Introduction

The SteamWorld Dig series can be considered one of the best gateway titles for getting familiar with the metroidvania genre. The first installment combined digging, exploration, and gradual progression to introduce many of the genre’s core concepts in a simple, accessible way, though it had flaws that kept it from reaching its full potential. Rather than abandoning this formula, SteamWorld Dig 2 focuses on refining and expanding it. Does this sequel manage to preserve the legacy of the original and become a successful follow-up?

Story

The story picks up after the events of the first game, with Dorothy setting off on a new adventure in search of Rusty, the protagonist of the previous title. Along the way, you meet a character named Fin, who serves as your companion. Fin’s presence helps the player connect with Dorothy on a deeper level and makes the narrative more engaging than in the original. Throughout the journey, Fin provides new information about various regions and plays an important role in the search for Rusty, a contrast to the first game, where connecting with Rusty wasn’t particularly easy and the story mostly served the gameplay.

Gameplay Overview

In addition, the presence of two towns and various NPCs gives the game world a stronger sense of identity. Conversations with different characters not only help the narrative but also make the environment feel more alive than in the first game, whose main town wasn’t especially memorable or impactful.

The beating heart of SteamWorld Dig 2 lies in its gameplay. The core loop is built around digging, gathering resources, and upgrading equipment, designed in a way that’s hard to put down. The player ventures deep into the mines in search of gems and various resources to sell and upgrade their equipment, gaining access to deeper areas. Thanks to its solid design, this simple loop becomes addictive; you’ll often find yourself thinking “just a few more minutes,” only to suddenly realize your inventory is full or your light source has run out. This naturally pulls you back to the surface to sell your resources and head back down with better equipment, creating a cycle that constantly encourages the player to seek more valuable resources and explore further.

The level design also shows noticeable improvement over the first game. SteamWorld Dig 2 uses a metroidvania structure to encourage continuous exploration. Throughout the adventure, you repeatedly encounter paths and areas you initially can’t access, which sparks curiosity and motivates you to keep progressing in pursuit of new abilities. For example, while digging you’ll come across blocks that can no longer be broken with your pickaxe, leaving you wondering how to get past them. The game answers this by later granting the player a drill, opening up these previously blocked paths. Once these abilities are obtained, players can also revisit earlier areas to discover new secrets and resources, an approach that stands as one of the defining features of the metroidvania genre.

The level design also indirectly encourages creativity and planning. Limited resources and the placement of obstacles push the player to constantly think about their digging path and choose the best route to reach valuable resources or new areas. This means digging isn’t reduced to simply holding down a button; it adds a layer of decision-making and resource management as well.

That said, the level design isn’t always flawless. In some sections, the distance between checkpoints becomes excessive, which can turn repeated attempts at certain paths into a tedious experience. Fortunately, this issue only appears in a limited number of areas and isn’t significant enough to affect the overall quality of the experience, though it remains one of the few notable flaws in the level design.

SteamWorld Dig 2 also fixes many of the issues found in various gameplay systems from the first game. In the original, some new abilities were given to the player without sufficient explanation, forcing them to learn through trial and error. The sequel performs much better in this regard, communicating how to use new abilities far more clearly. As a result, the process of learning new mechanics feels smoother than before.

Upgrades also play an important role in keeping the exploration loop engaging. By collecting and selling resources, players can upgrade various pieces of equipment and abilities, upgrades whose impact is clearly felt in gameplay and that make accessing new areas easier. This ensures that gathering resources always has a clear purpose, and the player’s progress feels tangible.

However, not every design decision in this area lands. One of the strangest upgrades in the game is the ability to display enemies’ health bars, information that many games provide from the very start, but which SteamWorld Dig 2 instead locks behind an upgrade. This decision means a small portion of the player’s valuable resources gets spent on something that should arguably be a basic feature rather than a purchasable upgrade.

The death system is also more sensibly designed compared to the first game. While the original punished players by taking away a significant portion of their money upon death, the sequel takes a more balanced approach, only deducting a portion of the resources collected. This change ensures that death still carries weight, without leaving the player feeling devastated over losing hours of progress.

The Fast Travel system has also been improved. In the first game, the ability to quickly move between regions was limited, often forcing players to retrace long paths. The sequel expands this system significantly, making travel across the map far smoother and giving players more time to focus on digging and exploration.

World & Visual Design

Environmental variety is another one of SteamWorld Dig 2’s strengths. Throughout the adventure, players pass through a range of different regions, each with its own distinct visual identity and unique challenges. This variety keeps the exploration loop feeling fresh all the way to the end, ensuring that digging through the depths never grows repetitive. Visually, too, the game shows a marked improvement over its predecessor; greater environmental detail, better-designed regions, and higher-quality visual effects make SteamWorld Dig 2 considerably more striking and memorable than the original.

Conclusion

SteamWorld Dig 2 is a prime example of a successful sequel; a title that not only preserves and expands upon the strengths of the original, but also fixes many of its shortcomings. A more engaging narrative, improved level design, smoother gameplay systems, and numerous refinements across various aspects all come together to make this a more complete and enjoyable experience than its predecessor. That said, the game isn’t entirely without flaws, and certain decisions, like turning the enemy health bar display into an upgrade or the occasionally excessive distance between checkpoints, are worth criticizing, though these issues don’t significantly impact the overall quality of the experience. SteamWorld Dig 2 not only succeeds in preserving the legacy of the first game but, by expanding on its winning ideas, has become one of the finest examples the metroidvania genre has to offer.