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SteamWorld Dig 2 |OT| New Digs

Mr. F

Banned
Is the only risk of your lantern going out not being able to see what kind of tiles you're digging? It runs out so quick in the early game I'm considering just going blind to get some more gems before going back to town.

Also the town music is a jam
 
I finished at 7hrs with 30% secrets discovered. I’m not good at platformers and am usually slow at beating games.
One thing that surprised me is that the platforming sections are really hardcore, which is something I did not except coming from the first game.
Overall Dig 2 is fantastic, only drawback is that it’s a bit pricey for the length.
 
This game is AWESOME. I never played Steamworld Dig 1, but as a fan of Steamworld Heist, Terraria/Starbound, and Metroid, this game scratches itches I didn't know I had.

AMAZING animation. Great gameplay. That first boss made me go "oh, I see how this game could be." LOVE the exploration aspect, it's like Terraria but with progression that I sorely missed from that game. Also the personality... holy crap. I see where Steamworld Heist got it from.

Only game that has yanked me away from Destiny 2 since it launched.
 
Just picked this up earlier and plan to play a bunch tomorrow at work and during commercials with the football (cfl) game.

I'm pretty hyped with all of the positive impressions here.
 

jrDev

Member
This game is AWESOME. I never played Steamworld Dig 1, but as a fan of Steamworld Heist, Terraria/Starbound, and Metroid, this game scratches itches I didn't know I had.

AMAZING animation. Great gameplay. That first boss made me go "oh, I see how this game could be." LOVE the exploration aspect, it's like Terraria but with progression that I sorely missed from that game. Also the personality... holy crap. I see where Steamworld Heist got it from.

Only game that has yanked me away from Destiny 2 since it launched.
So this is why I was questioning my self about this today. I was saying to myself that I thought the game was turn based now, now I realized I was getting this game mixed up with Steamworld Heist.
 

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
I finished at 7hrs with 30% secrets discovered. I’m not good at platformers and am usually slow at beating games.
One thing that surprised me is that the platforming sections are really hardcore, which is something I did not except coming from the first game.
Overall Dig 2 is fantastic, only drawback is that it’s a bit pricey for the length.
7 hours of pure quality and 30% done for $20 sounds like amazing value to me.
 

jrDev

Member
I finished at 7hrs with 30% secrets discovered. I'm not good at platformers and am usually slow at beating games.
One thing that surprised me is that the platforming sections are really hardcore, which is something I did not except coming from the first game.
Overall Dig 2 is fantastic, only drawback is that it's a bit pricey for the length.
WHAT? Is it not $20? Isn't the average game nowadays around or less than this AT $60? That's an unreasonable expectation.
 
I'm at level 13, a few quests past the first boss, and probably much of the way through with a few items already maxed out. I thought Dig 1 was a mildly interesting diversion, a kind of mini-Terraria with no construction and a few platform-puzzle rooms and bosses, something you wrap up in a few hours and put away. Dig 2 is a whole other story: tons of stuff to do, versatile movement options, flexible character progression, a good degree of fairness when it comes to flagging secrets without outright handing them to the player, inventive enemy-environment interactions. This is a fantastic game and I absolutely see myself gunning for 100%.

The first thing I did was turn off the quest marker (and full credit to the developers for anticipating that people might rather play their game unguided). There are some interesting high-risk, high-reward options for self-imposed difficulty, too, though I haven't played with them yet. I'm not a speedrunner by nature but I think the speedrunning meta, if people get into it, stands to be really deep, not only with the flexibility of the paths but also the variety of builds for your character—far beyond anything in the first game.

I never understood the hype with the first dig. It was so average for me.

But then I got heist, because I like strategy games and also got to know the devs who happen to be wonderful people, and it was so much better than not only dig, but other games in it's genre.

So I decided to give dig 2 a chance because honestly it looked improved over the original, but it's way better than the original and so much fun to play.

It's almost as if dig 1 was a prototype and dig 2 is the actual game after feedback

Exactly my history with the series, note for note.
 

Meffer

Member
I never understood the hype with the first dig. It was so average for me.

But then I got heist, because I like strategy games and also got to know the devs who happen to be wonderful people, and it was so much better than not only dig, but other games in it's genre.

So I decided to give dig 2 a chance because honestly it looked improved over the original, but it's way better than the original and so much fun to play.

It's almost as if dig 1 was a prototype and dig 2 is the actual game after feedback

For me, the first one came out at the right time and really showed that a handheld digital game could really be an excellent game.
 

chris121580

Member
Finished the game tonight. Absolutely phenomenal! I got stuck at one part with map markers on so I have no idea how you guys do it that turn that stuff off. I was anxiously waiting for the part where one of the reviewer's commented that this game includes one of their personal top 10 moments while gaming and yeah...it totally delivered. Must own if you have a Switch
 

VanWinkle

Member
Woo!!

178SnFB.jpg


Can't believe people are already finished with the game one day in, haha.
 

Lizardus

Member
Downloaded it last night, couldn't stop playing it till 4AM. Woke up today and have been playing it nonstop. I am about 10 hours in and currently at the
Rosie bossfight
😥 and it's kicking my ass. Any tips? I'll take a break and play Thimbleweed Park, which also came out today and come back to SD2 later.

Amazing game btw and loving the indie scene on Switch. I'll definitely double dip if there's a physical release.
 

watershed

Banned
My first Steamworld game was Heist and I absolutely loved it. I never played the original Dig. I like the Steamworld world in general. I'm getting into the game and the exploration is fun but some things are poorly tutorialized and I really dislike the lamp mechanic. Every time my lamp runs out of oil the mine turns dark but more importantly uninviting. It just saps the fun out of exploration so I have to backtrack and even with the tubes it takes too long. I never like it when a game makes its environment uninviting like the dark world in Metroid Prime 2. The mines without lamp oil gives me that exact same feeling. I understand the approach but it makes the game un-fun for me. Big downer at the moment.
 
Downloaded it last night, couldn't stop playing it till 4AM. Woke up today and have been playing it nonstop. I am about 10 hours in and currently at the
Rosie bossfight
😥 and it's kicking my ass. Any tips? I'll take a break and play Thimbleweed Park, which also came out today and come back to SD2 later.

Amazing game btw and loving the indie scene on Switch. I'll definitely double dip if there's a physical release.

I did a marathon run of this game as well and just hit the end credits: 74%, bronze in time (
a little under 10 hours
, silver in deaths/secrets, gold in wealth. I think I might also hop to Thimbleweed Park first before I sweep the map for 100%, just to take a break. (Or just not play games for a bit, because the Switch is devouring my life.) As others have noted, the remarkable thing about Dig 2 is that it's not actually that much longer or bigger than Dig 1, but it feels several times larger because there is much less redundancy. It's constantly brimming with new decisions, ideas, and challenges, and if anything, these could all use even more room to breathe. It was all over in a flash and I'm not at all ready to be done with it, so in that respect I'm glad the road to 100% still lies ahead.

To answer your question about that boss: I got it on the second try and found that the cog setups I was already using were well suited for it, the most useful one being
the jetpack upgrade that gives you infinite flight if you tap instead of hold B, which combines well with the ramjet to break through dirt when you're evading Rosie's attacks and looking for health recharges. The acid/lava resistance and the shield upgrade that blocks a projectile every thirty seconds are also useful here for mitigating a lot of damage that could stack up on you. At least one standard upgrade for the jackhammer is also useful so you can bust through brick.

As for the fight itself,
I found that the hardest thing to deal with was the dash attack, especially if you're unfortunate enough to be below Rosie and she dunks you into the acid. Just stay at a diagonal to her if you can. If you don't have a good platform to stand on to deflect the big missile directly back at Rosie, you can get in the air and deflect it with your hookshot, not just your pick—though watch your timing here as it's a bit slow. If you're this far in the game you should have plenty of practice with aiming the hookshot while jumping/flying. Other than that, when the terrain rearranges itself new health orbs appear, so don't hesitate to just fly around the map picking up every one you can, as you don't need to save them for later.

For those wondering how the postgame works:
diving back into your file just takes you back to town in the state you were in before the final fight.

Finished the game tonight. Absolutely phenomenal! I got stuck at one part with map markers on so I have no idea how you guys do it that turn that stuff off. I was anxiously waiting for the part where one of the reviewer's commented that this game includes one of their personal top 10 moments while gaming and yeah...it totally delivered. Must own if you have a Switch

Are you referring to
the Vectron segment
? Definitely a highlight, although as someone who played the first game, I was a little let down that
you didn't get another shot at returning to Vectron to exact revenge on those terrifying golems, or generally get a better context for what was going on down there—unless that's all locked behind 100% and I just don't know it yet, of course.
I thought I had also heard that there was a big HD Rumble moment in the game, and I'm usually quite attentive to good uses of the rumble (I was pointing it out in Splatoon 2 back in the first Testfire when people were wondering if it was in at all), but here I didn't pick up on anything special, other than the usual use of the rumble to punctuate and amplify the sound design.

I can't honestly believe how many of you care about the icon on such a serious level.

For this game in particular, it's a big distraction. Sonic Mania's off-guideline icon doesn't bother me that much, but Dig 2's current one is hideously out of place, and I think I would have hesitated myself if I hadn't heard a replacement was on the way.
 

jariw

Member
My first Steamworld game was Heist and I absolutely loved it. I never played the original Dig. I like the Steamworld world in general. I'm getting into the game and the exploration is fun but some things are poorly tutorialized and I really dislike the lamp mechanic. Every time my lamp runs out of oil the mine turns dark but more importantly uninviting. It just saps the fun out of exploration so I have to backtrack and even with the tubes it takes too long. I never like it when a game makes its environment uninviting like the dark world in Metroid Prime 2. The mines without lamp oil gives me that exact same feeling. I understand the approach but it makes the game un-fun for me. Big downer at the moment.

Killing an enemy will usually refuel the lamp.
 

JonnyKong

Member
My first Steamworld game was Heist and I absolutely loved it. I never played the original Dig. I like the Steamworld world in general. I'm getting into the game and the exploration is fun but some things are poorly tutorialized and I really dislike the lamp mechanic. Every time my lamp runs out of oil the mine turns dark but more importantly uninviting. It just saps the fun out of exploration so I have to backtrack and even with the tubes it takes too long. I never like it when a game makes its environment uninviting like the dark world in Metroid Prime 2. The mines without lamp oil gives me that exact same feeling. I understand the approach but it makes the game un-fun for me. Big downer at the moment.

I originally had this issue, but you'll soon realise it only takes a couple minutes to find the nearest tube, plus it's worth going back up to sell your ore and get new upgrades. If you didn't have the excuse to go back up frequently, your bag would be full too quickly and you wouldn't empty it for ages.
 

watershed

Banned
Killing an enemy will usually refuel the lamp.

That's true and I have invested into a lot of the lamp upgrades as well but the timer of the lamp still drags down the experience for me.

I originally had this issue, but you'll soon realise it only takes a couple minutes to find the nearest tube, plus it's worth going back up to sell your ore and get new upgrades. If you didn't have the excuse to go back up frequently, your bag would be full too quickly and you wouldn't empty it for ages.

True going back up to sell is important but I'm not finding that basic loop of go into a mine, gather ore, run out of lamp oil, backtrack back to the surface to sell, repeat. It's too much forced backtracking and the timer of the lamp feels like an unwelcome limitation.

I like everything I do in the mines, I like everything I do above the mines. But the way this game limits my time in the mines and the backtracking back to the surface is dragging down the experience in a big way.
 
That's true and I have invested into a lot of the lamp upgrades as well but the timer of the lamp still drags down the experience for me.



True going back up to sell is important but I'm not finding that basic loop of go into a mine, gather ore, run out of lamp oil, backtrack back to the surface to sell, repeat. It's too much forced backtracking and the timer of the lamp feels like an unwelcome limitation.

I like everything I do in the mines, I like everything I do above the mines. But the way this game limits my time in the mines and the backtracking back to the surface is dragging down the experience in a big way.

It annoyed me in the first game, but here I found the environments were well lit enough anyway that I just let my lamp run out and pressed on ahead, just at the risk of missing gems or accidentally stepping on explosive obstacles (and barrels light up with proximity anyway), while taking out enemies aggressively in case they dropped more fuel. You can still get plenty accomplished in the dark.
 

watershed

Banned
It annoyed me in the first game, but here I found the environments were well lit enough anyway that I just let my lamp run out and pressed on ahead, just at the risk of missing gems or accidentally stepping on explosive obstacles (and barrels light up with proximity anyway), while taking out enemies aggressively in case they dropped more fuel. You can still get plenty accomplished in the dark.

Totally, and sometimes I will do just that: keep exploring in the dark because the gameplay is still solid. But the darkness is not appealing and it is somewhat limiting and the cool music goes away. It's just that vibe of fun is lost and that always bugs me in games. I think, outside of limited circumstances, a game world should never be uninviting and running out of lamp oil makes the mines very uninviting for me both because of the obvious visual difference and the stark shift in tone/atmosphere.
 
I don't think the lamp's limited fuel is an issue at all in this game. The gameplay loop is very carefully designed and it works brilliantly. Your lamp has limited fuel, your pouch has limited space for resources, and there are fast travel points everywhere. You dig a bit closer to your next objective, you collect gems, you travel back to the surface, you upgrade your equipment, rinse and repeat. It's all handled very, very well.
 
I was thinking of picking this up today but wanted to check something first. I have a bunch of credit at Game (UK) and was wondering if I this eShop credit works on the Switch, as it doesn’t say it on the card:

Link
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Going in completely blind - never played a Steamworld game before, just saw the amazing review scores and synopses.
 

Plum

Member
I was thinking of picking this up today but wanted to check something first. I have a bunch of credit at Game (UK) and was wondering if I this eShop credit works on the Switch, as it doesn’t say it on the card:

Link

I know the ones specifically for Wii U and 3DS work on the Switch, but I haven't seen anything about the type you posted. I personally wouldn't risk it, especially when the game is £10 cheaper than the cost of that card anyway.
 

Lizardus

Member
I did a marathon run of this game as well and just hit the end credits: 74%, bronze in time (
a little under 10 hours
, silver in deaths/secrets, gold in wealth. I think I might also hop to Thimbleweed Park first before I sweep the map for 100%, just to take a break. (Or just not play games for a bit, because the Switch is devouring my life.) As others have noted, the remarkable thing about Dig 2 is that it's not actually that much longer or bigger than Dig 1, but it feels several times larger because there is much less redundancy. It's constantly brimming with new decisions, ideas, and challenges, and if anything, these could all use even more room to breathe. It was all over in a flash and I'm not at all ready to be done with it, so in that respect I'm glad the road to 100% still lies ahead.

To answer your question about that boss: I got it on the second try and found that the cog setups I was already using were well suited for it, the most useful one being
the jetpack upgrade that gives you infinite flight if you tap instead of hold B, which combines well with the ramjet to break through dirt when you're evading Rosie's attacks and looking for health recharges. The acid/lava resistance and the shield upgrade that blocks a projectile every thirty seconds are also useful here for mitigating a lot of damage that could stack up on you. At least one standard upgrade for the jackhammer is also useful so you can bust through brick.

As for the fight itself,
I found that the hardest thing to deal with was the dash attack, especially if you're unfortunate enough to be below Rosie and she dunks you into the acid. Just stay at a diagonal to her if you can. If you don't have a good platform to stand on to deflect the big missile directly back at Rosie, you can get in the air and deflect it with your hookshot, not just your pick—though watch your timing here as it's a bit slow. If you're this far in the game you should have plenty of practice with aiming the hookshot while jumping/flying. Other than that, when the terrain rearranges itself new health orbs appear, so don't hesitate to just fly around the map picking up every one you can, as you don't need to save them for later.

For those wondering how the postgame works:
diving back into your file just takes you back to town in the state you were in before the final fight
Hey thanks a lot,that helped!!!

So that was the final boss? I was expecting more after that.

10 hours and 47 minutes, 44 cogs and 13 collectibles

This is probably the fastest I've beaten a game in years and I don't mean in terms of the length but how it has managed to capture my attention enough to beat it in under a day.

DLC when? 😁😁
 

jrcbandit

Member
I am trying to do one of the challenges... Edit: Never mind, it was actually pretty easy. I just didn't expect it the first time.
 

dock

Member
Steamworld Dig 1:
DKNgZwmUMAIV2f9.jpg

I didn't get on with the Steamworld Dig 1 artwork at all. It felt like ropey Futurama fanart, I really wasn't into it, and didn't try the game for a while because of it.

I didn't realise how different Steamworld Dig 2's visuals were until I bought the game, and wow! It's a massive improvement! The characters all look great, and the environments are fantastic too. A really great use of 2D art in a tile-style visuals. Looks amazing on the TV and on handheld mode too.

Played for several hours last night, didn't want to stop playing. That core digging loop is fantastic in other games too (Miner Dig Deep, etc), but there is so much rock solid game design in play here.

Shame the UI for buttons and directions is confusing if you're using the pro controller, or analogue.
 

Pand

Member
This game is amazing. 2017 really is a great year for gaming.

I'm kinda stuck though. Mid-late game spoilers (I guess?):
I'm at the arrow temple and can't get past the room with the shitton of arrows. It closes up and I don't get what I should be doing, I just keep dying...
 

Haunted

Member
Going for 100% right now and although the game communicates its secrets really well (with the right upgrades), I'm still stumped in some areas.

Good stuff.
 

Haunted

Member
This game is amazing. 2017 really is a great year for gaming.

I'm kinda stuck though. Mid-late game spoilers (I guess?):
I'm at the arrow temple and can't get past the room with the shitton of arrows. It closes up and I don't get what I should be doing, I just keep dying...
Just evade for a time using the big block in the middle as cover. The doors open automatically afterwards.
 

kizmah

Member
I got stuck at one part with map markers on so I have no idea how you guys do it that turn that stuff off.

I turned it off as soon as I could and I've had no trouble at all. The game is very naturally nudging you in the right direction and in this type of game I don't mind being lost. That just forces me to explore to the fullest.

How are the rest of you playing, markers on or off?
 
So, has anyone figured out what
"Sigillum Caelum et Infernum" does? I've 100% all of the maps and secrets, there's literally no ore/gems left anywhere on the map, and I have been wandering around tapping bits of the desert ground with my fists looking for what this is supposed to do...

I'll probably just go through it again for a better time... but.. hmm.. Oh! For those interested in quick leveling, I did a video explaining the best place to do that.

Also, I can't really give this game a perfect score because it does not seem to contain
Hats.
Although.. wow at some of the upgrades usefulness and the fact that, if you go to quit to the title screen, it will tell you how long it has been since the game last saved. Which more games should do.
 
What items to upgrade first? I keep alternating between backpack and axe (tier 7 and 8 respectively) and armor on occasion. Anything else you recommend?
 
What items to upgrade first? I keep alternating between backpack and axe (tier 7 and 8 respectively) and armor on occasion. Anything else you recommend?

You are practically required to upgrade your Pressure Bomb and Lantern if you want to successfully find all of the secrets. Also, that upgrade for the water tank that requires a blueprint.. you want that. It's fantastic.
 

Fliesen

Member
What items to upgrade first? I keep alternating between backpack and axe (tier 7 and 8 respectively) and armor on occasion. Anything else you recommend?

i always go for mining pick and storage bags first.
Mining pick has perks that give you extra XP and extra money per hit, extra XP also leads to a higher money multiplier.

Those upgrades pay off in no time, imho.

I turned it off as soon as I could and I've had no trouble at all. The game is very naturally nudging you in the right direction and in this type of game I don't mind being lost. That just forces me to explore to the fullest.

How are the rest of you playing, markers on or off?

as a completionist, i love having markers on so i know where to not go.

I also love the fact that 'challenge caves' show a green check mark if you 100% completed them. That really calms my nerves.
 
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