SteamWorld Dig 2 was a game I played with zero expectations. Yet, as I began digging deep into its labyrinthine tunnels, I was in for a big realization.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead)
Games are a powerful medium for alleviating anxiety and stress. Keeping virtual pets and farms seems like a good idea to ward off real-life troubles. Even a simple game of Tetris is a proven stress buster. Scientific evidence suggests that video game-based interventions are useful and effective in reducing symptoms of depressive disorders.
“SteamWorld Dig 2” came to me at a crucial point in my life, a personal mea culpa of sorts, and I was sleepless for weeks. Unaware of a contagion that would hit a couple of years later, this tumultuous period would be secondary to the viral travesty that struck us all. “Hollow Knight” had renewed my interest in Metroidvanias, and I was actively searching for more games of its kind.
“SteamWorld Dig 2” launched in the autumn of 2017. It is a Metroidvania-styled 2D platformer that has you seeking a lost companion. We play as Dorothy, a steam-powered robot, who is seeking her lost companion, Rusty. We start out in a location reminiscent of the Grand Canyon and head to a mining town seeking answers.
SteamWorld Dig 2: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
We head toward a mining town, El Machino, in search of Rusty. Dorothy is armed with a pickaxe which we use for spelunking and digging deep into the earth. The axe can be upgraded as we progress into the game. Before we find the city, we encounter a Vectron sprite (small, blue floating fire) called Fen at the Temple of Guidance.
Initially Fen is Belligerent and after its encounter with Dorothy it reveals that it was abducted by the cultists and connected to the totem, becoming an object of worship and a source of self-destructive energy. Surprisingly, Fen found great delight in this role. When Dorothy shattered the totem they were trapped in, Fen opted to accompany Dorothy on her journey within her furnace, ensuring the adventure and amusement persisted.
The two immediately form a bond that’s mutually beneficial to both of them. Fen likes messing around with Dorothy and finds the furnace powering her warm and cozy. Fen helps Dorothy in finding her way around the mines (Map) and follows her as a constant companion. You can’t help but adore the budding friendship, which, as we shall learn, will turn only stronger.
Upon reaching El Machino, a mining town, Dorothy is delighted to bump into Trader Carson. Baffled at finding someone familiar so far from home, Dorothy reveals the events that led Rusty to go missing. She also learns that Rusty has been rumored to be missing in the mines.
After our conversations with Carson, we’re led to the main town center where we encounter the town’s eclectic mix of residents. There’s a murmur in town about frequent earthquakes. The smartest among them, Prof. Sherman, has been noticing and warning townsfolk about the same. Then there’s the town mayor, Mic Yonker, a dolt of a steambot who pooh-poohes all the warnings about earthquakes.
What we see here is that the developers, Image & Form Games, have established a safe haven in the form of the town, El Machino, which instills a sense of safety and intrigue, if not terror.
I can discuss similar safe havens in other games, like Bend Studio’s “Days Gone.” The ever-present sense of dread is punctuated by encountering small settlements that offer respite from zombie hordes. These settlements provide temporary relief, allowing you to share your adventures with fellow distressed or traumatized residents.
And it was in this quirky mix of residents that I found my safe haven. There’s Ma Yonker, the mother of the mayor. She is quite vocal about her son being a total blockhead. Turtle Bucket, Davy Bittenborough, Barnacle Jones – these are the folks you trade and upgrade your gear with, and you will be dealing with them for most of your spelunking expeditions.
Steam World Dig 2: The Gameplay
Once we’re acquainted with the townsfolk and have explored the town, we set off on our adventures, seeking Rusty. There’s vertical exploration as we go from top to bottom, digging deep into the earth. The sense of direction becomes palpable once we’ve dug quite far from town. The lights start to grow faint, and the background changes from the town’s foundations to just hard rocks and caves.
The digging aspect is where the game shines. Now, let’s talk about the often overlooked feature in most games. I personally call it the “crunch” effect. It’s that satisfying thud you hear upon smashing your enemies or completing a round of puzzles, à la Candy Crush Saga. Get it? Well, the digging and smashing sounds in the game are delicious. You are tempted to crunch that stone brick between your teeth while playing it.
The levels start off as soft rocks but get harder as you dig deeper, and upgrades are essential in the later levels to make progress. The gist is we enter the mines, collect precious ore to upgrade/trade, make small talk with the townsfolk, and re-enter with new and upgraded equipment. Getting a jet engine and a hookshot later grants easier access to deeper levels.
The Underground Settlement
On one of our journeys to the mines, we uncover a settlement called the Oasis. The residents of Oasis seem to be addicts of a substance called moon juice. Rosie, their leader, is the only one who is supposedly not addicted and deceives Dorothy and Fen into believing that the quakes are being caused by three machines. After destroying the machines, Dorothy learns that they were actually built by Rusty to prevent Rosie from harnessing the power of the fusion reactor, which would eventually lead to an endless supply of moon juice.
Before the discovery of the Oasis, the story acquires an escapist tone, with Prof. Sherman building a Rocket, and the sense of the town decaying away is palpable. You play for that scenario, for that feeling, to believe that everything will be all right eventually. Another theme we eventually come to realize is that of sacrifice.
Fen, who, when we first met, delighted in killing and causing mayhem. However, his presence grows on you eventually, and so does his evil humor. Fen could have been a mischievous demon from a dark Japanese folk tale in an alternate reality. With the defeat of Rosie and the collapse of the oasis during the endgame, the trio of Dorothy, Rusty, and Fen needs to escape the crumbling mines. Since Rusty is passed out and slowing the party, Fen decides to sacrifice himself by staying back but also facilitating the opening of a portal for the two to escape.
Eventually, the two make it back to town just in time for them to escape on Prof. Sherman’s rocket. The promised sigh of relief falters before it arrives, and a poignant Dorothy thinks of the friend she left behind. This sets a tone for a sequel, but for me, the game was complete.
While it would take more than a game for me to realize that no troubles last forever, I couldn’t help but recall that “Tomorrow is just another day.” As Martin Luther King would say, “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” There is no denying that I was playing SteamWorld the most when I was at the bottom of my personal barrel. I took solace in the fact that the game provided some respite for me to ponder the life that lay ahead.
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