[PSVITA] Steamworld Dig 2

There are lots of Indie games being released every day on all platforms. It takes a lot of creativity and gimmick for you to standout in the massive ocean gaming industry. Image and Form international is one of those developers that tested the big current. Steamworld Dig 2 is a direct sequel to the first one. Though I haven't played that one yet. A promise of Metroidvania gameplay makes me curious to try this game out.

I am an avid fan of Metroidvania genre. I got hook to the genre when I started playing Castlevania series for PS, GBA and DS. The genre is being revived by a lot of Indie devs and one of the best I've played that came from Indie devs was Guacamelee. Steamworld Dig 2 somehow reminds me of that game combined with Terraria. 

Anyway, If you've played Terraria, you'll be at home here, since Dorothy our protagonist is doing adventures below the ground by digging his way through secrets of the deep underground. The story is not as deep though. The game starts with your missing friend Rusty and mysterious earthquake going on around the world. You find yourself digging right away.

The graphics is beautifully crafted and at home for the Vita. It runs in 60 FPS and with no lag at all. Learning curve is not that difficult and you'd get a hang of it after a while. It's one of the most addicting games I've played this year. Digging is so addicting and puzzles were so intriguing and sometimes hard that you'd try and try again to get the upgrade piece for Dorothy. 

Metroidvania kicks in when you reach areas that you cannot access which you need certain item or ability to pass through. So you look for a different path and find that item to continue on. There're tons of caves to explore which contains items and upgrades. These caves have unique puzzles and sometimes areas that's beyond your reach until you have a certain equipment that you can use to navigate that particular area.

You don’t just dig and dig in this game. I learned that you need to somehow create an escape route so you can return to the surface for light. The game gets dark if you lose juice for your lamp.  What happens when you get stuck? Well, there's no actual game over. Just self-destruct and lose some resources you’ve collected. The resources do not respawn again so you better play safely here and try not to die because you'll be using those resources to upgrade your Equipment.

Up above the surface El Machino, you can sell the resources you've found below. The higher your level the higher they sell. You can also chat to some folks for some tips and learn something about the story. The only thing I don’t like about chatting with these bots is the tiny Chatbox. So Tiny I don't like to read the text inside. You could also perform upgrades and reconfigure cogs in the surface which will give Dorothy new abilities. You have control as to what to prioritize first you can customize upgrades depending on your play style.

You need to plan your move here. Sometimes digging so much will hinder you from escaping and continue digging below. But continuing digging will lose your juice for your lamp. So you won't really see much while digging and the lower you get down the stronger the enemies gets. What I usually do is look for a warp tube that can transport you back to town. There's also an item that will let you warp back to town later in the game so be sure to be on the lookout for that. You also might want to collect cogs for t

he upgrade and plan where to put those for upgrade. Having an upgraded and stronger Dorothy would make the adventure below much more easier and fun. It also shorten going back and forth above the surface.

As mentioned, you'll encounter tons of enemies and bosses below. Each have unique moves and sometimes will use this enemies to open up secrets. So be sure to experiment a little in every situation.

Steamworld Dig 2 is a very simple game and you don't really need to stress yourself with the game mechanics to enjoy it. It's simple yet addicting and promises long playtime for cheap. The game is also cross buy so if you have a PS4 you can download it there as well. One of the best indie games for 2017. :D

Pros:

Simple yet addicting

Easy learning curve

Great graphics and performance for Vita 

Cons:

Tiny Chatbox

Overall 4.5/5

This review was also published in Philippine Gamers Lounge website. 

4.5 out of 5 stars Reviewer:JM Nuqui - November 5, 2017