‘Well’ will be all about the classic down-
thrust move, and another will be frantically
digging between giant drills. Even the boss
stages have a large variety of arena layouts
so that the battle feels fresh each time
you play.You must be around 18 months into
development by now; what’s been the
biggest challenge so far? And what do
you have left to work on before the
game’s complete?
We have still got a fair way to go, but
already have all of the bosses and themes
pinned down and are working our way
through them. I’d probably say that the
most difficult challenge so far was to get
the game feeling ‘just right’ in the first
place. I’d definitely say it was well worth all
that iteration in the end, though.Given your track record for mobile
games, are we likely to see a touch-
enabled version for mobiles, perhaps
with a portrait play area?
Oh, now that would be neat. We will
be announcing more platforms as we
progress further, I expect. But for now, on
that matter, our lips are tightly sealed.wfmag.cc \ 09DIGGING IN
”Nitrome had a clear idea of the
digging mechanics they wanted to try
out, so the first month was putting
together a prototype and honing
in on exactly how Shovel Knight
would move,” Yacht Club’s David
D’Angelo says of Dig’s early stages of
development. “Once we felt his core
actions were solid, we started building
the world and stages around them.”
The process of building those
stages was, however, one of the major
hurdles the two studios faced. “The
biggest challenge has been nailing
down the core loop of the game,”
D’Angelo adds. “We felt we had solid
player mechanics and fun enemies
and objects, but getting three stages
to feel fun in a row, where there was
tons of variety, unexpected moments,
exciting items to grab, mysteries
and treasure to uncover... it took a
fair amount of time to get all the
pieces to click.”wfmag.cc \ 09 In true rogue-lite style,
you’ll lose all your loot if
you take too many hits. A mobile version of Shovel Knight Dig
hasn’t been announced yet, but given
Nitrome’s track record, it must be a shoo-in. He may only be an NPC, but we’re quite
taken by Gastronomole, the purveyor of
mega mushrooms and fortified roasts.
Shovel Knight Dig doesn’t have a release
date as yet, but what stage are you at in
development, roughly?
We’re both keen to make this the best it
can be, so it’s a tough question. I’d say we
are in the thick of development right now,
currently tackling remaining stages and
bosses. There is still a lot to do, though, so
I really can’t confirm a release window.Finally, can you talk a little bit about the
process of creating the mole vendor
character? Does he have a name?
His name is Gastronomole. He sells food to
weary adventurers underground. The idea
is to have a pool of health-based goodies
to buy – some even come with unexpected
gameplay benefits.
Take the fortified roast, for example – a
whole roast chicken wearing full battle
gear. This special roast not only refills a
player’s health, but adds an extra shield
on top, so the armour takes the first hit
from an enemy before any of your life is
even touched.
Another neat idea is that of thematic
food. For instance, in the mushroom
mines, he sells a mega mushroom which
grows the player’s health pips to a larger
size, but in the lava stage (already shown
off in screenshots) he might sell food that’s
burnt and less nutritious.Shovel Knight Dig is in development
for Nintendo Switch and other
unannounced platforms, with its
release date still to be confirmed.wfmag.cc \ 09InterviewAttract Mode