Nintendo Switch Excavation Game Isekibori Launches in Japan with Guitar Controller Shovel Mechanic
Isekibori, an unusual excavation simulator developed by Takahiro Miyazawa, has launched on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in Japan. The game repurposes the HORI Guitar Life controller as a makeshift shovel, using motion tracking to let players dig up buried
An excavation simulator called Isekibori has launched on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in Japan. Developed by Takahiro Miyazawa, the game's title roughly translates to "Excavation of Relics" or "Relic Dig."
The game's central hook is its use of the HORI Guitar Life controller, which normally comes bundled with the guitar-learning game Guitar Life: Lesson 1. In Isekibori, players hold the controller by the neck with both hands and swing it downward as if digging with a shovel. A Joy-Con attached to the guitar controller tracks the motion and translates it into gameplay, allowing players to remove dirt and debris surrounding buried artifacts.
Isekibori features eight stages set in a house backyard. Early stages involve smaller artifacts, but later stages introduce larger relics that require longer excavation. Once players clear away the surrounding dirt, they collect the uncovered artifacts.
The game is currently available only in Japan, with no confirmed plans for international release.
Sources
- AUTOMATON WestEstablished publication · recorded Oct 2, 2026Cryptic Japanese Nintendo Switch excavation game requires you to use a guitar controller like a makeshift shovel
- Nintendo EverythingEstablished publication · recorded Oct 2, 2026Nintendo Switch gets new excavation game played by using guitar controller as a shovel