Shovel Knight Dig is yet another spinoff, following the blue knight’s 2021 puzzling adventures in Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon. The two games have a lot in common in that this new experience is also a roguelike. It is relatively a more simple gameplay loop to understand though.
Players get their loot stolen in Shovel Knight Dig, so they have to jump into a dungeon to follow the thief. This dungeon randomly rearranges itself between runs. Instead of platforming from left to right, players will traverse this game vertically via digging. There’s a lot more to get into before starting, so players may want to dig right into these helpful hints.
8 There Are Assist Options
One of the first things that players might do before starting a game is to look at the options. Are there difficulty settings or assist options to look at? Shovel Knight Dig does not have either of those features initially, but once players jump into the dungeon, they can pause the game for a surprise.
There are still no difficulty options, but there are a plentiful amount of assist features. Players should be sure to check them out if the roguelike experience feels too challenging as these options can do everything from increasing health to slowing done the game’s speed.
7 What Carries Over
What does and doesn’t carry over can vary between each roguelike experience out there. Players get to keep most of their gems when they die in Shovel Knight Dig. Like the main game, players do have a chance to get the lost gems back as they fly around the dungeon in bags.
Everything else resets upon death including any relics or accessories found. The upgrades to health and magic meters will also reset themselves. With this in mind, players shouldn't go getting too attached to any object in a run, expecting that thing to return without the cost of gems.
6 Check Back With The Surface
Once dead, players have the option to go back to the surface or to jump back into a new run. Generally speaking, they should always opt to go back to the surface as there is often a new surprise waiting up there for them.
Sometimes there will be new story beats, like an earthquake, or new inventory options that appear in the shop. It’s also just a good idea to take a break in a roguelike even if it is for just a minute or two. This can allow the brain to slow down and catch up with itself, mentally preparing the player for the next challenge.
5 Look For Notches
There are a lot of carryovers from the original game to this new spinoff. For example, there are notches and blemishes in the wall that will guide players to secret passages. Sometimes these passages will reveal a horde of gems while other pathways will surprise players with an NPC.
One of the most valuable NPCs in Shovel Knight Dig is a mole chef. He can heal the player along with sometimes increasing health. The overall tip here is to keep an eye out for secret switches, which applies to most roguelikes experiences too.
4 Fake Out The Drills
Enemies are deadly, but dungeon hazards can kill players even quicker. Some of the earliest obstacles will be drills that chase the players if they jump in front of them. What’s worse is that these drills can destroy gems or other objects too.
To avoid getting destroyed by a drill, players should jump in front of them and then quickly jump over the drills. This may seem like an obvious strategy, but it can be helpful for those less acquainted with roguelikes or even platformers. Players shouldn't be afraid to use the most basic tactics to survive a run.
3 Getting Golden Gears
One of the most important collectibles that players need to get in a dungeon, besides gems, are the golden gears. If they manage to grab three of them, they can unlock a bonus item before they need to take the fork in the road.
There will always be a chicken to refill health but the other prize is a mystery. It usually takes the form of a relic or accessory of some sort. Players should always go for the mystery prize until getting up to the boss’ doors. Once there, they'll want to use the chicken to refill their health. Going into a boss battle unprepared would be unwise.
2 No Checkpoints On Runs
This is important to note as roguelike experiences tend to operate differently. In Shovel Knight Dig, ending a run in the middle of a dungeon will transport players back to the hub world upon reloading. Some of the gems acquired will be saved but everything else will disappear as if the player died.
Loot River is another 2022 roguelike, but it saves exactly where players stop so long as they aren’t in the middle of a boss battle. It would be nice if Shovel Knight Dig operated like this as well, but it’s at least good to know what to expect.
1 Don’t Forget About Dailies
If the main dungeon loop is growing tiresome, players should take a moment to check out the game's online activities. Among other things, they can compete in leaderboards for weekly and daily challenges.
Gems acquired during these runs will count toward the player’s treasure count as they normally would in a run. These randomized dungeons are often tougher but the gains are typically much better too. It’s a high-risk reward adventure, perfect for roguelike fanatics itching to test their skills to build up their gems quicker.
Shovel Knight Dig was released on September 23, 2022, and is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.