Shovel Knight Dig

eh it isn't as fun as i thought i repeat the same sections over and over again and don't feel like i'm getting any stronger. the lack of ability to bind mouse keys is also amateur

I grew up with Nitrome's flash games and Shovel Knight is one of my all time favorites, so like many others I hesitated to give this dream collab a shot back when it was new and it was getting a somewhat mixed reception. And all in all I did end up agreeing with a lot of the common complaints to an extent, but SK Dig was still very much a good time. To get the bad out of the way first, as many are saying both SK and Nitrome's games are amazing but they work much better with regular stages/levels and end up rather frustrating as roguelikes. The chaotic platforming and the scarcity of healing make the game feel like a test where you get graded based on how much you mess up. And failing feels miserable since you have to replay the early parts you've cleared so many times over and over. Thank god there's a level skip option you can farm. Though of course all of this boils down to me not enjoying roguelike platformers as a whole, so the things I just complained about would be great features to others. I suppose the fact that I had a good enough time with this game despite disliking its genre is a testament to how well-made it is. Now onto the fun stuff finally. Nitrome really nail…

♥♥♥♥ man, Idk what to say. This game is fun, but it's not banking my gems and is actively decreasing them every time I play and not allowing me to buy anything so I literally can't play basically.

I am (still) Shovel Knight

I bounced off Shovel Knight Dig hard at first because the early runs felt cruel, but after a few more attempts it all clicked and I couldn't put it down. The art is gorgeous, the chiptune soundtrack slaps, and every world is full of little secrets and clever chunks, like the sand and water gear puzzles, that keep me hunting for all three cogs on the way down. The drill chasing you felt annoying until I realized it keeps the pace up, and reading the colored signs at the branching paths saves a lot of pain. It's not perfect: some hitboxes feel a bit unfair, a lot of the relics are pretty forgettable, and you can see the basic ending in a few hours, so the full price is a stretch if you only care about the credits. If you like chasing high scores, the true ending and the extra bosses from the free DLC, there's plenty here, and I'd recommend grabbing it on sale.

Don't do Knightmare 10, kids.