Day 273, Game 273 - SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt

As some of you may know, my 3DS has been hijacked for the last few weeks. I haven't actually had it my possession, as I accidentally introduced Animal Crossing to a friend who promptly asked to borrow it, and between that and StreetPassing for me, she has kept it busy for me. Thankfully, I've had more than enough games to play, both on my consoles and other portable devices, so I haven't exactly missed my 3DS. 

Sure, I would have enjoyed checking in on my town in Animal Crossing, playing some of those awesome, new StreetPass games or any number of the other games I've yet to finish over the last couple of weeks, but honestly, if someone is enjoying it, having fun with it and putting more time into it than I would have, then I can't complain at all. 

There has been a game that I have a heard a lot of good things about, however, that I've desperately wanted to try out. So when I saw my opportunity to snag my 3DS for a second, I quickly jumped into the Nintendo eShop and downloaded SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt, a quirky little game that has received tons of critical acclaim yet very little hype. But with a few bucks in my online wallet, and the game only being $8 anyway, it was a no-brainer. Maybe it was just my craving to play my 3DS coming through, but regardless, I did what I did, and that's that. 

And I don't regret it at all. 

The game itself is pretty straight forward. You're a robot placed in an old west setting, and you're job is to dig. You drop down into the mine and dig, just as you would in Minecraft or Terraria. It is a 2D platformer type of game, but the path you dig and explore the underground is entirely up to you. As you go along, you collect different types of minerals, precious metals and gemstones, which you have to take back to the surface and sell. The money you collect has both monetary value and the equivalent of XP, where you level up with every dollar you dig up. (Ha! See what I did there? Sorry, just a little digging humor.)

The more money you collect and levels you reach as a character, the more equipment you unlock and can purchase. You start out with just a basic pick axe, which takes several swings just to break through the basic dirt squares, but as you upgrade your arsenal, you are able to break through all different kinds of stone quicker and more efficiently, thus making your trip through the underground less tedious as you go along. As you dig, you will run into different caves and secret mine shaft entrances, as well as enemies, traps and hollowed out caverns. You can also find upgrade stations along the way, which give you a different new ability with each one you find, such as the ability to sprint or steam-powered jumps. 

For a 3DS game, it feels like it has more depth (Ha!) then you would imagine, which is a great thing. It's one of those games where you keep saying, "just a few more minutes, another level down, and then I'll be done." And you just keep on playing. The 3D effects are fine, and add more to the background and environment than the gameplay, which is a lot better than hard-to-look-at 3D. I have thoroughly enjoyed the game for the couple of hours I have played it, and can't wait to play it again.

That is, if I get to to before the new Pokemon game comes out. At that point, I might need my 3DS back then. 

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