Would you believe us if we told you that the 2D side-scrolling game Shovel Knight was built in a 3D engine? Developer Yacht Club Games recently teamed up with YouTuber Boundary Break to show its fascinating development.

Boundary Break is a YouTube show that looks beyond the limitations of an in-game camera. It’s a great way to show off secrets and development tricks that are hidden to the player.

In the 12-minute video, we see several instances where the camera is shifted, showing the many layers and planes of Shovel Knight’s environments. With the camera turned, Shovel Knight looks like an eye-popping diorama. 

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It may not be shocking to everyone, since the 3DS version has stereoscopic 3D, but this development story is still cool.

According to Yacht Club Games, one of the reasons for Shovel Knight’s 3D engine was that the studio wasn’t totally sure what direction to take at the start of its development. Building in 3D also made porting to other consoles easier, as well as providing a more effective way to debug.

For more on Boundary Break, check out the secrets hidden behind the camera in The Simpsons: Hit & Run. You can also check out their YouTube channel by heading here.