I have a confession to make. Trudging aimlessly across the sprawling desert of AAA titles and their crisp, borderline photorealistic graphics, a bizarre Indie Game with equally unnerving graphics is, to me, like coming across a vast oasis in a sea of tepidity. There’s a special spot nestled within the dark recesses of my cold, cold heart for these games. The ones that spit in the face of ‘The Norms’ and go against the grain. Like a car crash scene modeled with stretched textures and MIDI sound effects, games like these stand out among the crowd. It’s easy to dismiss games by sheer looks alone, but one would do well to remember the age-old mantra…

‘Never judge a book by its cover.’

Enter Shovel Game.

I Dig It

It’s the year 21XX in sunny Denver, Colorado. You are a miner. World gone to shit. Good luck!

Refreshing brevity from Shovel Game’s developer Luke Vincent. The whimsical mastermind behind other surreal games such as Automaton Lung and the upcoming Automaton Heart, Vincent doesn’t mince words. As the aforementioned miner in Post-Shittening Denver, you must journey through a hostile world the only way you know how:

Shoveling.

Shovel Game is a single player a Horror, Puzzle and Adventure game that borrows from quite a few genres. The bizarre lovechild of Mojang’s Minecraft and Niffler Ltd.’s Chip’s Challenge, Shovel Game’s demo evokes an almost dreamlike quality… or maybe nightmarish? Seeing is believing, and your journey takes you from the surface to dark crypts, subterranean silos, and countless other locales that need to be seen to be believed. The gameplay is simple: shoveling through dirt takes a click, and blocks float like they do in Minecraft. Needless to say, the mechanics aren’t what you’d call ‘complicated’. Don’t be fooled, though–Shovel Game isn’t for the faint of heart.

While there doesn’t seem to be fall damage, there’s plenty of danger to make up for it. Peril lurks behind every block, and while some segments are easy as pie, others are far more challenging. In some rare cases you might find ways to defend yourself, but most of the time you have but one defense:

Shoveling.

Shovel Night?

The Shovel Game demo doesn’t take too long to complete if you’re committed to it. With graphics ranging from grungy to gorgeous and MIDI music that makes your ears water, Shovel Game definitely leaves an impression. Like most surrealist games, however, Shovel Game runs into a familiar pitfall. Whether it’s intentional or not, there were times while playing that I had trouble navigating due to how abstract things were. Moreover, there were some moments where I was unaware I could dig through a block. While death is a slap on the wrist in Shovel Game, I couldn’t help but get a bit frustrated at times. I’m not suggesting slathering yellow paint on everything, but a slightly brighter headlamp wouldn’t go amiss. 

Thankfully the brightness is only really a hassle in some areas. Others are pretty well-lit and are easier to navigate, but in future updates I would keep it in mind. I’m aware the darkness adds to the oppressive atmosphere, but it’s hard to appreciate when you’re fleeing ravenous monsters. There are a few quirks still present: sometimes your mouse randomly whips you around to another direction. Enemy hitboxes could use some tweaking too.

We Dug Too Deep?

The good news is that when I finished the Shovel Game demo, it left me wanting more. The bad news is that despite being peppered with humor and horror, I can’t help but wonder what’s next. What else could Shovel Game provide in the full release? What mind-bending puzzles await me? Who or what lurks in the dark corners of Post-Shittening Colorado? Shovel Game’s Itch.io page claims it’ll be a short, atmospheric experience–will the final product be free? Cheap? The mind boggles.

Shovel Game is a fun experience overall, but will the final product be worth the wait? As it stands, I’m unsure if I’ll hold my breath for this game’s release. I enjoyed Luke Vincent’s Automaton Lung for what it was, but my mind isn’t made up here.

Shovel Game was part of Steam Next Fest: October 2025. As of publication, the demo is still available. Check out Luke Vincent on their website, Twitter and Itch.io while you’re at it!