Shovel Knight has continued to crop up across the indie-fighting scene, most recently appearing in developer Dan Fornace’s competitive brawler Rivals of Aether.
The classic 2D platforming hero from Yacht Club Games — first released in 2014 and since grown into a flagship indie franchise — was also revealed as an assist trophy for Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate, the Nintendo Switch fighting game released in December 2018.
The crossover trailer for Rivals of Aether showcases Shovel Knight’s recognizable toolkit and visual design, drawing on the character’s established moveset and aesthetic.
Shovel Knight has previously turned up in other indie crossover fighting titles, including Indie Pogo and Blade Strangers, underscoring his status as a recurring guest character in the indie scene.
Despite the excitement around the reveal, a key limitation remains: Rivals of Aether is not currently available on the Nintendo Switch.
Rivals of Aether launched on PC before expanding to other platforms, and its absence from Nintendo’s eShop has been noted by fans eager to play guest characters on Switch hardware.
Speaking on Switch development earlier in the year, Rivals creator Dan Fornace explained that porting to Switch was a priority but required external help to move the project out of GameMaker Studio.
Paraphrasing Fornace’s public comments: he said the team was prioritizing a Switch build and actively seeking partners who could assist in porting Rivals of Aether out of GameMaker’s tooling to meet Nintendo’s platform requirements.
The wider toolchain landscape changed in 2018 when YoYo Games expanded GameMaker Studio 2’s licensing and platform options, a development that developers noted could influence porting workflows for titles originally built with GameMaker technologies.
That said, official release plans for Rivals of Aether on Nintendo Switch had not been confirmed at the time of this report.
Shovel Knight’s multiple guest appearances — across Smash Ultimate, Rivals of Aether, Indie Pogo and Blade Strangers — reflect both the character’s popularity and Yacht Club Games’ lasting influence in the indie market.
For players tracking console availability, the most reliable source for confirmation remains official announcements from Dan Fornace, the Rivals of Aether team, and Nintendo’s channels, including Nintendo Direct and the eShop updates.
The classic 2D platforming hero from Yacht Club Games — first released in 2014 and since grown into a flagship indie franchise — was also revealed as an assist trophy for Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate, the Nintendo Switch fighting game released in December 2018.
The crossover trailer for Rivals of Aether showcases Shovel Knight’s recognizable toolkit and visual design, drawing on the character’s established moveset and aesthetic.
Shovel Knight has previously turned up in other indie crossover fighting titles, including Indie Pogo and Blade Strangers, underscoring his status as a recurring guest character in the indie scene.
Despite the excitement around the reveal, a key limitation remains: Rivals of Aether is not currently available on the Nintendo Switch.
Rivals of Aether launched on PC before expanding to other platforms, and its absence from Nintendo’s eShop has been noted by fans eager to play guest characters on Switch hardware.
Speaking on Switch development earlier in the year, Rivals creator Dan Fornace explained that porting to Switch was a priority but required external help to move the project out of GameMaker Studio.
Paraphrasing Fornace’s public comments: he said the team was prioritizing a Switch build and actively seeking partners who could assist in porting Rivals of Aether out of GameMaker’s tooling to meet Nintendo’s platform requirements.
The wider toolchain landscape changed in 2018 when YoYo Games expanded GameMaker Studio 2’s licensing and platform options, a development that developers noted could influence porting workflows for titles originally built with GameMaker technologies.
That said, official release plans for Rivals of Aether on Nintendo Switch had not been confirmed at the time of this report.
Shovel Knight’s multiple guest appearances — across Smash Ultimate, Rivals of Aether, Indie Pogo and Blade Strangers — reflect both the character’s popularity and Yacht Club Games’ lasting influence in the indie market.
For players tracking console availability, the most reliable source for confirmation remains official announcements from Dan Fornace, the Rivals of Aether team, and Nintendo’s channels, including Nintendo Direct and the eShop updates.
