As an old man who got tired of these types of games long ago, and who wasn't very impressed with Bloodstained, I'm not exactly the target audience. But I was lured in by the recent sale price and this being perfect for my kids, who will likely play it within the next two years.
It's a short game at under 13 hours for me. I explored every area of the world, but did not find all of theAs an old man who got tired of these types of games long ago, and who wasn't very impressed with Bloodstained, I'm not exactly the target audience. But I was lured in by the recent sale price and this being perfect for my kids, who will likely play it within the next two years.
It's a short game at under 13 hours for me. I explored every area of the world, but did not find all of the hidden items.
I didn't play the first Steamworld Dig, but had no issues understanding the story in this second installment. Your goal in this game is simply to find your friend, who was lost underground in the first game. The story and characters are simple, but well-written (no noticeable plot holes). The characters have genuinely interesting and useful things to say. The story and character believability is actually higher than in Bloodstained, due to the lack of conspiracies and magical nonsense happening. There's no deep themes or ideas to explore, but it's entertaining for kids and believable (within its world) for adults.
The gameplay is fun enough. It's nice to see a mixture of digging and metroidvania mechanics. It nails the metroidvania components, although slightly simplifies them. Digging is fun enough, but is greatly simplified when compared to Terraria or Minecraft. Though different block types, including ones that come back after a few seconds, add to the puzzling aspect of the game.
Puzzles in the game are good. There's a few traditional puzzles, such as moving things around to hit switches at the right time. Then there's breakable wall/platform puzzles, where when you hit one part of the wall, it starts to slowly break away and you must run along it or jump up it while it's breaking to access areas. And then there's rooms where you must use your available equipment, such as your hook shot and jet pack, to progress.
Some of the optional puzzles seemed too hard, requiring precision jumping and ability usage. But when I came back with more abilities later, they were a breeze.
Upgrading your gear is relatively fun. You level up your pick axe, backpack, water tank (used for bombs), and other gear by spending money, which you get from mining ore and gems. You can then add various bonuses to these items (such as more damage, longer reach, extra health/water/money when killing things) by using cogs, which are primarily found in secret areas. Those secret areas are tiny and spread about the main map, but are also in small separate dungeons, where most of the puzzling takes place.
There are a few bosses in the game, but they're fairly easy and can be brute-forced, with very little move-learning. The last boss is the most difficult, but they give you plenty of health items to get through the battle.
So it's a decent game with no real flaws besides its length, world size, and that its target audience is kids. Though it is great for kids and likely anyone else who's looking for a fun and easy metroidvania game.… Expand
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