SteamWorld Dig

SteamWorld Dig is easily the best eShop game of the year.

SteamWorld Dig sets out to be a safe but amazingly polished gem, and SteamWorld Dig is exactly that, no more, no less.

Part Metroid, part Minecraft and 100% wonderful. [Nov 2013, p.73]

Well, this is a real adventure. Few other eShop games are as ambitious or as intelligent about how to achieve their goals on the required smaller scale.

Those looking for a nice little distraction from something like Animal Crossing: New Leaf at the moment may just have found the perfect candidate.

SteamWorld Dig is a fresh game for the Nintendo eShop and one of the best digital games available on Nintendo's 3D handheld.

SteamWorld Dig starts slow, it's almost boring, you are going to drop it... then you find a new upgrade and keep going and a few hours later you are sad it's over. One of the best downloadable games on eShop, period.

Not only is SteamWorld Dig a fantastic way to spend a few bucks (and a few hours), but Image & Form have used it to prove they’re a developer worthy of paying close attention to.

SteamWorld Dig is a great example of how the catalog of e-Shop is always more deserving of attention.

Steamworld Dig is a great game, a tiny masterpiece, with a sublime gameplay which works perfectly, thanks to an intuitive and extremely fluid control system. One of the best for the eShop.

Definitely check this one out when you get a chance, you won’t be disappointed.

A compelling 2D adventure game that resembles the beloved portable incarnations of cult franchises such as Metroid or Castlevania.

It's simple work. [Issue#139, p.116]

With SteamWorld Dig, Nintendo eShop has another game with a magnificent sense of exploration, platforms, action and puzzles, revealing connections to classics like Metroid or Castlevania.

While digging in a hole might not seem like the most entertaining thing to do in a game that's doesn't have "craft" in the title, SteamWorld Dig successfully delivers its own unique style of subterranean gameplay thanks to a great balance between managing the mine, chasing upgrades and having just enough story to keep me curious without getting bogged down in too much lore.

Suffice it to say this is exactly the kind of game eShop needs more of: Simple, addictive, and creative despite wearing its influences prominently.

Even if it doesn't last long and ends in a not-too-exciting way, there are several good reasons to get lost in the depths of Tumbleton.

SteamWorld Dig is the best kind of surprise, then: a game with substance, challenge and no little charm that seems to have come out of nowhere.

SteamWorld Dig isn’t ground-breaking, but its tight action platforming and satisfying gameplay hook will easily keep you entertained for several hours. It’s perfectly designed for a handheld experience, allowing you to pick up and play for a few minutes here and there, progressing a little further each time.

Despite its many and obvious influences this is an impressively unique vision that offers excellent value for money and one of the best surprises on the 3DS’s eShop.

SteamWorld Dig represents a strong coming together of concept and execution, with relatively simple mechanics impeccably layered to coax the gamer through its story.

For under ten dollars, there’s a lot of fun to be had with SteamWorld Dig.

Steam World Dig reminds me of good old Amiga days: It is a simple, but entertaining, platformer.

A simple and straightforward experience that holds lots of fun for those who want to have a break from more complex titles.

There is a genuine allure to SteamWorld Dig, you just have to clear out the rubble to find it.

The Image & Form team surprised everyone with this extremely addictive title. With flawless execution and a damn good gameplay, Steamworld Dig will make you dig for hours in order to develop your village and your equipment. If you love platform and farming games, this adventure in the desert is there just for you. One of the best games on 3DS eShop.

SteamWorld Dig is a charming, atmospheric exploration adventure, but it grinds to a halt just when it starts going full steam.

This is a short game wherein you explore depths to dig deeper and deeper. It's definitely the best title to download from the eShop right now.

It looks gorgeous, controls like a dream, and when it’s putting its ideas to the fore in a sensible manner then it has some genuinely delightful ideas, but when you really start to analyse things and think about it with a harsh critical light, it effectively turns out to be all bust and no brains.