This morning, Image & Form Games officially confirmed that its original masterpiece, SteamWorld Dig, will be coming to Nintendo Switch on February 1. For anyone who loves the thrill of exploration and the gratification that comes with slow and steady character progression, this is a no-brainer. Check out the celebratory tweet from Image & Form:
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Yes it’s TRUE! Rusty has dug his way up and will resurface on #NintendoSwitch. Our claim to fame, our wonderful pride and joy #SteamWorldDig is coming February 1! $9.99 / €9.99 🎉😃❤️ Save up, save the date and RT! pic.twitter.com/noKOzaoJlF
— Image & Form Games (@ImageForm) January 22, 2018
This will complete the Image & Form Games trifecta. SteamWorld Dig 2 released first on Nintendo Switch to ravenous acclaim. Following Dig 2‘s success, Image & Form brought over SteamWorld Heist, a spiritual successor to SteamWorld Dig that focuses on entirely new characters and a wildly different gameplay style. Nintendo Switch fans just couldn’t get enough, so it only makes sense to come full circle and re-launch the game that converted many 3DS owners to lifelong Image & Form supporters.
This is an especially fascinating progression of events to this author, since I had zero experience with the SteamWorld games before I started playing them on my Switch. I went backwards. I started with SteamWorld Dig 2, which I absolutely adored, and then I moved on to SteamWorld Heist as soon as they launched it. Since Dig will be offered up at a super-reasonable $9.99, there’s no reason not to give it a go.
The only concern will be for those who, like me, will be playing the series in reverse. From what I’ve heard, SteamWorld Dig 2 improves upon every single aspect of the first game, and represents a modern refinement that will spoil anyone looking to go back. Can SteamWorld Dig truly hold up for anyone who played its sequel, or is it destined to be overshadowed by constant comparison and nitpicking?
The biggest difference, that I’m aware of, is level design. Similar to SteamWorld Heist, SteamWorld Dig‘s levels are procedurally generated, whereas SteamWorld Dig 2‘s world is hand-crafted and designed from top to bottom. Depending on your preference, this could mean one of two things: either you’ll be disappointed by the lack of polish and direction as you progress, or you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the constant novelty.
