SteamWorld Dig 2 (PlayStation 4) Review

Taking it upon herself to find Rusty, her friend and the world's saviour of the last game, little steambot Dorothy braves the mines of El Machino, and engages in the arduous task of tunnelling through dirt and rock, and combating all manner of odd creatures buried beneath this post-apocalyptic world. Earthquakes have become commonplace, and the prevailing robots of the planet's surface worry that there is something bigger at play, having already planned an escape in case things kick off (this game sets up the events for SteamWorld Heist, fans of the series will be keen to know).

Whilst the denizens of the Wild Westernised town remain to help Dorothy out, such as turning her looted gems from below into cash to upgrade her gear, and exchanging artifacts of an age gone by (essentially common items from the times before humans destroyed themselves) with new abilities, it is on her to venture into the depths of the earth, get to the root cause of the tremors, rescue Rusty, and get out of there safe and sound.

Whilst functioning almost identically to the original title, SteamWorld Dig 2 goes one better in essentially all aspects. The adventure remains a short one, but importantly, it knows just the right times to introduce something new before things start getting a little tedious. This is a common theme throughout the game, where new gear and abilities are stumbled upon at the most opportune times. There are cases of having to traverse through tough or bothering areas with large gaps or strong rocks that can take a while to break or won't budge at all, but overcoming these trickier sections rewards in items that make tackling such future obstacles not just easier, but very satisfying. With each new piece of equipment gained, the mind is overjoyed at the new areas and possibilities that potentially open up. This is capped off with some of the tightest controls, and nary a glitch is in sight, even in these intricate and claustrophobic tunnels the majority of the game takes place in.

The range of areas to explore in terms of visuals, audio and even gameplay is such that the adventure remains engaging throughout. The core element of hacking away at dirt to press onwards and pick up gems is always there, but it rarely becomes a frustrating task, as there is always something waiting to be discovered just a little bit further in. Forget any preconceptions that this will be a dull, brown-looking adventure, too, as the beautiful colours and lighting effects are out in full force in a variety of natural and manmade mazy locations, one-upping the original game by a considerable margin.

Sitting at around five to six hours, give or take a bit, depending on how one decides to explore the game, SteamWorld Dig 2's core adventure lasts just as long as it needs to when considering the gameplay elements on hand. For those that click with it that much more, there are plenty of secrets to find, clever puzzles that put the brain and platforming skills to the test, plus some extras once the full range of collectibles are found, pushing the value up that much more.