Shovel Knight has appeared in several other games and media as a testament to his popularity. So far only Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, Plague Knight, Specter Knight, King Knight, Tinker Knight, Chester, and The Enchantress are the ones from the Shovel Knight universe to have appeared in other works.
It should be noted that Reize, Baz, Kratos, and the Battletoads are all characters who originate from outside of Shovel Knight and are thus cameos in Shovel Knight.
Playable Appearances[]
Runbow[]
Shovel Knight in Runbow
Shovel Knight makes a playable appearance in the game Runbow. He is unlocked by performing a butt pound ten times. His method of being unlocked is likely a reference to the Shovel Drop being an attack that hits enemies from above. Alternatively it could be a reference to Shovel Knight's Butt Mode.
Starr Mazer[]
Shovel Knight & Brick M. Stonewood in Starr Mazer
On February 10, 2015 Imagos Softworks announced that Shovel Knight would be a playable crossover character in their upcoming game Starr Mazer.
Cook, Serve, Delicious: Battle Kitchen[]
Shovel Knight, among other indie characters, appears as a playable character in the game Cook, Serve, Delicious: Battle Kitchen.
Road Redemption[]
Shovel Knight is now one of the selectable characters in Road Redemption.
Move or Die[]
Promotional image for Shovel Knight's Move or Die character
Shovel Knight appears as a playable character in the four player multiplayer Steam early access party game.
Dino-Run DX[]
Shovel Knight as he appears in Dino-Run
Shovel Knight appears as a Dinosaur in this Indie runner game.
Ghost Police[]
On July 9, 2016, Steven McCarthy announced that Shovel Knight would be appearing in his indie game, Ghost Police. Shovel Knight will be an NPC/boss in the main story, but will also be playable in his own separate campaign that features a completely different gameplay style. Steven mentioned that he would be working with Yacht Club Games to keep the gameplay "faithful and fresh at the same time" and noted that those who have played the Bangai-O series would note the similar gameplay style, albeit with some differences in execution.
Indivisible[]
Shovel Knight was originally announced to join the cast of the RPG game Indivisible as a guest character. However, on October 2020 development for future DLC, including the guest characters, was confirmed canceled.
Blaster Master Zero[]
Shovel Knight, along with Shantae from the Shantae series, appears as a playable character in Blaster Master Zero.[1]
Runner 3[]
Shovel Knight in Runner 3.
Shovel Knight is a playable character in the game Runner 3.
Indie Pogo[]
Shovel Knight in Indie Pogo
Shovel Knight makes an appearance as a playable character in the platform fighter Indie Pogo.
Blade Strangers[]
Blade Strangers - Shovel Knight Trailer
Shovel Knight is a playable character in the fighting game Blade Strangers.
Mutant Mudds Super Challenge[]
Shovel Knight (4th on the bottom row) with the other secret guest characters
Shovel Knight is a secret character in Mutant Mudds Super Challenge.
Rivals of Aether[]
Rivals of Aether - Shovel Knight Character Reveal
Shovel Knight is a playable character in the platform fighter Rivals of Aether. Shield Knight also appears as his parry. Furthermore, Shovel Knight can summon Chester with his taunt, which allows him to purchase different relics and modify his moveset. Shovel Knight's home stage is the Troupple Pond, however, the Definitive Edition's Milestone System adds Pridemoor Keep as a stage skin.
Puzzle Depot[]
Tinker Knight will be a playable character in the upcoming puzzle game Puzzle Depot.
C-Wars[]
Shovel Knight is a playable character in the game C-Wars.
Creepy Castle[]
Plague Knight and Shovel Knight with Monsoon, one of the characters from Creepy Castle
Shovel Knight and Plague Knight, as well as other indie characters, makes an appearance in the game Creepy Castle. Sadly, Shovel Knight is not a playable character. Plague Knight however, is playable.
ASDAD: All-Stars Dungeons and Diamonds[]
Shovel Knight on the character select screen
Shovel Knight makes a playable appearance in the multi-player party game ASDAD: All-Stars Dungeons and Diamonds.
Brawlhalla[]
Official artwork of the group of knights
Official artwork of The Enchantress
Shovel Knight, Black Knight, Plague Knight, Specter Knight, King Knight, and The Enchantress appear as epic crossover skins in the weapon based platform fighter Brawlhalla.
Riverbond[]
Shovel Knight appears as a crossover skin in the "shoot and slash" dungeon crawler Riverbond.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout[]
Promotional image
Shovel Knight appears as a crossover costume in the platformer battle royale game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Guest and Cameo Appearances[]
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night[]
Shovel Armor in Bloodstained.
Concept art of a more realistically proportioned Shovel Knight was drawn up by one of the character designers working on the indie title Bloodstained, called Shovel Armor. The artist in question, Yuji Natsume, claimed to be a fan of the character, and that it was simply fan art.
However on June 11, 2015, it was confirmed that Shovel Armor would appear in Bloodstained, where he is an enemy who drops an armor set that allows you to play as Shovel Armor.
The Reward: Tales of Alethrion[]
Shovel Knight, (or a person in Shovel Knight's signature Stalwart armor) has a brief cameo appearance in Sun Creature Studio's animated series Tales of Alethrion (in the episode First Hero, around 10:55 mark), likely due to the mutual support between Yacht Club Games and Sun Creature Studios in their respective Kickstarter projects.
Crypt of the NecroDancer[]
The Pawnbroker, one of the shopkeepers in Crypt of the NecroDancer, has items from various indie games among his wares, including Shovel Knight's Stalwart helmet.
Pixel Noir[]
Shovel Knight has been announced to appear in Pixel Noir in some fashion.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2[]
Shovel Knight's Gunvolt 2 Cameo Teaser!
Shovel Knight appears in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 as a secret boss character. He can be fought by scanning the Shovel Knight amiibo into the game.
Yooka-Laylee[]
Shovel Knight makes a cameo in Yooka-Laylee as an NPC.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Shovel Knight appears as an assist trophy in the latest installment of the Super Smash Bros. series. Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Plague Knight, King Knight, and Specter Knight all appear as spirits in the new Spirits mode.
Aegis Defenders[]
Shovel Knight appears as an NPC in Aegis Defenders.
Fight Knight[]
Shovel Knight's signature Stalwart Plate appears in Fight Knight.
Enter the Gungeon[]
The Knight's Gun entry in the Ammonomicon
The Knight's Gun from the bullet hell dungeon crawler Enter the Gungeon is a reference to the Shovel Blade. It also has a synergy with the Shield of the Maiden called "Shield Night", referencing Shield Knight. Coincidentally, the synergy works like another gun, the Betrayer's Shield, which has a similar color scheme to Shield Knight. Furthermore, its description also references Yacht Club Games, referring to them as "a traveling race of sentient yachts".
SteamWorld Heist[]
Shovel Knight's helmet (bottom left)
Shovel Knight's helmet appears in a pile of junk in the cutscene "The Monstrous Monarch".
Cyber Shadow[]
NS Amiibo - Cyber Shadow - Shovel Knight, Specter Knight, Plague Knight, King Knight
Cyber Shadow on Nintendo Switch features Amiibo support allowing the player to summon the fairies from the Switch version of Shovel Knight, Each fairy having their own action and color scheme for Shadow.
For Honor[]
For Honor - Shovel Knight Trailer
The items featured in the event
Between February 19 and May 4th, For Honor allowed players to unlock multiple items and an emote based on Shovel Knight.
Slay the Spire[]
The Shovel Relic from Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire features a relic that bears a strong resemblance to the Shovel Blade.
Guacamelee! 2[]
The billboard advertising the match
In Guacamelee! 2, the player can find a billboard in the realm of the dead advertising a match between Shovel Knight and the Knight from Hollow Knight.
Blasphemous[]
The portraits including Shovel Knight on the left
In Blasphemous, the player can find a secret room containing portraits of many indie games, including one of Shovel Knight.
Turma da Monica[]
The panel featuring Shovel Knight in the middle
The Brazilian comic, Turma da Monica, references Shovel Knight and many other knights in a panel from one of their issues.
Katana ZERO[]
In Katana ZERO some arcade cabinets in the background during the Chinatown mission bear the name "Shovel Knight" and an image of him on the side.
Other[]
Just Shapes & Beats[]
The logo
A screenshot of the boss
The musical bullet-hell Just Shapes & Beats received an update titled Just Shovels & Knights which added new levels (including a boss level) using remixes of some of the music tracks in the Shovel Knight soundtrack. The tracks included in the update are Strike the Earth!, Flowers of Antimony, In the Halls of the Usurper, and La Danse Macabre.