SteamWorld Dig Reviews
SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt is still a great game, but it is undoubtedly a more compact game than what’s come after this game’s original release. SteamWorld Dig offers little exploration for curiosity as it is usually out of necessity to gather as much ore as you can find to sell for cash to then buy upgrades to make Rusty more effective. If nothing else, SteamWorld Dig serves as a reminder at how much Image & Form learned from this game when making SteamWorld Dig 2 – but thankfully there’s so much more to this game to appreciate. Whether you’ve played this before or not, Image & Form make beautiful looking, sounding, and playing games that deserve to have a place in your library.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Steamworld Dig. It isn't the best indie game I have played and it certainly doesn't stand up to its successor. However, it is a fun little game which will appeal to fans of the old West genre, it's open-ended exploration makes it enjoyable to wander around in, and it's randomly generated levels will provide players who wish to play it multiple times a varied experience each play through. The game suffers through its flaws by having an uninspired combat system and from a slow and boring start, but it comes together well after you start unlocking Rusty's abilities and the fast travel pods. In the end, I will give it a respectable 7/10.
Ultimately, even getting on in years a bit, Steamworld Dig still works very well and is almost immediately as addictive as it ever was once you get the ball rolling. The “just one more run” feeling doesn’t have quite as strong a drive as with its sequel, where there are far more things you’re hoping to unlock, but it is still a highly satisfying experience that is well-implemented. Ultimately priced as a budget title it offers a great time for a reasonable investment.
"The deeper you dig, the better it gets."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
For $9.99, SteamWorld Dig is well worth the cost of admission for such a fun spin on the genre that controls so well that it made my Top 10 list for 2013.
SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt may not be good as SteamWorld Dig 2, but it's still good. Getting to know the characters and even having different moves is enough to warrant playing it if you haven't already, but it's fun anyway. If this game is your introduction and you are into the metroidvania genre, you will also enjoy this. It has a pacing that never dulls and you're constantly being rewarded. It's about time you dig in.