SteamWorld Dig Review

  SteamWorld Dig by Image & Form Games has been another game that has been sitting on my steam list wish for I don't know how long.  Every time I see clips of it or Dig 2 I tell myself I will buy and play it but inevitably it didn't happen.  Along with The Bridge I found this sitting among the many games Twitch has given away and decided to load it up and take a shot.  I am very glad I did.

No Humans Here

  In this world, the humans don't seem to exist, at least in the form we now know them.  This is the world of the robots and you will play one that is taking over a little mining town once run by his uncle.  Mining minerals from the ground will gain you money, which is used for upgrades to break strong types of ground.  Think Dig-Dug but with a constant story and better upgrades.  Actually, maybe don't think Dig-Dug because that would be underselling what this game is.

  The gameplay loop of simple mining and trying to find your way further down doesn't really get old like you think it would.  The levels are full of small puzzles in the form of rooms.  These rooms contain some rare minerals or special upgrades to your robot that you will need in order to progress so there is a compelling reason to solve them. There are short but I found them fun to do.

  The way the upgrade system works keeps you constantly feeling like you are progressing and makes you balance things like upgrades with items of convenience like dynamite and portals. You have to ask yourself if you want more light to stay down longer or are you feeling short on health or water.  This makes every decision to upgrade important and consequential to your progress and in a real way.

  The art style is an old cartoony look that worked really well with the environment.  There is a story and while shallow, adds even more character to the game.  The soundtrack is nothing exciting but works with the game.

  It is a pretty short adventure overall but it wasn't a bad one.  The impression it left me with was so good I immediately downloaded the second one.  SteamWorld Dig has a special something to it and if you have it or have thought about picking it up, it's definitely worth a play through.

TL;DR: 

  SteamWorld Dig is a nice little indie game that I would highly recommend giving a playthrough.