81
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMeleeFantasy2DPixel Art
Year 1988Dev Nintendo R&D4 · Nintendo
14 Melee games like Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment that you should try
Games like Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment · Find similar →
More about this game →Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.
We filtered the 30 games similar to Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment down to the 14 that fit the “Melee” category. Super Mario Bros. 2, Blade Kitten and Pinkman top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment.
iRank90/ 100
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GenrePlatformerSubgenre2D Platformer
Tags
Solo
Year 2017Dev Yacht Club Games
Quick answer
Within the “Melee” category, the closest game to Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is Super Mario Bros. 2 — scoring 81/100 on our similarity scale. Blade Kitten and Pinkman follow close behind.
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The best melee games like Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
14 similar games foundUpdated May 2026
Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. Each one has been evaluated across 7 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMeleeFantasy2DCozy
Steam👍 83%· 1.1KRAWG👍 62%· 33MC52IGDB60· 1
Year 2010Dev AtariPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Both are 2D platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat
≠ Stands apart with action RPG combat, deep RPG systems and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping visual pixel
Hollow Wish CollectionThe Hollow Wish Collection Contains: The original game (Episode 1) Episode 2 The Hollow Wish Collection comic Soundtrack and Other Comics PackageThe Soundtrack and Other Comics Package contains all the content found in the Soundtrack and Remixes and Comics Pack - Dirty Angels…
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: setting.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals51Setting24
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DCasual
Steam👍 98%· 696
Year 2017Dev Viridino StudiosPlaytime ~3hOn PC
✓ Both are 2D platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat
≠ Stands apart with vibe casual, while skipping fantasy world
Pinkman is a fast-paced, action platformer about a lost man with pink skin and an incredible skill to fart. Pinkman is set in deadly fantasy world called "The Mind", where many traps will try to cut your body in half when you struggle to discover what happened, and keep yourself alive.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals66
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2D
Steam👍 86%· 14IGDB70· 1
Year 1994Dev Eurocom Entertainment Software · Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Europe) Ltd.On PC
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DThird Person3D
Steam👍 94%· 25KIGDB75· 10
Year 2011Dev Sonic Team · SegaOn PlayStation 3 · PC
✓ Fits the 2D platformers cluster, with precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat
≠ Its own twist: visual third person and visual 3d, while skipping fantasy world
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: visuals.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals45
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtSci-Fi
Steam👍 100%· 11
Year 1995Dev Sega Enterprises, Ltd. · Tec ToyOn Linux · Android · PC
✓ Both are 2D platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat
≠ Its own twist: setting scifi, while skipping fantasy world
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: setting.
It predates Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment by 22 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtSci-Fi
Steam👍 90%· 5.5KIGDB85· 1
Year 1993Dev Sonic Team · SegaOn PC
✓ Both are 2D platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat
≠ Its own twist: setting scifi and post-apocalyptic world, while skipping fantasy world
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: setting.
It predates Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment by 24 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMeleePixel Art2DDark
Steam👍 87%· 9.3KIGDB72· 11OC74· 62
Year 2016Dev Do My Best Games · tinyBuildOn PS4 · Linux · PC
✓ Same family of 2D platformers: precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat
≠ Its own twist: survival mechanics, shooter and deep simulation, while skipping fantasy world
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: setting.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMeleeFantasy2D
IGDB60· 1
Year 1993Dev HAL Laboratory · Nintendo
61
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMeleeFantasy2D
Year 1992Dev HAL Laboratory · Nintendo
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel Art
Steam👍 27%· 195
Year 2013Dev Boss BaddiePlaytime ~3hOn PC
✓ Nearly identical: precision platforming, melee combat and single-player focus.
≠ Missing: adventure storytelling.
Wake is the story of an engineer trapped on a sinking ship. Navigate through the ship however you want to find your way to the surface above, but avoid the ship's corrupted security system!Key Features Run and swim to escape a sinking ship Dodge bullets, fire, electricity and LASERS - but most of all avoid drowning!
On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly negative, against very positive for Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtRanged
Steam👍 96%· 2.4KIGDB65· 1
Year 2021Dev MajorariattoPlaytime ~4hOn PC · iOS · Android
✓ Fits the 2D platformers cluster, with precision platforming, melee combat and single-player focus
≠ Its own twist: sports simulation, vibe casual and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping adventure storytelling
Pureya is a collection of arcade minigames that play with just 2 buttons. Every 10 seconds, the game will jump from one minigame to the next. Avoid obstacles and collect marbles, then use them in a pachinko machine to unlock skins and new minigames. Features: · 30 minigames. · Hundreds of skins. · Dynamic difficulty that goes up or down according to your performance.
Released 4 years after Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment.
Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Combat62
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtSci-Fi
Steam👍 94%· 3.5KMC89IGDB90· 1OC86· 14
Year 2023Dev Domesticated Ants · Plug In DigitalPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh
✓ Fits the 2D platformers cluster, with precision platforming, melee combat and single-player focus
≠ Where it differs: brings fighting mechanics and setting scifi, while skipping adventure storytelling
Gravity Circuit - a flashy action packed 2d platformer in the spirit of console classics. Mission: Stop Virus Army Uprising! In a post-apocalyptic world populated by sentient robots, its inhabitants are once more threatened by an old foe.
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: setting.
Released 6 years after Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0
#14Duke Nukem
57
iRank88
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtSci-Fi
Steam👍 88%· 137
Year 1991Dev Apogee SoftwareOn PC · Mac
✓ Fits the 2D platformers cluster, with precision platforming, melee combat and single-player focus
≠ Stands apart with shooter and setting scifi, while skipping adventure storytelling
Where it drifts furthest from Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: setting.
It predates Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment by 26 years, with what that implies technically.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0