An arcade version of Shovel Knight that stays true to its origins.
I remember being amazed by how different the arcade versions of Ninja Gaiden, Strider, and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were from the home console versions back in the day. Seeing the big chunky sprites walking around his quarter level in Ninja Gaiden was a far cry from the cinematic heavy presentation of Nintendo’s Ninja Gaiden. That disparity came to mind when I played the latest Shovel Knight game, Shovel Knight Dig. Feels like an arcade version of the original 2014 Yacht Club Games classic. Adopting Shovel Knight’s relatively small 8-bit inspired visuals, the basic controls and gameplay are similar, but the execution and execution are very different. structure. In some ways, Shovel Knight Dig (created with help from Bomb Chicken developer Nitrome) feels like an entirely different Genesis version of Shovel Knight’s Super Nintendo game.
At its core, Shovel Knight Dig’s gameplay loop is most similar to modern roguelikes, where levels are procedurally generated and almost start from scratch each time you die. The modern aspect of this unlocks a deeper roster of tools and boosts and shortcuts to later levels. The base difficulty is challenging but fair, but if you have a specific problem, you can visit the difficulty tweak laundry list to find out more about the base. You can increase your health, slow the game down, or add more attack power.
Dig evokes the likes of Downwell and Spelunky in its style. Especially when you dive deep into vertically focused caverns and uncover plenty of secrets. Shovel Knight’s abilities are familiar, but a little looser here than they were in the original game. You’re constantly cascading through areas, making the downward thrust of the shovel bouncing off obstacles an even more important part of the experience. It can last over an hour and is all filled with its own enemies and obstacles. There are enough similarities between each to make you feel like you are learning the nuances of the world and making progress through your own understanding. of traps to get you.
The first area you pass through is a series of mushroom-themed caves full of slime and spores. You may. For example, drill spikes that traverse the screen horizontally force you to keep moving, or burrow into snakes that can eat you or the precious gems you’re trying to collect. Each area you pass through typically consists of three levels and a boss fight. Upon reaching the end of the level, he can choose to go down two different holes to determine the next challenge. It may look obviously easy, you may face difficult challenges, but you may get greater rewards. may be released. These constant selections kept the loops fresh for long hours of play. Sometimes you want to survive as long as possible, sometimes you don’t get many abilities and boosts, sometimes you want to take on harder challenges to get more rewards.
After the first area, you may have the option to choose between two different areas that offer more unique challenges. There are explosions and fireballs in the fire area and you have to be careful with the lighting. Evoking the water levels of the Genesis Sonic game in the best possible way, Waters has this adorable mechanic that allows you to create waterfalls and rivers through which your enemies and treasures flow through your levels in interesting ways. It’s an incredible way to tinker with the world around you, even if it becomes more and more dangerous when electric frogs start to endanger all the water.
The paths get more difficult as you reach the later areas, but that playful sense of challenge continues throughout the game. Finding new areas (or one of the game’s many secret rooms) is thrilling, even if my hero dies instantly on every trip to a new area. Figuring out how best to navigate a level to collect gems and items while avoiding damage and death is repetitive and fun.Shovel Night Dig is the most roguelike of his games. Stick to being his one of the key aspects.
This feels like a different flavor of Shovel Knight, but thankfully never feels off-brand.Dig isn’t a sequel, but calling it a spin-off wouldn’t be right. This is his 2D side-scrolling adventure of Shovel Knight origins, viewed through a different vertical lens, only sprinkled with dashes of arcade roguelike design. Throughout, the wealth of creativity that the Yacht Club has become a staple of is found throughout the entire experience.
