Yacht Club Games was inspired to create Pocket Dungeon after meeting with Vine, a solo developer working on a project called Puzzle Knights.

It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its playable characters, soundtrack, and graphics, with many highlighting the game's difficulty.

[2][3] Players take control of Shovel Knight and other playable characters as they attempt to escape the titular Pocket Dungeon.

Damaging enemies causes the player character to lose hit points, though this loss is avoided if their attack kills the monster.

[6] Gems can be spent at shops in exchange for items called Relics, which provide useful effects such as more hit points.

[2][6] The game features accessibility options that are used to alter the playable character's health and attack damage and a two-person multiplayer mode where players face each other in a split-screen.

[9] Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon was first released for Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 on December 13, 2021.

[13] Ports to iOS and Android were published by Netflix Games and launched on June 6, 2023, alongside the first DLC, Puzzler Pack.

[16] Another DLC expansion called Paradox Pack was released on August 13, 2024, adding new playable characters, bosses, and levels.

Eurogamer called its gameplay innovative and smart,[25] while IGN was impressed in how the developers had combined the dissimilar roguelike and puzzle genres.

[7] NME said that the pace of each level could feel overwhelming but considered the difficulty manageable after the player learned each of the mechanics.

[3] Although NME said that they made game easier to play, the reviewer found the lack of support for colorblindness disappointing.

Nintendo Life called the music similar in quality to Kaufman's earlier work,[6] and NME said that they fit the tone and pace of the levels.

[25][23][24] Nintendo World Report considered them visually pleasing and distinct from the rest of the franchise,[23] and Paste found the character designs in particular to be charming and neat.

[22] Nintendo Life thought that the characters offered significant replayability to the game,[6] and Paste felt that they added depth.