Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight has had a big week. First, he was revealed as an assist trophy during the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct, and now, developer Dan Fornace is adding him to his own competitive brawler, Rivals of Aether. The iconic character - armed with only a shovel - appears to be the unofficial face of indie games.

If you take a look at the trailer above, you’ll see Shovel Knight has all of his signature moves at his disposal including digging, fishing, and even shopping. Previously he's been featured in Indie Pogo and Blade Strangers. His arrival in Rivals of Aether makes this his fourth recent appearance in a fighting game.

As exciting as the latest reveal is, the main problem here is Rivals of Aether is currently not available on the Nintendo Switch. Earlier this year, Fornace said Switch development was being prioritised - with the aim to find developers who could help port the game out of Game Maker Studio. Perhaps the recent news about GameMaker Studio 2 being licensed for use with the Nintendo Switch will make this process easier.

What do you think about Shovel Knight doing the rounds in all of these competitive fighting games? Is he a worthy opponent, or do you think other indie characters deserve more attention? Tell us below.

[source youtu.be]