Recently I got to speak with Yacht Club Games about their upcoming fighting game (and update to Shovel Knight Treasure Trove) Shovel Knight Showdown. It is the last part of Shovel Knight’s long 6 year journey and the final update of the game alongside the King of Cards update.
QC: So how did Shovel Knight Showdown get started and how did it end up becoming big enough to be a stand-alone game?
YCG: Showdown was originally a Kickstarter stretch goal we promised because we loved simple multiplayer games like Mario Bros., Bomberman, etc. When Shovel Knight initially released, we realized we wanted to go big with each Shovel Knight DLC and turn them into full games. So over the course of the last five years, we’ve worked to build Showdown in a way that it could stand all on its own!
QC: So what games did you draw inspiration from when designing Shovel Knight Showdown?
YCG: Four Swords Shadow Battle, Bomberman, Kirby 64, Mario Party, Chameleon Twist, Spelunky, Mario Bros, Towerfall, Smash, Street Fighter, Rivals of Aether, Mortal Kombat…if it’s a multiplayer, we probably found major inspiration from it!
QC: Who is your favorite character to play so far?
YCG: It’s so hard to decide- probably depends on the day of the week. We went to great lengths to make sure every person at the company enjoyed playing as every character. That said, I personally really enjoy Black Knight. It’s fun to be someone with a simple, core moveset like Shovel Knight, but modifies it just enough to make it feel like you can do a ton of mixups.
QC: So this isn’t Shovel Knights first time in a fighting game. He’s been in several of them including Super Smash Bros and Rivals of Aether. Would you consider Shovel Knight to be a fighting game character now?
YCG: Huh..I guess so! He’s also in Super Smash Bros, Brawlhalla, Move or Die, Indie Pogo, Blade Strangers…he’s quite the seasoned fighter at this point!
QC: What other fighting games would you like Shovel Knight to guest star in?
YCG: Really anything! We love seeing Shovel Knight enter games in ways that feel like he’s taking on a new life. It’d be rad to see him in something completely out there like Mortal Kombat or really wacky like Killer Instinct or Arms.
QC: Shovel Knight Showdown, alongside King of Cards, marks the end of development for the original Shovel Knight. How does it feel to come to end on such a long journey?
YCG: It’s bananas! We’ve been working on all five of these games for six years now. Feels so unreal to actually be at the end. We’re incredibly proud that we were able to pull it all off though! We hope everyone enjoys the games as much as we enjoyed making them.
QC: Will Shovel Knight (along side Plague Knight and Specter Knight) play the same in Showdown as they did in their own adventures or will there be adjustments made to them?
YCG: Yes! We worked very hard to make sure they played just like you remember them in their games. That said, we did make slight tweaks and chose their weapon loadouts so they could be balanced more appropriately with the other characters.
QC: What do you think makes Shovel Knight Showdown standout from other Platform fighters?
YCG: It stands out in that at its core it’s very simple, just a few key moves, but there are tons of stages and characters that give it an unbelievable depth. In addition, we feel it leans way more on the PLATFORM part of platform fighter. The main mode is about navigating to gems before your opponent, so platforming really is key to everyone’s success.
QC: What mode would you say is your personal favorite?
YCG: Chester’s choice makes that easy! It picks everything for you and wildly diversifies what kind of match you’re having. It’s such a blast to play, and it covers any kind of itch you might be wanting to scratch in a play session.
QC: A lot of people were surprised that the wandering travelers were going to be playable. Where they always planned to be playable or was that a later decision?
YCG: That was always planned! We really wanted to celebrate as much of the Shovel Knight saga as possible, and the travelers felt like a major part of all the adventures.
QC: Do you think Shovel Knight Showdown has potential to grow into its own independent franchise, with its own follow ups separate from the mainline series. Or do you see this as more of smaller one time deal?
YCG: We would love to see it grow into its own franchise. It really depends on how everyone takes to it though. We hope everyone really gives it a go and has a ton of fun!
QC: Lastly is there anything you’d like to say to the readers?
YCG: Thank you so much for the support over the last 6 years. Making these games has been the joy of our lives…we’re so fortunate to be able to work on something we’re so passionate about and create something people have fun playing. We hope these last two games put a nice bow on the adventure we’ve all had together!
Shovel Knight Showdown releases Dec 10th, 2019 on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
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