SteamWorld Dig is one of many games you'll hear a wealth of great things to say about on this blog. It's also the first game I've reviewed thus far that is, in fact, not a game from retail. This game is available exclusively online, and although it is on many other consoles currently, I am reviewing the Nintendo 3DS version, because that's the one I have. Besides, from what I've heard, the game is almost identical on other consoles anyway. Without further ado, let's dig into the game! Get it?
Imagine Minecraft, but in 2D, and replacing the retro aesthetic with steampunk. Now you have the basic sense of what SteamWorld Dig is. Of course, there are many things that make the game so interesting. The game has two sections that you will be seeing a lot when playing the game: the hub-world of sorts, where you trade minerals for cash and buy upgrades, and the caves, which takes up most of the game, where you mine around, get cool minerals, find baddies to either kill or get killed by, and have a grand ol' time. You start off with a basic pick-axe and minerals that don't really get you that much money, but gradually you get to upgrade your pick-axe, get a drill in one of the special caves (which I'll get into later) and find more valuable minerals like rubies, diamonds, and more. Again, sounds a lot like a Minecraft ripoff, but there's still a ridiculous amount of stuff to talk about.
One of the things you will come across in the game are cave or dungeon levels, that you go into to get the better upgrades in the game like the Drill, the Steam Jump, and more. Instead of being auto-generated, they are pre-designed and are basically a test of your skills. These are some of the highlights of the game, as they help you get through the regular caves a lot easier. You can make your digging experience a lot better if you dig smartly and conservatively, but it's also quicker and easier to dig straight down. Oh, and that leads to another thing, you can dig one block above you when staying in the same place, and no more than that. You also cannot mine while in mid-air or sliding down the walls, which means you have to dig very carefully in the mines. It's a neat touch, and it definitely makes the game way harder than you would expect. This is one of the other areas in which SteamWorld Dig sounds simple, but is actually way more complicated depending on what situation you're in.
Oh, and let's take a bit to appreciate the music. The graphics and art direction are also fantastic, but it's the sound in particular that is amazing. It's not all intense, complex, Mega Men-style music, it's a lot slower, more atmospheric. More and more often I become so enveloped in this game because of the sound. The loud and distinct clanking of your pickaxe when you mine, the moans and other sounds from all the creatures, the sound of machines buzzing, it's just so immersive, and there's really nothing quite like it. Each of the three different areas in the game have their own distinct music and feel, and the little snippets from the above-world characters about what happened to the world are very interesting, although I am glad they didn't make the ending into a big reveal of what exactly happened, because it leaves the stuff you don't hear completely up to your imagination.
Anyway, among the gush-fest 5000 that was the last few paragraphs, what isn't quite good about the game? Only one thing: It's way shorter than it should be. But maybe that's just another sign of how much I like this game. It's really fun, and I actually wish more people knew about it.
Anyway, leave a comment down below suggesting a franchise for me to tackle. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment