SteamWorld Dig 2 Review

"Always Digging"

Campaign

SteamWorld Dig 2 aims to expand upon the original game by offering a larger world, deeper story and an interesting set of extra secrets to discover along the way. As Dot, you're out looking for Rusty who has gone missing and was apparently headed to El Machino. This brings Dot to a wild new town within this steam punk world and you begin the search for your missing friend. From there you head out to a number of unique locations underneath the world as you mine further and expand your collection of resources. The game is just as much about collecting minerals to sell as it is for working through the story. With the coins and cogs you collect while adventuring you're able to then level up abilities.

These range from a more efficient pick axe to better armor. The cogs come into play by unlocking special abilities on each of the equipment pieces that are collected throughout the story. It's got a nice sense of progression as Dot continues to grow with new powers that feel natural for advanced movement. The regular story is somewhat linear in goals, yet open in how this is accomplished. The world is just an open area to dig out with some set goals thrown into the mix and so many enemies to be found along the way. I found the general narrative to be well delivered with some more emotional focused aspects later on for what was a charming adventure the entire way through.

Gameplay

There's a nice challenge within SteamWorld Dig 2 finding the balance of being difficult while still not being frustrating. I did however find this was thrown away to an extent by an incredibly difficult final boss. It turned into a bullet hell for some reason and I spent far too long dealing with that. It was disappointing for sure, but the rest of the game did make up for this aspect. Aside from working through the regular story there are just a pile of secrets to discover. These range from small little hidden areas to dungeons that provide a variety of various challenges for some special goods. The game looks really great with some gorgeous backdrops and well designed environments. There's a nice selection of biomes to move through with each core area carrying a unique theme to it. Being a steam punk type world water does come into play and you'll need to balance the use of machines with the amount of water you have available as usage drains your storage.

The Conclusion

SteamWorld Dig 2 is an excellent game that provides a beautiful world filled with charming characters. The story was well designed providing enough of a challenge while not taking it too far. I did find the end boss to be somewhat ridiculous and out of place, but it really is a small part of the overall experience. There are many side areas to explore as well if you're one that likes to grab collectibles though a regular story to go through if you just want that. Fans of the series will love this sequel and it really is a great game that anyone can enjoy.

SteamWorld Dig 2 Review on Nintendo Switch
Review Code Provided by Image & Form

Rating Overall: 9.0