With a steampunk inspiration and a Wild West flavour, Steamworld Dig is the answer for those who wanted an addictive platformer, but found Spelunky a tad too unforgiving or frustrating.
The player assumes the role of Rusty, a robot who inherits his uncle’s mine. The mine is crammed with minerals to be harvested, as well as secrets that help unlock new powers and abilities for Rusty.
The joy of Steamworld Dig is that it allows the player to pretty much determine their own path. The levels are mostly solid at the start, and the player need to literally dig their own routes. This freedom of play is great, as it can be tactically employed to the player’s advantage. Harvested resources allow the upgrading of gear, too, including Rusty’s pickaxe and lantern.
The game is pretty forgiving, too death results in the loss of some resources, but it doesn't have the roguelike savagery of Spelunky. The levels are perpetual, too, and don’t reset with a player’s demise. Light, however, can make things difficult and, with an un-upgraded lantern and small inventory size in the beginning, the player will be making frequent, sometimes annoying trips to the surface. In fact, these mandatory trips are the worst part of the game, but they’re hardly extremely irritating.
As the player progresses they will discover new areas and new enemies, and the free play style will allow them to take on both these elements in the way that best suits their style, whether frontal assaults or sneakier tactics.
It’s almost like a do-it-yourself platformer, and proves to be incredibly addictive. Steamworld Dig is full of charm and humour, and it is really worth the download to experience this often unique and rather clever platform adventure.
8/10
The player assumes the role of Rusty, a robot who inherits his uncle’s mine. The mine is crammed with minerals to be harvested, as well as secrets that help unlock new powers and abilities for Rusty.
The joy of Steamworld Dig is that it allows the player to pretty much determine their own path. The levels are mostly solid at the start, and the player need to literally dig their own routes. This freedom of play is great, as it can be tactically employed to the player’s advantage. Harvested resources allow the upgrading of gear, too, including Rusty’s pickaxe and lantern.
The game is pretty forgiving, too death results in the loss of some resources, but it doesn't have the roguelike savagery of Spelunky. The levels are perpetual, too, and don’t reset with a player’s demise. Light, however, can make things difficult and, with an un-upgraded lantern and small inventory size in the beginning, the player will be making frequent, sometimes annoying trips to the surface. In fact, these mandatory trips are the worst part of the game, but they’re hardly extremely irritating.
As the player progresses they will discover new areas and new enemies, and the free play style will allow them to take on both these elements in the way that best suits their style, whether frontal assaults or sneakier tactics.
It’s almost like a do-it-yourself platformer, and proves to be incredibly addictive. Steamworld Dig is full of charm and humour, and it is really worth the download to experience this often unique and rather clever platform adventure.
8/10