How Shovel Knight Was Made and Started as a Joke

[@ThatGuyGlen]

What indie game would you like to see me cover next? Leave a suggestion in the comments below! Also, if you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing to stay up to date on future “How Games Were Made” episodes. Leaving a like and sharing the video also helps out! Support me on Patreon and get exclusive content like Q&A sessions, ad-free content, access to my Discord server and more: www.patreon.com/ThatGuyGlen

[@criss3p425]

Could you cover terraria next?

[@Waligug]

Enter the Gungeon or Hades!

[@faizaliqbal2284]

Phasmophobia or Henry Stickmin the collection please.

[@His-Games]

I'm going to keep on fanboying terry cavanagh here

[@mr.lifebrain1891]

How about Spelunky?

[@matti.8465]

I love how the first Shovel Knight campaign was retroactively renamed "Shovel of Hope". Reminds me of how they renamed the first Star Wars movie after the prequels happened.

[@Luipaard005]

Episode IV was renamed to A New Hope when Empire Strikes Back became a thing, decades before the prequels.

[@Dieselnaut16]

Holy shit why did I only just realised that. That's a cool easter egg

[@tsunderecat413]

@@Luipaard005 it was even called episode iv

[@danieljimenez1989]

It wasn't called episode iv upon the initial release. That came in the second theatrical version that was screened some time before Empire came out.

[@doopclann3428]

Bazinga im such a nerd

[@Whatdotheycare]

This was one of the best indie games of the past decade, it was good to see, how the devs had struggled in the past, but at last it paid of. Great Video!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@Т1000-м1и]

I'm sorry for this reply. 68th like, one more.

[@Mikplayeur]

And it's not finished, thanks to Mina the Hollower ! ^^

[@quadpad_music]

I think it's important to mention that, while the soundtrack does make use of the NES's five main voices or "sound channels", it also has three additional channels from the VRC6 expansion chip. This chip was exclusively used by Konami for two games on Japan only, since the international version of the NES didn't support it. The two official Famicom games this chip was used in make prominent use of it. Kaufman on the other hand, limited the VRC6's role to just background harmonies, effects and other embellishments, with all of the music's core (lead melody, bassline, percussion, etc.) being played by the stock 2A03 chip. This way, the game's music maintains the essence of classic 8-bit tunes, while still making them sound more like how you _remember_ NES music than how it actually was. That aside, this is an excellent video! Super impressive research and editing, love how you incorporated the actual game's aesthetic into it.

[@Sanctum8888]

14:12 The Lich Yard looks so small when it's displayed like this, it's kind of trippy.

[@sloomy5847]

I really would like a video on Enter the Gungeon. It's full of personality, and it would be cool knowing more of the behind the scenes

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's definitely on my list ;)

[@robbiefox7792]

@@ThatGuyGlen please don’t forget about Enter the Gungeon! My most anticipated video from you!

[@Miofanon]

@@robbiefox7792 you won't believe this

[@robbiefox7792]

@@Miofanon Just watched it 🙌🏻

[@Miofanon]

@@robbiefox7792 ggs

[@dshim4731]

this is the game i kickstarted during the time when i was kickstarting left and right, that did more than i expected and went beyond what i thought the game was going to be. so glad to have kickstarted the game, and even bought the artbook later on. thank you for the video.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, hope you liked it!

[@Blu3Sc0ut11]

I always love hearing the process that goes into making games and how much people really put their heart and soul into making the game. It fills me with joy that not everyone in this industry is making a cheap game for a quick buck.

[@onyourleft9273]

Ngl this is one of the most underrated content creators i hope you keep this up and eventually you’ll get big :)

[@ThatGuyGlen]

I'm definitely going to keep making videos! Love making them :D And I'm already really happy with the audience I have currently but an even bigger audience would be awesome of course!

[@onyourleft9273]

@@ThatGuyGlen Nice to hear that :D

[@prcr364]

@@ThatGuyGlen Hey Glen, are you gonna try something new soon?

[@ThatGuyGlen]

@@prcr364 I think the "How It Was Made" series is going to be my bread and butter for the foreseeable future. However, I'm always thinking of new things I could try to improve the channel.

[@prcr364]

@@ThatGuyGlen Nice, this content is top tier though!

[@Josuh]

I just want to say that the 3DS version has the perfect resolution to display each pixels perfectly and i will forever love that (i would assume the same thing happens on psvita, but still, neither console got showdown 😔)

[@davetheimpaler204]

Not to mention, the 3DS version is also the best looking version because of the 3D effect. It really makes the game pop.

[@Josuh]

@@davetheimpaler204 absolutely, its honestly the only game i would consider using the 3D effect, most of the time i forget it exists lol

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Nah, PC

[@zixvirzjghamn737]

I got really lucky then

[@AVI-lh6rm]

also its comfortable to control, not even mentioning that it can be brought with you wherever you go

[@jeremysart]

Shovel Knight is one of those games that needs to be on everything. I originally bought it for Wii U back when that port came out and was wildly impressed by the thick book that came with it and musical track!

[@CGammer101]

What thick book? What did it say?

[@jeremysart]

@@CGammer101 most games these days don’t come with a manual, but shovel knight came with a thick full color manual that included artwork, story bits, instructions, and a bit about development.

[@faizaliqbal2284]

YESSS Shovel Knight made me appreciated indie games and retro games even more. Such a amazing game. Amazing video as always Glen, loved this!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated, glad you liked it! It was one of my first games on the Switch and it blew me away!

[@faizaliqbal2284]

@@ThatGuyGlen Yeah, i really thought it's just an another indie game but man they really put love into this.

[@greenheart5334]

I do say that all the time and will say again - Shovel Knight is overrated.

[@faizaliqbal2284]

@@greenheart5334 eh, whatever man. It's your opinion.

[@mr_indie_fan]

Same, i love retro and indie games! (Homebrews are amazing)

[@NekoValtz]

GOD whoever told them to give demos to youtubers was a godsend for these people. The only reason I knew about this game was because super best friends got a code and talked about the game. It looked really good.

[@PleepusPlopus]

I don't have anything to add, but I wanna comment for the algorithm

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Appreciate that, thanks!

[@marcelaoo]

It worked

[@jerrygreenest]

For the algorithm, for the alliance!!

[@CGammer101]

My dad got this game around when it came out, and 5 year old me wanted to try, but instead i spend all my time beating plains over and over, and pridmoor keep a little too. When i was probably 9, i beat the game on cheat mode. And when i was 12, i beat the game normally, and i had a blast! It was such a good and challenging game. Now, i have all of shovel knights achievements except the speedrun one. I beat all the other campaigns too, but shovel of hope was my favorite.

[@Broadbe4n]

Hope the algorithm makes more of your videos popular as these are amazing

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you so much, glad you like them!

[@bravo075]

I recall back in 2013 when I backed them in KS. If people saw the development cycle of this game they'd understand just how expensive it can be. Just the Pax booth itself can go up to 10k. That being said I would have moved to a cheaper state or city because living in L.A. As indie devs proved to be a big challenge.

[@DementedApe]

Damn it ThatGuyGlen, now I wanna play this amazing game again

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Haha it's definitely worth revisiting! My problem is that there's always too many games and so little time :P

[@DementedApe]

@@ThatGuyGlen I have that same problem :/ I saw someone’s comment about terraria, that’d be a perfect game to do a video on, I also would like to see castle crashers, I love both of these games and would love to see a video on them

[@lorddorogoth]

You should talk about silksong if that ever becomes a thing.

[@GamerBoy870]

I just picked up Hollow Knight this week so far liking it been playing a bunch of Metroidvania style games such as Axiom Verge and Dead Cells

[@red8483]

I would like to see The Messenger it's one of my all time favourite indie games

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's on my list ;)

[@red8483]

Awesome

[@mesolagic]

Yesss this was so good! I've always wondered what exactly happened at Yacht Club Games during development. I still haven't played King of Cards but I love all the other campaigns and I'm thinking of re-beating each one again before starting King of Cards since it's been a while. Great video Glen!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad to hear you enjoyed it! It’s definitely worth revisiting it :D

[@bland9876]

I didn't replay the other campaigns I just went straight into King of cards. Updating 3DS games is a pain but hopefully with the eShop down I won't have to do that anymore. The 3DS version doesn't have Showdown but multiplayer is not as easy on a handheld so I get it.

[@luismaldonado9169]

Thanks, I really appreciate all of your videos and the time you put on everyone of them.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad you like them!

[@renatocosta7408]

I haven't played yet, but i'm gonna do it now because of this video!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

I hope you'll like it!

[@jorgeserna8411]

I'm so pissed of at yt for not recommending my your channel until now. Subscribed!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you for subscribing!

[@abandoned__]

These videos always cheer me up. They're such a joy to watch!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying them :D

[@tygrus3495]

Incredible how they kept their promise. I just updated my SK Wii U version, and it's truth, I got all the dlc for free. Also, the Amiibo is the only one that you don't have to open the box, it can be read straight from its package, how thoughtful of them.

[@BingBangPoe]

Personally I wouldn't mind if they had charged for the expansions. Yacht Club games has _passion_ for the craft. The guys deserve every penny. Also, why KZbin only recommended this channel for me _NOW?_ This is a hidden gem of a channel. I wish I found this years ago. I'll keep an eye on your work, and I hope your channels grows exponentially and get the recognition it deserves!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Totally agree! So much work was put into the DLC and they're basically completely new games, it's crazy. And thank you so much for saying that! I've only been around for over a year so it takes time for the algorithm to spread the word of my existence I guess :P

[@BingBangPoe]

@@ThatGuyGlen I'll make sure to do my part and spread the word. :D

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated :D

[@codymac4958]

Weird how this video came out right when I got full fledged into shovel knight. I'm playing king of cards now and loving it!!

[@endstudios9345]

“Princess mguffin” I cannot state just how great of a name that is.

[@clairebun]

Jake Kaufman uses the VRC6 expansion in famitracker, which is why it has a bit more complexity than most NES music. Semi common knowledge already, but worth pointing out

[@Rappenem]

Phenomenal video once again, this channel is far too underrated.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated, glad to hear you liked it!

[@Shades-the-mouse]

I love that fact that it’s inspired by old nes game yet is looks more like a snes game to me

[@lushspirits]

This is a great video! I've never played Shovel Knight, but I admire the developers for what they've done, creating an amazing game that seems to capture the feel of NES games. While on that that note of capturing the feel of older games, do you think you'll make a video on Sonic Mania? Even if you don't make a Sonic Mania video, I'm looking forward to whatever you make next!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated! I mostly cover indie games, but it's definitely an interesting suggestion. Just did a quick Google search and it sounds like an interesting development story. I put it on my list!

[@samiabid718]

I remember requesting this. YEAH BOY!

[@akpokemon]

One of the best games I ever played. It's hard to find video games that keeps my cold, depressed, closeted, self-loathing self, interested enough to see it to the end.

[@lucy7604]

Commenting for the algorithm. Hey KZbin, please promote this underated KZbinr!

[@Feulfire]

Yes please do!

[@huntergiauque9844]

Dang these videos are my favorite. It's so high quality and I love it. I'd love to see how Tony Hawk pro Skater was made even through it's not too much of an indie game it would be cool to see how they got all the tricks and things in there

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated, glad you liked it! It’s true, I normally cover indie games, but who knows, one day I might tackle more retro games. I personally love the Tony Hawk series so it would be cool to do a video about someday.

[@pieofchart]

"They still make Mario and Rayman" one of these is not like the other

[@hblaub]

Really awesome to see a game studio keeping all their promises... instead of EA or some other shitshow

[@rkade159]

This channel is a hidden gem(see what i did there)...

[@SomeoneWhoDoesStuff]

How terraria was made. It is litreally the best selling indie game of all time

[@unknowngamedev7310]

Great idea!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Very high on my list ;)

[@rkade159]

I agree with you. I have probably played terraria like 5 times over. It is such a good game.

[@Madderthanjoker]

I thought it was Minecraft, or is that a different statistic i'm thinking of.

[@crazymcjesus]

Minecraft, rocket league?

[@Fantas1ze_]

I've seen your videos on and off, and I'm so glad KZbin kept recommending me them, you're an amazing creator and I wish I took the time to appreciate you sooner! Your videos are super interesting and informative, while also just being super fun to watch. P.s. You have a very pleasant voice c:

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Wow, thank you so much! Comments like yours make my day so I really appreciate you saying that :D And happy to hear you like my voice! I mostly get comments that it's annoying to people and that I talk weird so seeing comments like yours hopefully means I'm at least improving.

[@miketate3445]

I had no idea these were the Double Dragon Neon guys. I'm not surprised. That game was special.

[@CheeseBlaster]

Geniusly crafted masterpiece. King of indies

[@mr_indie_fan]

While it is a masterpiece and amazing, i wouldn't call it the king of indies. That title belongs to super meat boy: leader in the indie scene, amazing game, tons of indie crossover characters, hard as hell, was made by edmund mcmillen (the lead, of course the other guy on team meat worked on it to)

[@tim0735]

I watch pretty much any shovel knight video. So here I am :P

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Happy to have you :D Hope you like this particular Shovel Knight video!

[@matthewmuir8884]

I think a video on the development of _Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling_ would be really interesting.

[@mabe4322]

Hey, @ThatGuyGlen! Could you consider making a video about Geometry Dash? I don't know much about the story behind it, but I think it was made and updated by a solo developer. Talking about how a simple platformer became viral, and how the in-game level editor allowed players to revolutionize GD and even make brand new games and animations out of it...you might have a very interesting video concept there.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thanks for the suggestion, it's on my list!

[@JonahBoing]

Shovel Knight is truly one of the most iconic indie game characters of all time

[@amberlyhennig3874]

Love this channel! Thank you for putting in the work to enlighten me on my favorite games.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoy the content!

[@muffin8460]

I suggest doing “How Baldi’s Basic’s Was Made” or “How Super Mario Sunshine Was Made” even though those are not indie games but since you did a video on Mario 64 I thought it would be fine. So uh yeah If you don’t do those I suggest doing “How Super Meat Boy was Made” and also “How Sonic Mania Was Made” because they are actually indie games.

[@cyberhonk2999]

Great video! very fun, well made, and informative!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@okaberintaru3426]

I really like the bong next to the guy on the video call. they really know how to make a game

[@mr.misinput]

really good video. I admire shovel knight and the yacht club games team so much more now

[@starblinky4091]

Love your videos man, totally underrated channel.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@ekings2119]

Thank you for the deep-dive, Shovel Knight is an inspirational game for me.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure! Lots of people have requested it for the past few months so I'm happy to see they're pleased with the end result!

[@bland9876]

Working for way forward makes so much sense and now I understand. Way forward made some of the most cool games. You got shante and that game we play as a cop/firefighter and etc.

[@duckyegg2834]

I'm glad that people are still talking about this game because I just started playing it!

[@UNKNWN96]

This video is amazing, I’ve had this game on my wishlist for such a long time and wanted to play it but this video really made me excited. It’s so inspiring to hear what they had to go through to release such an awesome project!

[@TheMultiverseTraveller]

Commenting for the algorithm. Your stuff is really well made!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad to hear you enjoy the videos!

[@sakarain]

One of the coolest part about shovel knight to me is how they kept the NES limitations in mind

[@ducksinmyhead6320]

Love the video thanks for making it!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad you liked it!

[@imjustkje]

Man. I love your videos so much. You're an underrated content creator and you deserve MORE LOVE. I want to see you do OMORI next.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear you like the videos! And Omori is on my list!

[@realkingofantarctica]

Shovel Knight, Super Meat Boy and Cave Story are the Holy Trinity of the indie boom of the 21st Century, without their influence we wouldn't have the amazing indie games we have today.

[@ViniChulekBC]

This video was amazing, please continue with this work, you are awesome =)

[@ThatGuyGlen]

No, you're awesome! Glad to hear you liked it, more videos are coming! ;)

[@SlammedOnGasoline]

You should talk about hyper light drifter. I really love that game, and I wonder what happened during development.

[@rib_rob_personal]

Always great to see new videos! Hope you’re doing well bud!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Ups and downs, but generally I'm ok. Creating videos and interacting with the community makes everything better so as long as I get to do enough of that, I'll be happy :D I'm just itching to make it my full time job one day! Hope you're doing well too my friend!

[@ZX81v2]

I only got this game a few days ago, it's a mad little retro style game. If your a product of 70-80's and love platform gaming, you'll love this ! Good fun, it has some nice mechanics and figuring out the game is a challenge :)

[@MrZombiefrank]

Consistently great content, great work again.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@ErickGameplaysN64]

Shovel Knight should be put in a museum because goddamn, it's a work of art

[@eyeln9ne696]

I have to come clean and admit that i don't like 2D platformers. Im 40 yo, and growing up in the 80's and 90's meant almost ALL games were platformers. Even though I'm burnt out on this genre, Shovel Knight is so good it revived my interest in platformers. I know that doesn't sound like much, but for me, it is. Thank you devs for freshening my interest in this genre again.

[@Waligug]

I read a book on this but I'm looking forward to the video form!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Hope you'll like it!

[@falendemo546]

Hi Glen, can you make "How It Was Made" on one of these games: - Darkwood - SUPERHOT - UnderRail - DUSK - Firewatch - A Hat in Time - LISA the Painful - Hotline Miami - VVVVVV - OFF - The Messanger - Freedom Planet - Helltaker - MONACO or no, because it would be too much pressure, anyway I hope you doing great.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Hi! A bunch of those were already on my list so I’ll get to those games at some point in the future ;)

[@guusthomassen9945]

I think it's actually 16-bit/snes inspired, or at least, that's what it's always looked like to me

[@atomyiik]

Getting you in the algorithm Glen! Also, I loved this video, thanks for making it!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it :D

[@dustys5512]

Shovel Knight seems to be more TurboGrafix 16 visuals and NES sound. The color pallet and sprite size more represent 16-bit capabilities than 8-bit. Better than the Sega Master System but not quite on par with Super Nintendo.

[@humantoo2434]

You need more subs, great video.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you!

[@ven6815]

I gotta keep this vid for tommorow breakfast, cuz only high quality vids gets watched there

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Haha glad to hear I made it to your breakfast slot :D

[@ericcataldi4869]

Good video as always my dude! With the new Binding of Isaac expansion coming out in march, you might want to make a video on how BOI was made. It might help out with the algorithm. Regardless, I would enjoy a video on anything.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thanks man! That's definitely not a bad idea. I already started working on the next video (one of my most requested) a couple of days ago, but I'm seriously considering covering BOI after that. By that time the new expansion might also be out consoles, maximising general interest in the topic. Thanks for the idea!

[@SebTorMk]

This is very inspiring

[@randomnerd4600]

actually the NES has no problem with screen shake on both axis, its just as simple as adding an offset and maybe swapping the high X bit, but otherwise its just as simple as single axis screen shake. the reason why it wasnt used? i dont know im not a NES developer from the 80s

[@rajaz001]

Awesoooome, love the visuals too 😍😍

[@purelyconstructive]

Top-tier content my friend!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@soundspark]

You mention "A Boy and his Blob" which happens to be a reboot of a NES game of the same name.

[@nya798]

I love it! Thank u for the video, shovel knight is one of my favourite games

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@vapidfox]

Another wonderful video!! Bravo, Glen!!!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@gills3141]

playing this on the 2ds was awesome! it was so fun

[@lego_enry2857]

I'm glad I found this hidden gem of a channel. Also you sound a lot like RobTop xD

[@ThatGuyGlen]

That’s a new one! I usually get comments that I sound like Seth Everman :P

[@lego_enry2857]

@@ThatGuyGlen Is "How Geometry Dash was made" a possibility?

[@DanieldelaGarza]

Didnt knew the other characters were new campaign... Im gonna have to replay the game from the start.

[@electrum5579]

Excellent video as always, appreciate your stuff! May I suggest Iconoclasts as a possible video in the future?

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you so much, glad you liked it! Iconoclasts is on my list ;)

[@ardsam6922]

I can't believe that a game about a knight wielding a shovel started as a joke.

[@jerrygreenest]

One of the most cool platformers. Another pretty cool one is Rogue Legacy, but Shovel Knight is bit more lovable “Stop, Knight! Weapons aren’t allowed here. Oh wait, it’s just a shovel... You’re welcome!”

[@gundelf7434]

wtf, you only have 55k subs, man I thought you had more than a million.

[@elgatoamarillo]

Your videos keep getting better and better! Are you an indie dev yourself?

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you so much! Man, I wish. I did an internship at a small indie studio once (not as a developer though), but other than that I don’t have any real experience with game development. I just have a good amount of passion for video games, video editing and game development stories!

[@tannerboyle6540]

Do you think you could do a video on ape out and baba is you sometime in the future? They're great games.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Both those games are on my list ;)

[@agreedboarart3188]

Only thing I dislike about a lot of these indie games is that they focus on nostalgia rather than simply what made older games so much fun.

[@GameArts1]

Enjoyed the video like always! Never played this game, love the megaman series and games such as momodora. so maybe I'll pick it up.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it! If you love Mega Man you’ll definitely like Shovel Knight ;)

[@ryanpratama5635]

I really love your contents and I already watched some of it. Also, if I may request, will you talk about CrossCode? This game was created using HTML5 and I think there's an interesting story behind it.

[@KingNachos4]

You deserve so many more subscribers, and I wonder how don't have more. You should ask people to subscribe at the beginning I heard that helps.

[@JediEdi]

I don't think it does. Asking to subscribe is more obnoxious than useful.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

I've been thinking about adding something like that at the end of my videos. I don't think I would ever do it at the beginning, because I feel like you need to prove that your channel is worth subscribing to first. So to me it makes more sense to ask it at the end.

[@KingNachos4]

@@JediEdi I'm just saying cause every youtuber who asks to subscribe gets more subscribers as a result and yeah I guess it's a bit obnoxious but I don't really mind that much.

[@KingNachos4]

@@ThatGuyGlen and that is another reason to love your channel, you're awesome :D

[@JediEdi]

@@KingNachos4 I do agree, that this guy deserves a lot more attention. As he said, it would be fine to do something like that towards the end.

[@colinedgar6742]

Love this game, especially the soundtrack. Jake Kaufman = GOAT.

[@guttsu]

Comments = good = engagement metrics. So here's a comment towards that, and to thank you for this amazing series you have.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you like it!