Cthulhu Saves the World vs Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Cthulhu Saves the World is a horror JRPG game from Zeboyd Digital Entertainment LLC (2011) while Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is a platformer RPG game from Yacht Club Games (2014).
What each one is
Steam files Cthulhu Saves the World under Horror and JRPG. In contrast, it files Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove under Platformer and RPG.
The lord of insanity, Cthulhu was all set to plunge the world into insanity and destruction when his powers were sealed by a mysterious sorcerer. The only way for him to break the curse is to become a true hero. Save the world to destroy it in an epic parody RPG journey of redemption, romance, and insanity!
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the complete Shovel Knight collection, containing all 5 games in the epic saga! Dig, blast, slash, and bash your way through a fantastical, 8-bit inspired world of pixel-perfect platforming, memorable characters, and world-class action-adventure gameplay.
At a glance
| Cthulhu Saves the World | Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.5/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (92%, 3,478) | Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 16,898) |
| Critic aggregate | 78/100 | 85/100 |
| Price | $2.99 | $39.99 |
| Install size | — | 0.24 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2011 | 2014 |
| Developer | Zeboyd Digital Entertainment LLC | Yacht Club Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Cthulhu Saves the World vs Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Cthulhu Saves the WorldHorror JRPG gameShovel Knight: Treasure TrovePlatformer RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Cthulhu Saves the WorldJRPG, Lovecraftian, ComedyShovel Knight: Treasure TrovePlatformer, Pixel Graphics, RetroThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Cthulhu Saves the WorldScore 7.5 · 92% on Steam · 78 criticShovel Knight: Treasure Trove ✓Score 8.2 · 96% on Steam · 85 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Cthulhu Saves the World3,478 reviewsShovel Knight: Treasure Trove16,898 reviews · 1 add-on · 0.24 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Cthulhu Saves the World ✓$2.99Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove$39.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Cthulhu Saves the WorldVerifiedShovel Knight: Treasure TroveVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueCthulhu Saves the World and Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (GamingPickz Score 8.2)
- The cheaper right now: Cthulhu Saves the World ($2.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (16,898 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ComedyRPGIndieRetroFantasyFunnySingleplayerAdventure
Where they differ
JRPGLovecraftianTurn-BasedParody Dark HumorMemes
PlatformerDifficultSide ScrollerKickstarterMedievalArcade
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Cthulhu Saves the World is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Cthulhu Saves the World | Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | 2nd Generation Intel Core HD Graphics (2000/3000) |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 ghz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 2 GB |
| Install size | — | 0.24 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Cthulhu Saves the World · Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Cthulhu Saves the World and 1 for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Cthulhu Saves the World and Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove in scope?
Cthulhu Saves the World has drawn 3,478 Steam reviews. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove has drawn 16,898 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 0.24 GB.
Is Cthulhu Saves the World or Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove rates higher (8.2 to 7.5). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Cthulhu Saves the World or Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove?
Cthulhu Saves the World is cheaper right now at $2.99, against $39.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.