’s general gameplay, and throws in an interesting twist. The fact that rather than navigating through levels in the style of classic Mega Man games, you’re constantly digging downwards brings a radical change to how you look at Shovel Knight’s toolkit. Moves you’ve been familiar with for the purposes of platforming now all of a sudden have completely different uses. Bouncing off the top of enemies isn’t as useful for continuing further in the level as it was in the original game.

Ultimately, however, Shovel Knight Dig manages to pull off just about everything it was going for. The new roguelite gameplay loop works quite well with the protagonist’s limited-but-adaptable move set, and the game does as much as it can to engender the “one more run” mindset. It doesn’t bog you down with an overly-complex story or complicated progression systems. All it really wants you to do is dig downwards, and have fun doing it.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Please note that some of these games may have 2022 as a tentative release date as of the time of writing this feature, and are subject to change. 

With that out of the way, let’s begin:

God of War: Ragnarok

Sony Santa Monica delivered an excellent reimagining of God of War with its 2018 reboot which masterfully combined sincere storytelling with adrenaline-pumping gameplay. Those familiar with the game would know that the story ended on a cliffhanger, and naturally – fans are more than excited to see the narrative unfold with the sequel. The aptly titled God of War: Ragnarok will continue the adventures of Kratos and Atreus as they bring about Fimbulwinter. God of War: Ragnarok releases on 9 November 2022 for PS4 and PS5.

Developed by Nitrome, the story sees Drill Knight stealing Shovel Knight’s loot and descending underground with his crew. With his Shovel Blade and accompanied by Shield Knight, our hero gives chase. Suffice it to say that there’s plenty to discover, from new enemies and regions. Interestingly, levels consist of hand-crafted sections stitched together through “proprietary generation techniques,” seemingly providing a new experience each time.

As you dig deeper, Shovel Knight will gain new upgrades and items. He’ll also utilize new techniques like Speed Shovel in addition to the classic Shovel Drop. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming weeks.

New updates, DLC, “never-before-seen” gameplay sneak peeks and a “hair-raisingly exciting MEGA ANNOUNCEMENT” are all teased with the focus being on a certain number of titles that have new content in development. Perhaps Cyber Shadow, which Yacht Club published, will be receiving some new DLC? We may also hear about Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon’s upcoming DLC.

It’s also possible that Shovel Knight Dig, the platformer that takes inspiration from classics like Dig Dug, receives a release date following its delay to 2022. Either way, the showcase is also a good opportunity to hear from developers Sean Velasco, Sandy Gordon, Alec Faulkner, Celia Schilling and Nick Wozniak. Velasco notes that it’s been “difficult to keep all this cool stuff a secret!” and hopes that fans will tune in. Stay tuned for more details next week when the showcase airs.

In the meantime, the developer showcased one of the Hexcavators, Scrap Knight. Famed for her ability to recover pretty much anything, Scrap Knight keeps some of the most valuable items in a bag on her shoulder. As players venture through the Magic Landfill, which consists of Scrap Knight’s various treasures, they’ll eventually battle her one-on-one.

Scrap Knight will also be in Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon which is still slated to release this Winter for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC. As for Shovel Knight Dig, it’s currently in development for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Switch.

Indie developer and publisher Yacht Club Games has announced that it’ll be be dropping its second official video presentation, called Yacht Club Games Presents, next week. The video will arrive on Wednesday, February 26th, at 9 AM Pacific Time / 12 PM Eastern Time.

According to Yacht Club, you should prepare for “a boatload of new updates and announcements.” We can probably take a guess at what those updates are going to be. Mechanical Head Studios-developed and Yacht Club-published retro action-platformer Cyber Shadow was announced last year and is due out later this year, so we will probably hear more about that. Meanwhile, Yacht Club and Nitrome are currently working together on Shovel Knight Dig, which might receive more new info as well.

As for the new announcements, that’s anyone’s best guess right now. Though Yacht Club recently wrapped up the excellent Shovel Knight with Showdown and King of Cards, series director Sean Velasco recently said that the developer wants to continue making more Shovel Knight games– perhaps we might be hearing something about that (beyond Dig, that is)?

Either way, we’ll keep you updated, so stay tuned.

You've been patient and we've been hard at work! The 2nd official Yacht Club Games Presents is dropping Wednesday, Feb. 26th at 9AM PT! https://t.co/iof83If747

Tell your friends and rev up your excitement, we've got a boatload of NEW updates and announcements coming your way! pic.twitter.com/o1TP1BTjJl

— Yacht Club Games (@YachtClubGames) February 19, 2020

Shovel Knight broke onto the scene and became an indie sensation in a way that few games ever can be. The shovel-wielding knight just didn’t stop, as he popped up in all kinds of places, and at the beginning of the year developer Yacht Club Games said he wasn’t done. And that has now come to fruition, as a new spin-off, Shovel Knight Dig, was announced today.

The game is a collaboration between Yacht Club Games and Nitrome. It will see Shovel Knight leap into action when Drill Knight begins tunneling underground, threatening to take the entire kingdom down, in the most literal sense possible. While a spin-off, the game will feature a brand new story, characters, art, and a soundtrack, as announced by the developer.

Shovel Knight Dig will launch this December for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Below you can also check out the trailer and screenshots that came with the announcement.