New Eden Radio Reviews: Dig or Die

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Developer: Gaddy Games

Publisher: Gaddy Games

Release Date: July 10, 2018

Platform: PC

Price on release: $11.99 USD Available on Steam

Reviewed by: Fantazmythe with commentary by Daggaroth

Dig or Die is the latest release by Gaddy Games and crashlands you on a foreign planet with little more than an auto fabricator, a miniturizor(mining tool/deconstructor) and a bit of scrap metal and informs you that you must find the resources to raise your technology to a high enough level to build a ship to get off the planet. It takes you on a journey of mystery and peril, all the while making you dig ever deeper for those all important ores and crafting materials and does so in a delightful and colorful manner all to a vibrant, energetic and adventurous soundtrack.

 

Gameplay: 9/10 score

 

So far I have clocked about 17 hours of gameplay so i haven’t even come close to finishing it at least once but so far the game has been very enjoyable for both Daggaroth and myself.

When selecting a new game you are greeted with the character creation system then the game starts off by telling you that you have been stranded on a planet and have to find a way to build spaceship to get you off the planet. As the game starts you are attacked by the local fauna and have to defend yourself with the weapon you have been given and collect the resources required to upgrade your auto builder so you can upgrade your minaturizor and mine harder materials and rinse and repeat. Every night you are attacked en mass by any species you have killed at least one of, so in that regard it is an excellent way to play the game at your own pace and make sure you have the gear/technology required to not only keep defending yourself on your subterranean adventures but to also survive the nightly retaliation of whatever you have killed so far.

The User Interface is  quite a minimalist, albeit elegant affair with the usual menu button, health bar, inventory slots as well as an indicator for the time of day and later on a minimap.

The inventory and crafting screens again only show you what you really need to know without it being too simplified, the latter having several category tabs on the side to help you navigate through different types of crafted items.

 

One of the elements that really makes this game stand out is how the water is handled. In Dig or Die there is rain. And not just as some background element but it actually pools in any area at least 1 block high on each side and if you’re not careful can cause you a few issues when exploring as you can drown if you run out of air. There is also water infiltration where water can slowly leak through more permeable materials like dirt.

On the plus side though, when the water is deep enough it can spawn new flora and fauna in the manner of coral and fish that can be farmed for crafting materials.

 

Multiplayer:7/10 score

 

Multiplayer is essentially single player but you can play with a friend. The only two issues i have found with multiplayer so far is that resources are not shared nor is there more resources to be had than a single-player game so sometimes there isn’t enough resources for both people to craft the gear that they need. The other issue being that you can’t just invite someone to a game you have already started; you have to start a brand new multiplayer game.

 

Graphics: 9/10 score

 

Graphics are typical of this type of game, though a little more polished then some of the other games like terraria. Quite a colorful game during the day cycle with some weather effects as an added bonus. Not much more to say here really.

 

Audio: 8/10 Score

 

For an arcade style game like this it has a very enjoyable soundtrack reminiscent of the games it is based off while still having its own vibe.

 

Overall: 9/10

 

Over all i gave this game a 9 out of 10 because of the minor gripes i had with the multiplayer aspect. It’s a very fun and addictive game and you should totally buy it!