No cheat can save you from the final boss’s second phase. But if you find a way to pause-buffer through that drill tornado? Send it to the forums. You’ll be a legend.
On the title screen, press: Up, Down, Left, Right, Shovel Drop, Shovel Drop . You won’t unlock god mode, but you will trigger a secret chiptune remix of the original Shovel Knight title theme. It doesn’t help you win, but it’s the closest thing to a classic cheat code vibe in the game.
Not a cheat, but it acts like one. Grind Mode (unlocked after beating the first Drill Knight fight) lets you replay early stages with all your upgrades. Use it to memorize enemy patterns, farm health tonics, and—most importantly—learn that you can shovel-bounce on lanterns to reach hidden gem caches. Knowledge is the cheat code that can’t be patched.