Shovel Knight, the character, made his debut in 2014 in a video game appropriately called Shovel Knight. The game was praised upon release and is remembered as a well-executed platformer inspired by NES classics. Since then, the game has received multiple DLC additions and Shovel Knight has appeared in spin-offs like Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon and most recently, the roguelike platformer, Shovel Knight Dig. More impressive, however, is Shovel Knight’s penchant for appearing in games that don’t have his name in the title. Shovel Knight has either appeared as himself, or been referenced, in at least 33 non-Shovel Knight games. He even received his own Amiibo and a line of kid’s meal toys with Arby’s.
