I hoped things would play out differently, but it didn’t. The build up toward the ending is rendered moot if the player can see it coming from a mile away.
My only gripe with SteamWorld Dig’s story is its predictability. My curiosity steadily grew as Rusty uncovered the trail of breadcrumbs left by his enigmatic, deceased uncle, finding technology far beyond anything he’d ever seen. My aim quickly shifted from earning as much as possible to exploring as much as possible. The story slowly takes shape the longer you play, like pieces of a puzzle coming together. It was easy to be fixated on levelling up and upgrading Rusty, equipping him with more powerful tools the deeper I went. Talking to the few steambots in Tumbleton hints at something deeper, but without much to go on I settled into a comfortable and familiar rhythm of mining, finding ores, and then selling them on the surface. I had no clue what the game was about five minutes after I’d started, only understanding that I needed to explore and gather resources. I like SteamWorld Dig’s hands-off approach to storytelling. As he ventures deeper into the earth, Rusty soon uncovers remnants of the human civilization and something vastly more advanced than anything he’s ever seen. Armed with a pickaxe, he explores the mine for precious ores and metals. In an unfortunate turn of events, he finds his uncle dead and takes up the unenviable role of revitalizing the withering town.
Enter Rusty, a steambot who moves in after receiving a deed to his uncle’s mine. The town of Tumbleton has seen better days. I’m well aware the game released in 2013 and that I’m four years late to the party, but as the saying goes, it’s better late than never. I can still feel the curve of the 3DS in my hands even after I set it down to go about my day. Following its purchase during Black Friday, I’ve been playing it nonstop and at a furious pace. I’m furious with myself for not picking up this gem earlier, and guilty that I got it at half price. SteamWorld Dig is an addictive mining platformer deserving of the praise it gets.
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