SteamWorld Dig 2

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SteamWorld Dig 2 is an action-adventure platformer game developed and published by Image & Form. It’s the fourth game in the SteamWorld series and the direct sequel to SteamWorld Dig.

It released in 2017 for Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, with later versions for Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, Stadia, and Amazon Luna. Rising Star Games released physical copies for Switch and PS4 in 2018. The game is single-player.

Gameplay centers on exploring a large underground mine in a Metroidvania-style world. You control Dorothy, a steam-powered robot searching for Rusty, the hero from the first game. You dig, fight enemies, and gather resources, using them to buy upgrades in a hub town. Dorothy can unlock new gear like pressure bombs, a hookshot, and a pneumatic arm. Weapons have perks you activate with Upgrade Cogs found in hidden areas. New blueprints for upgrades appear as you level up, finish quests, or discover artifacts.

Story recap: The events fit between SteamWorld Dig and SteamWorld Heist. Dorothy teams up with Fen to find Rusty in El Machino. They meet the Shiners, humans addicted to Moon Juice, led by Rosie. Rosie tries to control Moon Juice by interfering with machines; it’s revealed Rosie lied about earthquakes. Dorothy defeats Rosie, rescues Rusty, but a fusion distillery destabilizes. Fen stays behind to help the townspeople escape on a rocket as the planet explodes. The survivors set out into space to build a new civilization, and Dorothy hopes to reunite with Fen someday.

Reception: Critics praised the game for improvements over the first, its world and gameplay. It scored 88/100 on Metacritic and received several award nominations, including Best Portable Game (Destructoid 2017), Best Switch Game and Best Action-Adventure Game (IGN Best of 2017), Game Engineering (NAVGTR), and Best Indie Game (Golden Joystick Awards 2018).