The Good:
-Addicting central gameplay loop
-Fluid graphics
-Cool music
-Fun to explore world
The Ok:
-Too difficult endgame challenges
The Bad:
-Not much
Conclusion: SteamWorld Dig 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. This is my fourth full playthrough, and it remains just as great as the first time. It looks and sounds fantastic still, even though it was originally on the 3DS. Every animation is smooth, and the music is catchy enough that you become immersed in the world. The gameplay is also phenomenal, and the loop of ‘gathering ore to sell to buy upgrades to mine ore better’ never gets old. You feel palpable improvement in the way you explore as you continue, and the world continues to open up in exciting ways. Even the story is interesting, if not the deepest thing in the world. I also really love the writing; the way the developers weave jokes into item descriptions is subtle, and yet hilarious. This game got me into metroidvanias, and to this day only a few of those have surpassed this one in terms of quality (Hollow Knight and Symphony of the Night mainly). Literally the only annoyance I have with this game is that there’s a certain endgame gauntlet of trails to do, and for the life of me I just can’t complete them. These trails are so hugely difficult compared to the rest of the game that I personally don’t think they should have been added at all. Other than that, I love this game, and cannot wait for a possible SteamWorld Dig 3.
-Addicting central gameplay loop
-Fluid graphics
-Cool music
-Fun to explore world
The Ok:
-Too difficult endgame challenges
The Bad:
-Not much
Conclusion: SteamWorld Dig 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. This is my fourth full playthrough, and it remains just as great as the first time. It looks and sounds fantastic still, even though it was originally on the 3DS. Every animation is smooth, and the music is catchy enough that you become immersed in the world. The gameplay is also phenomenal, and the loop of ‘gathering ore to sell to buy upgrades to mine ore better’ never gets old. You feel palpable improvement in the way you explore as you continue, and the world continues to open up in exciting ways. Even the story is interesting, if not the deepest thing in the world. I also really love the writing; the way the developers weave jokes into item descriptions is subtle, and yet hilarious. This game got me into metroidvanias, and to this day only a few of those have surpassed this one in terms of quality (Hollow Knight and Symphony of the Night mainly). Literally the only annoyance I have with this game is that there’s a certain endgame gauntlet of trails to do, and for the life of me I just can’t complete them. These trails are so hugely difficult compared to the rest of the game that I personally don’t think they should have been added at all. Other than that, I love this game, and cannot wait for a possible SteamWorld Dig 3.