SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt

Game Info

I first heard of SteamWorld Dig on twitter, a lot of people I follow started recommending the game.  It seemed as if every time I checked my twitter account, someone else was talking about SteamWorld Dig.  Then I saw the game start sneaking up the 3DS charts and then it really got my attention.  So now, when the opportunity came up for me to review Image & Form’s quirky action/adventure title, I was all in.

I’ll be honest, even though I saw the game rising up by word-of-mouth, I still didn’t really do any research of the game to see what it was about.  So to my surprise I started the game up and I see a Steambot named Rusty.  We find out that he has been left a mine by his recently dead Uncle.  I jump right into this mine and then realize, this game is in the Metroidvania genre!  Metroid and Castlevania are two of my all-time favorite game series.  I hold these franchises as the bar to rate or franchise that are similar, and folks I’m glad to say that SteamWorld Dig is worthy of being said in the same breath.

As in similar games of the genre, the further into the game you get you get weapons or tools that open up more of the world to you.  SteamWorld has you upgrade your pick axe to dig deeper into the cave and collect gems.  As you progress there are mini caverns that you can go into and earn more power-ups to help you reach new depths.  You can also obtain different jumps  such as the wall jump and the steam jump.  There are three primary mines that you will explore and transcend as you collect the gems and power-ups.

One of my favorite features of SteamWorld Dig is that when exploring the caves there is no “right or wrong” path that you are suppose to take.  You can dig through as you please until you reach a layer that your pick axe wont cut through.  This feature makes a somewhat linear game feel open to your decisions and makes you feel like you are in control on where to go next.  Once the game is over though you have to start all over again.  I would have loved to see a new game plus option and maybe increased difficulty the second time through.

The graphics and soundtrack are top-notch.  The colors have a vibrant feel and the 2D graphics are some of the cleanest that you will find on Nintendo’s 3DS handheld.  I’ve played so many great 2D games in the past two months I’m starting to feel spoiled.  The soundtrack feels right at home with environment and never feels repetitive.

SteamWorld Dig is one of the best eShop games that I’ve played and if not one of the best  3DS games to date.  It is a shining example how much talent there is in the game development community across the world and I’m glad that there are now platforms for indies to publish their games on.  I highly recommend this game to anyone who considers themselves a gamer.  This is a must have in anyone’s 3DS game collection. Go buy this game now!