The colors are vibrant, and the animations look fluid. I played the first half of this game on my Switch tablet and was amazed at how beautiful it was. This gives the game a bit of extra life to it, even after you’ve defeated the final boss. It’s immensely satisfying clearing out an area and getting a little green check mark letting you know you’ve found everything. Each of these caves has mini puzzles that you must work your way through while also uncovering secrets. Not only is there plenty of treasure to uncover across the map, but there are plenty of caves to explore. If you’re a completionist like me, you’re going to have a field day with “SteamWorld Dig 2”. I love that I’m not committed to a particular build and can experience the game in any way I choose. If something doesn’t work quite right for you, just try something different. You can uninstall them at any time to try different abilities for a different approach. The best part is that these cogs aren’t permanent. These cogs are collectibles found through progression or in secret areas throughout the game. Almost every upgrade comes with a special ability that requires “cogs” to activate. You have so many options to choose from that make each run feel tailor-made for the player. The equipment upgrades really make this game stand out. This makes exploration genuinely fun, especially when the rewards are greater when working your way through difficult areas.

You can go anywhere your upgrades will allow, even if you’re not supposed to go there just yet. Instead of randomly-generated levels that made the previous game feel like a rouge-like, Dot has a large open world to explore. The gameplay still feels like a combination of Metroid and Dig Dug, but this goes to greater depths (I did it again). “SteamWorld Dig 2” takes everything we loved about the original and expands on it in a big way. Dorothy (Dot), one of Rusty’s companions, sets of to find out exactly what happened to her friend. “SteamWorld Dig 2” follows directly after the final events of the original when Rusty goes missing. It was wonderfully received and has finally warranted a proper sequel. You played as Rusty, a steam-powered robot tasked with digging in a randomly-generated mine for treasure to bring back to sell for upgrades. “SteamWorld Dig” on the 3DS (later ported to other platforms) is where the series really started to take off, however. If you’re not familiar with the SteamWorld series, it started with the original “SteamWorld Tower Defense” on the Nintendo DS. If you can’t see what I’m talking about from that title, you’ll have to ask someone else. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed “SteamWorld Dig 2” from developer Image & Form. This is the second review I’ve written this week where I had to avoid cheesy puns when sharing my thoughts on a video game.

Steamworld dig 2 map