This is What a Shovel Knight Nintendo 64 Game Would've Looked Like

Shovel Knightmay have released long after the Nintendo 64, but a creative fan has come up with a mockup of what the game may have looked like if it had launched on the platform. Yacht Club Games launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013 and deliveredShovel Knightin 2014. The game was met with critical acclaim, initially landing on Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, as well as Windows. It went on to receive a slew of DLC which featured additional playable characters and multiplayerShovel Knightis one of the greatest success storiesin all of indie gaming, right up there with other hits likeCelesteandStardew Valley.

Shovel Knight was eventually ported to just about every platform imaginable, and earned the title of Best Independent Game at The Game Awards in 2014 along with several other accolades from various sources. Despite its age,Shovel Knightis still considered one of the best indie gamesavailable on Nintendo Switch. The game drew inspiration from several games such asZelda 2: The Adventures of Link, Super Mario Bros. 3,and evenDark Souls.

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Pixel artist Sam the Salmon put together an impressive mockup of whatShovel Knightmay have looked like as an N64 game, replete with box art and a couple of images that showcase what the world and characters may have looked like back in the day when low-poly 3D graphics were the bleeding edge of what was graphically possible in video games. The images invoke hit titles from the era such asSuper Mario 64andThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Sam the Salmon’s artwork certainly makes a convincing case that itmay indeed have been among the N64 greats. Games from the N64 era likeGoldeneye 007,which was recently re-released on modern platforms, are still held in high regard. The N64 was handily beat by the original Sony PlayStation in terms of sales, but still did well enough to keep Nintendo in the console market, unlike the ill-fated Sega Saturn. One can only wonder ifShovel Knightwould have found success as a 3D game.

TheShovel Knightseries did spawn another game, but it didn’t quite live up to the standard set by the original. Yacht Club Games has had another game in the works calledMina the Hollowerthat has a similar 8-bit aesthetic toShovel Knight,so fans of the game should certainly keep an eye out for that one.

Shovel Knightis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.