Fans have been asking for Shovel Knight to be more than an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. for years now, but that’s unlikely to happen. Yacht Club Games have taken matters into their own hands with their take on a brawler featuring classic characters from the Shovel Knight series. Shovel Knight Showdown was first revealed last year as a free update for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove owners.

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove Switch physical edition

It will also be available for $9.99 as a standalone title. A physical version of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is on the way and is available for pre-order from Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. The GameXplain crew recently went hands on with Shovel Knight Showdown at PAX East this year to get a handle on how some of the new characters play.

Shovel Knight Showdown Features

Shovel Knight Showdown gameplay screenshot
  • Play as all the key heroes and villains from Shovel Knight, many for the first time ever! Master over 16 playable characters including Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, The Enchantress, and all of the Knights of the Order of No Quarter!
  • Compete in one-on-one duels, frantic 4 player free-for-alls, and cooperative team battles against AI opponents or your friends in modes like Gem Clash, Showdown, and more!
Shovel Knight Showdown Switch Gameplay Screenshot
  • Battle through Story Mode, a multistage journey customized for each character! Your chosen hero will face a rival, defeat scores of opponents, relax with a mini-game or two, and hopefully see their tale completed after an all-new final encounter!
  • Explore myriad stages inspired by famous characters and locales in Shovel Knight, as well as a plethora of all-new stages.
  • Prepare and perfect your moves in a full-featured practice mode.
  • Yacht Club Game’s beautifully authentic style bridges the gap between yesterday and today. Design, art, and audio hearken back to the days of 8-bit, but with a frenetic new coat of paint!
  • New songs compliment an award-winning soundtrack composed by Jake “Virt” Kaufman.
  • Balanced and intuitive gameplay is a warm welcome to newcomers, and an old embrace for experts.

If you haven’t already, consider pre-ordering a copy of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove to get the Showdown update for free. Shovel Knight Showdown release date hasn’t been revealed yet after Yacht Club Games had to delay the release last year.


Hey, Listen!

Enjoyed this video and want to see more on the site?
You can directly support Ninty Gamer through Patreon.
Or buy your eShop credit through Raise and we’ll get a small commission.
Amazon links on this page also pay a small commission.
Your support keeps our game reviews and in-depth developer interviews coming.