Choose Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope
Choose Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.1% positive across 465 reviews.
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope vs Abathor
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope and Abathor both land in Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (2019) is 5 years older than Abathor (2024). Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope scores higher on Steam reviews (93.1% positive) than Abathor (89.5% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Abathor
Choose Abathor if you want the Shared/Split Screen side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Abathor launched in 2024.
Both Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope and Abathor sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope |  Abathor | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.1% positive (465 reviews) | 89.5% positive (171 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Yacht Club Games | Pow Pixel Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (2019) is 5 years older than Abathor (2024).
- Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope scores higher on Steam reviews (93.1% positive) than Abathor (89.5% positive).
- Abathor is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope vs Abathor — FAQ
- Which is better, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope or Abathor?
- On Steam reviews Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope scores higher (93.1% positive) than Abathor (89.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope or Abathor first?
- If you want chronology, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (2019) came out before Abathor (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope and Abathor similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope and Abathor have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Abathor ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Do Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope and Abathor both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.