A week or so ago a game called Steamworld Dig appeared on PSN, apparently with little fanfare or mention at all. Seriously it seems to have been a footnote release, which is a shame because it’s not bad at all.
You control Rusty, a mining robot who rolls into town to explore his uncle’s old mine, and the gameplay is kind of like a cross between Boulderdash and Mr Driller, with platforming elements added. I’m probably showing my age there since other people compare it to ‘Miner Dig Deep’, which I’ve never played since it’s on the PC, apparently.
As you dig deeper in the mine you’ll come across enemies, different types of earth to cut through, puzzle dungeons and so on. Eventually you’ll get drill and steam jump upgrades too which require water to use, which can be found in underground pockets here and there. Things definitely pick up a bit when you break through to Old World, which contains many more enemies, exploding TNT barrels and harder areas of rock to navigate.
Graphics and sound are really nice – everything is extremely clean looking, it’s all 60fps, and the music is slow atmospheric ‘dead western town’ style which suits it perfectly. Controls are pretty sharp but wall jumping can feel a bit off sometimes. Worth checking out.
