Dig Out is an Android game that offers players the opportunity to keep on tunnelling underground in endless, randomly-generated maps that offer treasure and the opportunity banish evil monsters. Players can compete with their friends online, and there are quests that players can undertake when on the surface, while also upgrading their equipment to ensure they stay sharp and able to deal with whatever the Mine throws at them. Dig Out offers players challenging monsters to entrap in creative boulder arrangements, a sense of urgency when underground and a lot of upgrade possibilities right from the get go. Let’s see how good a Miner I am, and take a look beneath the surface of Dig Out.
First off, players will need to download Dig Out from the Play Store before they can get started.
When players first start playing the game, there’s a subtle and fairly freeing tutorial of sorts to go through, where the game gives players subtle hints on how to actually play the game:
Players can start to dig whenever they want by picking an entry point and simply swiping down. Each time players head down into the Mine it’s a completely random layout. Which helps to keep the game nice and fresh for those that spend a lot of time playing it.
From here on, the controls are really nice and simple, players just need to swipe in the direction that they want to head, they can hold in that direction to keep moving, too. Each time you smash through a square of dirt, it’ll take one point off of your total pickaxe uses. This can be refilled by finding the blue glowing gems on your digs.
The crystal-looking gems will give players money, which they can spend on item upgrades and such. After a little while playing down in the Mine, more folks will appear up top, offering different services.
The Blacksmith – somewhat predictability – will offer players an upgrade on their pickaxe, while the old man seems to here more for advice. Upgrading the pickaxe seems worthwhile at first, but it does take some time to get new hardware that makes a genuine difference.
You’re not alone down in the Mine either, there are enemies that will often make it tricky to navigate, and rocks can be used to deal with them. Sometimes, the manner in which to drop a boulder on an enemy is laid out pretty clearly, but other times it’s not quite as easy.
There are also different zones below the first layer, and the further you go, the more difficult and dense the terrain can become. Here I am entering the Jungle for the first time, for instance. There are different squares of dirt to deal with, and it’s definitely a little more challenging than the other zones.
At the end of each run, the game will give players a sort of snapshot of what went wrong, as well as a score and a note on how far they managed to get.
Progress and scores can be tracked from the stone tablet that appears later on in the game.
Dig Out is the sort of game that will appeal to a majority of players out there, and it’s certainly a nice change of pace, that’s for sure. While this sort of gameplay might not be immediately familiar to players, it’s easy to get into and what’s nice about the game is that it can be played by those of all ages. The controls can be a little over-sensitive I thought, but as with a lot of things it’s just a case of actually getting used to things. The graphics are very nice, and the art style has clearly had a lot gone to into it, Dig Out is a game that’s been put together with a high level of polish, and it really shows. The fact that the maps down below in the Mine are all randomly generated is a nice touch, and as a Minecraft fan of old, I loved going down and down. Fans of Terraria will find familiar gameplay here as well, but Dig Out is most certainly its own game, that’s for sure.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Dig Out runs nice and smoothly and the pace of the game is accessible to all types of players as a result.
- Features (4/5) – While the gameplay might appear repetitive to some players, Dig Out is the sort of game that players will either love or not. With lots of opportunity to find new treasure and come across different enemies, there’s a lot on offer down the Mine.
- Theme (4.5/5) – With lots of good cartoon style graphics and quality animation, Dig Out is one of the better-looking games like this we’ve seen and the sound effects are also quite good, too.
- Overall (4/5) – A quality game that will give players a lot of freedom and replayability thanks to the random levels that are generated, Dig Out is full of charm and should give people a lot to get their teeth sunk into.
Pros
- With all manner of different enemies and treasures under the ground down in the Mine there’s a lot to come across when playing Dig Out.
- Quality graphics and animation make for a good-looking game that runs smoothly, too.
- Upgrades and enemies make the game a little more challenging as well as comprehensive for players.
- Achievements give players something to work towards, and it’s satisfying to keep on going down as far as you can.
Cons
- Might become a little repetitive after a while for some players.
- Seems to be perhaps a love it or hate it sort of game for some.
Overall, Dig Out is the sort of game that has a lot to offer players, and also gives them a solid challenge, too. Even though things start off pretty easily the game certainly picks up and starts to give players a lot more to deal with. The graphics look great, and the randomly generated mine shafts work a treat, ensuring that while gameplay is quick to get started, there’s never a repetitive level or anything like that. Free to download with no ads forced upon players, this is one hell of a game to get started with.