SteamWorld Dig 2 review

Exceptional

by Samfira Cosmin

In a Word: Great! Steamworld Dig was initially a Casual Purchase for the Nintendo 3DS for me AND quickly became one of the most-played titles there. The reason was the simple Gameplay combined with Digging/making money/Upgrades and a few Knob Passages. When the second Part appeared, it was clear: The Game must be here and to anticipate the Conclusion: I was not disappointed. But what makes the Game a Highlight for me? Below, I will answer this Question in several Categories. ---1. The Game principle As in Part 1, it's a Mix of Platformer, exploration, Gathering prey and Upgrading to keep progressing. This Blend has been completely retained and reminds me of the 2D classics Metroid. 2. The Level Design The Levels basically consist of a single large Map/Game world with different Species, be it desert, a wild-growing Plant world, a heated Lava environment or a technical, futuristic scenario, called Vectron. You start at the Surface and dig deeper and deeper into the Earth's interior as the game progresses, and can break through the Underground with all sorts of technical Aids, be it the indispensable Pickaxe, a Drill for harder rock or the new practical Stirant Bomb for Explosions beyond the Reach of the former Tools. DIe Levels are non-linear, i.e. you enter most areas several times and now get Access to previously closed Or broken areas thanks to game progress and Upgrades. The Search is Complicated by all sorts of hostile Shingles, Such as Beetles, Insects, Magicians (!) and other Animals, all of Which come up with different Farm Patterns. In Addition, there are case-like facilities, such as dangerous Liquids, exploding Barrels or falling Chunks of stone. Conveniently, you periodically discover transport Tubes back to the City, where you replenish your Resources and make the collected Stuff money. 3. Collecting As in Part 1, diamonds are diligently collected And made money in the City on the Surface. This, in turn, allows you to acquire practical Upgrades that make it much easier for you to move Forward, such as a larger Bag for more Loot, more Life energy, improved Equipment or a larger Water tank. 4. Exploring Away From the actual Destinations, there are countless Doors and Secrets to discover. The Former contain valuable Bonus items, which one has to work hard partly hard through a "Knob Chamber" and the latter can be found randomly or with correspondingly good Attention. 5. Graphics and Sound With great, atmospheric Music, a suitable Sound backdrop and a wonderfully drawn, colorful, effective 2D size faik, the Game is simply superbly implemented. 6. The Control With a game, the Game can be controlled precisely and thanks to the Possibility to adjust a Jump in the Air again, pixel-accurate Landings are possible. From time to time, these are also demanded. I only had Problems here with the Combination Throwing Hook + Climbing Jump and subsequent Change of direction. Whoever gets into a Hustle and bustle will suffer one or the other Fall. 7. The Bosses Anders than in Part 1 there are Intermediate bosses here who provide some Loosening and the Final Boss seems to be a tough Nut at first, but is good to master with some Concentration. ---So Steamworld Dig has taken over everything that worked well in Part 1 and added a lot. The Equipment System in particular has become more versatile, as you can achieve improved Functions not only with Money, but also with Gears. The annoying Energy Balls, on the other hand, no longer exist and you don't have to go too far, because the Transport Tubes are much more frequent and thus the Teleporter becomes superfluous. With 7 Hours for the first Run with 36% found Secrets and a Bronze Star, there's still plenty of Air up for more Sessions. All in All, I think the Principle is great and can recommend it to anyone who likes games like Boulder Dash, Metroid or, in the most broad Sense, Terraria (without Freeplay and Building, of course). The Degree of difficulty is not too high, but the Motivation for it is all the more so. Such Titles belong promoted because they show what used to Be great about games before everyone just wanted to play online and spend their Money on Additional Content (= Withheld content). That, too, has to be said.