DIG - Deep In Galaxies review: Starting a rebellion in space has never felt so satisfying
Developed by Molton Studio and published by Raiser Games, DIG - Deep In Galaxies is an action-platformer set against the backdrop of a galactic takeover. The Overlord's forces are running amok, and it's up to you to liberate one planet at a time to defeat this evil. With the help of unlikely weapons and gear, the galaxy will be free once more.
Being a roguelike experience makes it even more thrilling as death is not the end. The best part is that it offers a multiplayer experience as well, which makes taking on the Overlords even more fun and entertaining.
DIG - Deep In Galaxies: Let's go start a rebellion
On the surface, DIG - Deep In Galaxies doesn't seem to offer much. It seems rather simple, and a bit of a drag for those not familiar with the genre. But once you move past the graphics and get into the gameplay, that's where things shine the brightest. Now, I'm not a fan-boy of action-platformers as such.
Given my buttery fingers, the gaming session turned into a button-mash fest, but nonetheless, I couldn't resist giving it a shot. After a brief tutorial that explained the basics and mechanics/features to the full extent, I was given (borrowed without permission) my own Digging Starship to do with as I please.
With the Overlord's forces running amok on planets throughout the cosmos, my task was simple: Find planets to liberate, fight tooth and nail to complete the objective, or at times, deliver food to starving resistance fighters and leave with some sweet loot and perks.
First impressions and gameplay
Right off the bat, DIG - Deep In Galaxies seems easy going. Once I completed the tutorial, understanding how to liberate planets was a breeze. I recommend going for easy planets first, as taking on the harder ones will be tough without proper gear. To ensure you don't mess up, it's always a good idea to keep an eye out for the type that you're going to.
Depending on the level of difficulty, gravity, and materials you have to contend with, some missions will be harder. Thankfully there's plenty of gear to choose from to make life much easier while liberating planets. From the odd Carving Knife, to the more exoticed Silenced Clock, there's something for everyone. That being said, I found the close-range weapon much more useful than the long-distance option.
If timed just right, I could swing in mid-air while slashing out at critters to inflict damage. While the strategy does allow you to save ammunition, it can get risky if they come at you from every side. I learnt this the hard when I focused my attention on those scaling the sides of the wall, while ignoring the flying ones.
Although the main goal was to liberate planets and take out Overlords, I found myself exploring the vastness of space more. Aside from planets, there are explorable asteroids, space debris, and all manner of cosmic things that can be explored. Some of these places are more exotic than others and feature things like magma surfaces or underwater levels.
Unlike planets, these are a bit more extreme to navigate due to the added risk, but the rewards gained at the end are well worth it. For the most part, I focused on buffing my HP to the max to ensure that I wouldn't have to buy healing items from traders. This ensured that my hard-earned coins could be spent buying other things such as weapons and articles of clothing.
With each piece of equipment adding buffs to the character, trying to min-max things is a great way to make the most of the situation. Besides, given that your melee weapon is also your digging tool, having a great looking "shovel" is always good for morale. On the other hand, taking on bosses is not.
Trying to platform using my two left thumbs was a hellish ordeal that left me mashing my keyboard more than once. Thankfully, and eventually, I was able to take down bosses with a breeze, but not before internally screaming my lungs out. Once it's done, the feeling is invigorating to say the least.
Performance and sound
I played DIG - Deep In Galaxies on a system with the following configuration:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
- RAM: 32 GB
It goes without saying that the game ran perfectly. There were no crashes, no noticeable lag, no interruption, nothing else but good old fashioned hack-and-slash action. As for the sound and music, DIG - Deep In Galaxies does a decent job on that front.
In conclusion
DIG - Deep In Galaxies gets a lot of things right: From procedurally generated planets to item/weapons that are both comical and deadly in combat. Given the numerous types of planets that are present, it's always a delight making landfall and trying to literally beat it by whatever means required or helping out the resistance. However, after a while, it sort of gets stale.
During my playthrough, I ended up helping deliver potatoes to a group of fighters more than a few times. Having said that, while every time was different given the planet's layout and other factors, the mission itself became monotonous. I mean, I'm all game for helping rid the galaxy of evil Overlord, but I don't wanna do it by delivering potatoes every now and then.
That said, other than this minor complaint, DIG - Deep In Galaxies is a great game. Although the gameplay can get frustrating after dying to random falling stalactites, no one said saving the galaxy would be easy. There's a lot to do as a newplayer, and by unlocking a character, starting a new game is always fun.
Reviewed on: PC (Code provided by Raiser Games)
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Molton Studio
Publisher: Raiser Games
Release date: March 8, 2023
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Abu Amjad Khan