Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment similar games & best alternatives

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment - Trailer
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Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Linux, Nintendo 3DS, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2017

Should you play it?

Take control of Specter Knight, servant to the Enchantress, in a quest to recruit a cadre of knights and create the Order of No Quarter. Experience perfect platforming, world-class visuals, impeccable stage design, incredible music, and even meet a friend or two in Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment!

What works

  • Challenging but fair gameplay
  • Engaging story and characters
  • Excellent retro art and music
  • Creative level design and mechanics
  • Good replayability with new game plus and challenges

Things to keep in mind

  • Shorter length compared to original
  • Some control imprecision reported
  • Healing mechanics can reduce boss fight tension
  • No multiplayer or social features
  • Some players find difficulty frustrating

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Gravity Circuit

  • The Messenger

  • Momodora: Moonlit Farewell

  • Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight

  • Castlevania Advance Collection

  • Lone Fungus

Less expressive

Games that feels like Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment but with less self-expression and customization

  • Terrian Saga: KR-17

  • Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

  • Zexion

  • Cyber Shadow

  • Adventures of Pip

  • Alwa's Awakening

More intense

Games that feels like Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment but with a more intense feel

  • Wings of Vi

  • Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures

  • Angry Video Game Nerd II: ASSimilation

  • Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition

  • Odallus: The Dark Call

  • Chronicles of the Wolf

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. These titles are not in What to play next.

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Fantasy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Leadership.

Last update: 21/08/2026