Dig or Die

Maybe its just my mood lately, but I’ve really been getting into 2D survival crafting games that have pixel-based graphics. I’ve played Terraria, Stardew Valley, and Starbound before, and I think these all helped me get into this article’s title, Dig or Die, a lot quicker than I normally would. Before playing this game, I looked through a lot of the images and already knew that I would, at the very least, have an okay time. I’m happy to say that, after playing through a decent chunk of this game, it far exceeded my expectations for a lot of reasons, but mostly because the developer didn’t try to do anything they knew they couldn’t do well. It was also a nice change of pace to play a game that not only strategy, but a bit of clever design due to the focus on physics.

Tame a Hostile Planet

One of the things I admire most about this game is that it is dead set on keeping the science fiction feel of the world alive. Not only does this apply to the in-game lore, but it is also quite clear in many of the gameplay mechanics as well. This is most notable in its global real-time simulation elements such has electricity generation, water cycle, and realistic physics. There is also a huge amount of detail put into simulating both plant growth and power storage/production: plants grow naturally or can be artificially grown with some devices, while electricity can be produced with solar panels or with hydroelectric dams. I have to say, even though these aspects did irritate me from time to time, I absolutely must give credit where its due and say that the attention to detail with these systems is what made me love them. They aren’t perfect by any means, but I couldn’t get enough of how effectively they were implemented. If there were no other reasons to give this game a chance, I would still say that these mechanics alone make it worth looking at, even just for a short time.

Defend Your Base

The combat and core goal of Dig or Die is to survive through the night. You’ll spend your entire day gathering resources, upgrading you base, and preparing for the night where unknown horrors will attack you. In regard to the other mechanics of this game, the combat and progression are the least unique and nuanced pieces. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a lot of fun to play around with and give you a boatload of options and possibilities. Its just that mildly disappointing to me alone compared to the dedication to the sci-fi theme and realism – I just felt it was missing something to give Dig or Die its own flair of combat. Long story short, if you’ve played Terraria or Starbound before, you know exactly what to expect in terms of upgrading your weapons, finding new materials, and crafting your way up the chain.

Luckily, I love this form of progression and Dig or Die’s system still has enough originality that its not so much a flaw/issue as much as it is a missed opportunity in my eyes.

Pros

• Comprehensive crafting/progress system
• Great physics/realism mechanics
• Generally enjoyable graphics and soundtrack

Cons

• Combat is good, but lacks personal touches
• Developer no longer supporting this title
• Base/material upgrades are fine, but nothing new