Shovel Knight Digbegins with the titular hero admiring a bag of gems that he seemingly acquired through his many adventures thus far. Then, out of the blue, a new villain appears, steals his loot, and then digs a hole. Players must then jump in to follow him in the hopes of gaining back their hard-earned loot.
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That is the basic premise forShovel Knight Digand the story doesn’t go much further beyond that. The cast is full of fun characters though so it doesn’t lack charm. Overall though, how does this spinoff compare with other roguelikes out there, and is it a good new entry in this ever-growing indie series?
7Best: The Pixel Art
This series began as an 8-Bit homage to classic NES games from the80s and 90s. Now, almost a decade later, the series is jumping into a more 16-bit aesthetic. The sprite art is great on its own but what really sells the package are the character designs. NPCs will frequent the hub area every time players jump out of the dungeon.
From chickens that play lutes to a mysterious cat that sells tickets, they all look incredible. There are smaller details about some design decisions that makeShovel Knight Digstand out as well like the status effects. In the first dungeon, players can get shrunk down if they touch a certain type of spore. It can hurt gameplay but it’s also very cute.
6Worst: What Carries Over
As a roguelike experience,Shovel Knight Digis as addictive as they come. However, it’s not friendly in terms of what carries over between each run. Gems arethe main currencyof the game and, in death, some of these gems will be lost.
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Thankfully, like in the original game, gems can be found again upon a new run. Everything else, however, does not. There isn’t much that players can do to improve themselves over time like in a roguelike with more RPG elements. It comes down to getting better through personal experience and repeated deaths.
5Best: The Music
TheShovel Knightseries has always had some great music. There are familiar beats fans can hear within these compositions, but for the most part, the score is original toShovel Knight Dig. The only downside to the game is that there isn’t a lot here due to the nature ofthe roguelike genre.
Of the dungeons players can explore, each one has its own theme and there aren’t that many. Going through them infinitely through trial and error can make even the best bangers start to wear thin. Overall though, this is a game where diehard fans, even through repeated listenings, will want to get this soundtrack eventually.
4Worst: No Checkpoints
The perfect system toplay a roguelikeon is the Switch. The console is designed for quick pick-up and play sessions on the go or long sessions while at home in docked mode. Heck, even at home, the Switch can be the perfect companion for multitasking like catching up on shows.
Shovel Knight Digis a great roguelike for these types of playing scenarios. However, the one downside is that there is no checkpoint system. If players quit out to the title screen in the middle of a run, progress in that dungeon will be erased save for some of the gems collected. It’s not surprising to see a roguelike do this, but it’s also not a great design choice.
3Best: The Assist Options
Adding assist optionsor difficulty settings to a roguelike is already going to make it better.Shovel Knight Dighas a plethora of options to give the more casual crowd a better chance at surviving the dungeons in the game. There are features to increase health, make it easier to find food that replenishes health, increase attack power, and many many more.
The roguelike genre is meant to be challenging which is why it attracts so many hardcore gamers. Still, it is also nice to have options to allow other, less experienced players to join in on the fun as well. What’s the harm in a few extra features in a game?
2Worst: Shovel Knight’s Heaviness
One of the quickest ways that players are going to die is not through getting hit by enemies. It’s through failing to time a jump perfectly. One of the best things about the original game was that the titular hero was so light on his feet.
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The mechanics were solid, which is always half the battle when designinga new platformer. Shovel Knight in this new spinoff is a bit heavier, making it harder to perform jumps. There are items to make him lighter, or more versatile, but Shovel Knight shouldn’t be so clunky in the first place.
1Best: Bosses Change
Most roguelikes feature randomized dungeons to keep their experiences fresh even after repeated runs. This game is no different, making each new dive into the underground a memorable one. This game does do somethingmost other roguelikesdon’t though.
Boss rooms also change, making each fight feel like a new challenge. Thankfully, the bosses themselves do not switch out their attack patterns though. It might seem like a small feature to praise, but it’s just another thing about the game’s art design that makesShovel Knight Digfeel so fresh even in a sea filled with similarly amazing indie roguelikes.
Shovel Knight Digwas released on July 21, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
