Honestly, the first time I cracked open the ground in El Machino, I didn't think I’d be spending twenty hours obsessed with a robot named Dorothy. It's weird. You’re a steam-powered automaton digging for a missing friend in a world that’s basically a post-apocalyptic Western. But it works. SteamWorld Dig 2 isn't just a sequel that "refined the mechanics" of the original. It’s one of those rare instances where a developer, Image & Form, took a solid concept and turned it into a masterclass of pacing and reward loops.
Most people look at the screenshots and see a mining game. They think Terraria or Minecraft. They’re wrong.
What SteamWorld Dig 2 Actually Gets Right About Exploration
The magic of this game isn't the digging. It’s the movement. You start out clunky, heavy, and limited. By the end, you’re basically Spider-Man with a pickaxe and a jetpack. The transition from a slow, methodical crawl to high-speed aerial acrobatics is so smooth you barely notice it happening. Unlike the first game, which relied on procedurally generated maps that often felt a bit hollow, every single block in the sequel's world was placed by a human hand.
That design choice makes a massive difference.
When you find a secret, it’s because the developers teased you with a tiny crack in the wall or a flicker of light. It feels earned. There’s this specific tension in the early game where your lamp light is fading, your pockets are full of gems, and you have to decide whether to push deeper or retreat to the surface. It’s a gambling mechanic disguised as a platformer.
The world-building is surprisingly deep, too. You aren't just in a desert. You descend into bioluminescent jungles and weird, hallucinogenic temples that feel like they belong in a different game entirely. It’s jarring in the best way.
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The RPG Mechanics Nobody Talks About
We need to talk about the cogs. In most Metroidvanias, you find a power-up, and that’s it. You have the double jump now. Congratulations. In SteamWorld Dig 2, every upgrade has a socket system. You find these hidden "Golden Cogs" tucked away in challenge rooms, and you use them to toggle specific perks for your gear.
Maybe you want your pickaxe to have a chance of destroying adjacent blocks. Or maybe you want your jetpack to consume less water while you’re mid-air. You can swap these on the fly back at the hub. It allows for actual "builds." If you’re struggling with a platforming section, you can spec into mobility. If you’re hunting for secrets, you can turn on the "blueprint" perks that highlight treasure through walls.
It’s flexible. It’s smart. It respects the player's time.
The Reality of the SteamWorld Timeline
Understanding where this fits in the broader SteamWorld universe is a bit of a headache. Image & Form (now part of Thunderful) has this habit of jumping genres constantly. You’ve got SteamWorld Heist (a turn-based tactical shooter), SteamWorld Quest (a deck-builder), and SteamWorld Build (a city-sim).
Technically, SteamWorld Dig 2 is a direct sequel to the first Dig, but it’s also a prequel to Heist. You’re playing as Dorothy, looking for Rusty—the protagonist of the first game. The ending of this game is actually what sets the stage for the robots leaving the planet and heading into space. It’s a surprisingly grim bit of lore for a game that looks so colorful.
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The game handles its story with a light touch, though. You aren't bogged down by cutscenes. Most of the flavor comes from talking to the weirdos in town, like the prophet who thinks the world is ending or the shady merchants.
Why This Game Still Holds Up Years Later
Gaming moves fast. By 2026, we’ve seen a dozen "hollow-likes" and "souls-likes" flood the indie market. Some are great. Most are frustrating. What keeps people coming back to this specific title is the lack of friction.
There is no "corpse run" where you lose all your progress if you die. You lose some loot, sure, but the game wants you to keep going. It’s a "comfort game." Even when the difficulty spikes in the later trials—and they do get genuinely tough—the controls are so precise that you can't really blame the game for your failures.
- The soundtrack: It’s a mix of Ennio Morricone-style Western whistles and synth-heavy electronic beats. It shouldn't work. It does.
- The hookshot: It is objectively one of the best feeling grappling hooks in 2D gaming history.
- The "just one more trip" loop: You go down, get money, buy a bigger tank, go deeper. It’s primal.
Common Misconceptions and Frustrations
I’ve seen people complain that the game is too short. If you rush the main story, you can probably see the credits in about seven or eight hours. But if you play it that way, you're missing the point. The "post-game" and the pursuit of 100% completion is where the real level design shines. There are hidden caves that require absolute mastery of the mechanics—specifically the jetpack and the sticky bombs.
Another thing: people often think you need to have played the first game. You don't. The intro gives you enough context. In fact, going back to the first game after playing the second is hard because the sequel improved the movement so drastically.
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How to Actually Max Out Your Run
If you’re picking this up for the first time, or finally going back to finish that 80% save file, stop buying the armor upgrades immediately. Focus on the Water Tank and the Lamp.
Water is your "mana" in this game. It fuels your steam-powered tools. If you run out of water, you’re basically a defenseless metal bucket. The lamp is your timer. Exploring in the dark is possible, but it’s miserable and you’ll miss half the secrets. Once your utility is leveled up, the combat becomes trivial because you can just spam pressure bombs from a distance.
Also, look for the "Artifacts." They are the collectibles that give you access to the most powerful cog perks. Some of them are hidden behind "fake" walls that don't have the typical visual cues. Pay attention to the sound. There’s a specific hollow thud when you hit a wall that can be broken.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you want to get the most out of SteamWorld Dig 2, don't just follow the quest markers. The game is designed to be broken.
- Prioritize the Sky-Siren: As soon as you get the jetpack, spend your cogs on the "fuel efficiency" mods. It changes the game from a platformer to an exploration sim.
- The Blueprint Perk: As soon as it becomes available, keep it on. It reveals secret paths within your line of sight. It saves hours of aimless digging.
- Check the Map Percentages: Each sub-area (like the Temple of Guidance or the Yarrow) has its own completion percentage. If you aren't at 100%, you’ve missed a Golden Cog. Find it.
- Experiment with the Jackhammer: Most players stick to the pickaxe, but the jackhammer allows for much faster movement through hard rock, and when combined with the right perks, it becomes a devastating weapon.
The game is a masterpiece of "trimming the fat." Every mechanic serves a purpose, and every upgrade feels significant. It’s one of the few games where the "platinum" or 100% completion doesn't feel like a chore—it feels like the intended way to experience the world. If you haven't touched it since launch, it's time to dig back in.