On top of the (already known about) Headhunter

As much as our eyes can glaze over when skimming through game publishers' financial reports, sometimes, there are head-turning tidbits about upcoming games we'd actually like to play. In this case, it sure seems like Thunderful has big plans for the wider SteamWorld series �four new games are in the works, including SteamWorld Headhunter, a body-swap?ping robot cowboy adventure we learned ab??out last year.

According to the Thunderful Group's report for January through March 2022 (via IGN), SteamWorld Headhunter is on deck for 2023, and there are three other titles on th?e way:

• A SteamWorld puzzle game codenamed "Strawberry" (2023) (Mobile)
• A SteamWorld city-builder codenamed "Coffee" (2023) (PC and Console)
• A SteamWorld turn-based tactical shooter / strategy game codenamed "Caramel" (2024) (PC, Console, and Mobile)

A mobile puzzle game isn't much to go on, but my mind is whirling up thinking about the possibilities for a city-builder in this charming robot universe. Likewise, as much as SteamWorld Dig and its sequel are my favorites, I know plenty of people who prefer SteamWorld Heist? �and a "tactical sho?oter" sounds like it could be in that wheelhouse.

Thunderful's upcoming games through 2024

[caption id="attachment_322585" align="alignnone" width="909"] _{SteamWorld games and other upcoming projects at Thunderful.}[/caption]

Looking through this list of upcoming games, I also couldn't help but notice Coatsink's "Jurassic World IP game," codenamed "Jaffa," which is categorized as survival horror and listed for release during the second half of 2022 across consoles and VR. Sick, right? It took me a minute to connect the dots, but that sure sounds like Jurassic World Aftermath, a "suspenseful VR survival adventure" that's already playable now on Meta Ques?t.

Interestingly, earlier in the report, Thunderful specifically mentions that "Coatsink has been chosen to develop a launch title for Sony’s next-generation VR console, PSVR2."

Thunderful said this "cements Coatsi??nk's top role in the VR industry, and through them we are now in a great position to influence the future of VR business and t?echnology."

While we don't have concrete dates yet, I'm eager to see what other studios Sony has courted for the PlayStation VR2 launch. And as someone who's been with SteamWorld since the beginning, it's cool to see it continue to grow in new ways. I'm not expecting to lov??e all four upcoming games (not without more info), but I'd be happy with just a couple?.

Whoever's coming up?? with these codenames, you??'re killing it.

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Nintendo of America is apparently to blame

SteamWorld Dig is hitting the Wii U on August 28th, and if you happen to live in the EU, AUS, or NZ regions, you'll get a 25% off discount for owning the 3DS version. But wait -- why isn?'t this cross-buy discount available in North America too?

According to the developer, "NOA (Nintendo of America) does not have this mechanism in place yet, so a cross-buy like this isn't available to ??our American customers. We've tried hard, and it's taken some time to get to this place...half a v??ictory at least!" 

This is the second developer to confirm the situation, as The Game Bakers' Squid's Odyssey also had a similar promotion for the EU and not for NA players. If you want a Cross-Buy solution i??n North America, be vocal ??about it to NOA.

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More platform for the platformer

Steamworld Dig is on its way to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita this month, and we now have a firm date to expect it's arrival: March 18. Prepare your pickaxes and a??nticipate ??a $9.99 entry fee.

This was a delightful little game on PC, one which looks a lot bigger than it is at first glance, then looks at lot larger when you consider the replay value it has. It's fun and terribly creative, with all of your specia??l mining tools powered by water and a cool, grungy, cartoon style. Plus, it'll only be ten bucks, which is a good value. Give i??t a poke if you haven't yet.

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You'll want to play this

I can't say enough good things about SteamWorld Dig, a platformer centered around mining that first launched on the 3DS eShop. It's since come to Steam in high definition, and that expanded version was excellent. Now, Image &? Form has its sights se??t on PlayStation Network.

SteamWorld Dig will be out on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in March for $9.99/€8.99. While I think the latter system will be the way to go here, the game does support Cross-Buy (pay once for both versions) so that's not even going to be a??n issue.

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Don't miss this

Originally released on the 3DS eShop several months ago, SteamWorld Dig has now come to Windows, Mac, and Linux via Steam. This port of the 2D mining adventure has a fresh coat of paint thanks to new high-definition art, and if it looks appealing in stil??l images, wait until you see this in motion running at a smooth 60 frames per second.

Tony Ponce reviewed the handheld version back in August and while I generally agree with his assessment, the game left a much better impression on me. In fact, I loved nearly every moment of my time spent with SteamWorld Dig.

It's just a shame there isn't more of it.

SteamWorld Dig (PC, Mac, Linux)
Developer: Image & Form
Publisher: Image & Form
Release: December 5, 2013
MSRP: $9.99

Before I get too much further, it should be explicitly mentioned that SteamWorld Dig is missing a number of options PC gamers are used to seeing. This becomes clear the second you venture into the options menu. Graphical settings are limited to checkboxes for Fullscreen, Bloom, and VSync, and while? mouse and keyboard controls are implemented, this is yet another one of those games that's best played with a gamepad.

Whether or not an absence of customization options bothers you in ports like this is up to you, but personally, I don't mind -- not when the core game is so ridiculously enjoyable. After a slow start with little in the way of equipment, SteamWorld Dig quickly picks up. You'll be digging away like mad, collecting minerals, returning to? the surface to sell them for upgrades, and repeating the process again and again?.

This is how it will go for some time, with occasional trips into mandatory self-contained puzzle-like areas for ability upgrades like running, a high jump, or a fist attack. I must say, the animation for these moments of "assimilation" is great. Just wonderful. It's so easy to draw comparisons to Metroid these days, but that game was clearly an inspiration and not just in terms of areas being inaccessible ??without certain powers.

Purchases can be prioritized, allowing for a bit of freedom. I went for pickaxe and drill upgrades above armor or lantern improvements in an effort to save myself time in the long run. I think this was the right move, even as someone who loves the admittedly simple gameplay involved with destroying soil. If you too have an affinity for games like Mr. Driller, you're going to be in heaven here, particularly at the tail end of SteamWorld Dig.

There are a couple of aesthetic changes to the world as you delve deeper, culminating in mechanical elements and foes. This is by no means a difficult game, but it's certainly possible to die if you become carele?ss, which carries a monetary penalty??. I specifically say this as a warning to players who want to buy literally everything possible, as there's a finite amount of resources and a few too many deaths could mean you won't have the necessary funds.

Towards the end, areas open up considerably as you're given a powerful double-jump ability that'll have you feeling like a proper badass. Unfortunately, it's not longer after this point that you will be facing down the game's only boss. It's a neat little encounter, one which sadly marks the end of SteamWorld Dig. Just like that, it's all ov??er. A bit disappointing, if I'm being honest.

The first thing I did after beating the story was go back and try to find every single mineral, but after that, I started a new game (there are three separate save files). SteamWorld Dig is only a few hours long,? but don't let that scare? you away -- it's fairly replayable. I wish it were longer, or that there was perhaps some sort of endless mode, I really do.

That said, the pacing is quite good once the action gets going, and I'd rather be left feeling empowered and wanting more than having to put up with a game that just won't end already. Thankfully, Image & Form plans to do more SteamWorld games. Sign me up!

The post PC Port Report: SteamWorld Dig appeared first on Destructoid.

Gorgeous new Steam version on December 5

There are a number of great 3DS eShop games I've managed to miss this year, with SteamWorld Dig easily topping that list. As much as news of ??the game coming to Steam (PC and Mac) on December 5, 2013 has me wanting to get the handheld version immediately, good gosh this game looks fabulous in high definition. It's only two weeks. It's only two weeks...

According to developer Image & Form, the previously-talked-about next SteamWorld title won't abandon 3DS. "Nintendo has treated us like royalty, and the Nintendo community is fantastic," said CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson. "We would be very foolish to turn our backs on them. As with SteamWorld Dig, our next SteamWorld game will appear on the 3DS day one."

So there's nothing to worry about there. Going back to SteamWorld Dig on Steam, this version will be $9.99 / £6.99 / €8.99 with a slight discount offering during the laun??ch period, and you can expect 60 frames per second, gamepad support, c?loud saves, and the like.

The post SteamWorld Dig coming to PC/Mac in HD next month appeared first on Destructoid.

Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig in your mine the whole day through

On paper, SteamWorld Dig sounds like the most mind-numbing slog that you could possibly imagine. The object of the game is to dig, exchange the minerals you unearth for better equipment, then dig some more. And when you think you've dug deep ??enough, you start punching the rocks and pick up the pace.

Being forced to perform a singular action ad infinitum can severely impede fun and enjoyment in a videogame. Ironica??lly, the cornerstone of many popular games is the repetition of seemingly mundane tasks with the goal of discovering ever more efficient ways to accomplish said tasks.

What makes the grind in SteamWorld Dig so exhilarating is that each upturned patch of soil is another step towards some grand new discovery. That is, as long as you don't?? mind digging. A lot.

SteamWorld Dig (3DS)
Developer: Image & Form
Publisher: Image & Form
Release: August 7, 2013 (EU / AU) / August 8, 2013 (US)
MSRP: $8.99

In a steampunk Wild West popul?ated by robots, young Rusty has inherited his Uncle Joe's mine. Ol' Joe apparently lost his life plunging the depths of the mine for its secrets, thus its up to his nephew to take up the pickaxe and continue the journey.

SteamWorld Dig is sort of like an open-world Dig Dug. You must chisel away at the soil to create paths that descend ever deeper, all while avoiding underground obstacles such ??giant insects, falling stones, and pools of acid. Your field of vision is regulated by how much light you have remaining, so you must use your wall-climbing ability to regularly return to the surface and refill your lantern to avoid fumbling around in the dark.

Topside is a mining town where you can exchange any ore you find for cash and in turn use the cash to purchase new? items and upgrades. Sturdier pickaxes will allow you to break through tougher soil in fewer hits, pouch expansions will allow you collect more ore, and so on.

Along the way, you'll enter special c??aves which offer more straightforward platforming challenges. Here you'll earn upgrades, like as a super jump, a drill arm to break through rocks that your pickaxe can't crack, or dynamite to blow away obstacles from a safe distance. Many of the upgrades are steam-powered, thus you must also mind your water reserves, which can only be refilled in underground pools or by picking up refills ??from fallen enemies.

That's the gist of it, really?. What keeps the journey so thrilling is how customizable it is. Rusty can dig in either of the four cardinal directions but only when he's standing on solid ground. Therefore, you have to chart a path that not only allows access to ore deposits but also provides a clear route back to the town. Do you wish to dig straight down, thereby missing out on money that could be spent towards simplifying your journey, or do you perform a more thorough jo?b and waste precious lantern light?

What results is a root-like labyrinthine of tunnels, chutes, and open expanses entirely of your creation; no two players' excavation work will be identical. How each person digs speaks volumes about their ind?ividual traits -- eff??iciency, curiosity, patience. It almost makes me wish that the game allowed for online progress sharing so that we could compare maps and play methods.

It is actuall??y possible to trap yourself should you dig without concern for your equipment or surr??oundings. Certain items such as ladders and teleporters can be your saving grace, but should your supply be exhausted, your only option is to self-destruct. You will respawn on the surface, but you'll incur a 50% cash penalty and any ores you were carrying will have to be retrieved at the site of your death. The total amount of ore in the game is limited, so though there's more than enough to purchase every upgrade, repeated carelessness could end your shopping spree.

There's a lot to track and observe in SteamWorld Dig, but you can only understand its brilliance if you push forward through the grind, which may be easi?er for some than others. The first hour is definitely th??e hardest -- several swings are required to break through the soil using your weak starter pickaxe, and without the support of Rusty's later upgrades and techniques, progress is as slow and laborious as a real-life mining dig.

Then there's the need to return to the surface. The further down you dig, the longer it takes to climb back out to refill your light or go shopping. Aside from the teleporters you pu??rchase from the shop, you'll find a scant few pre-installed at specific depths. Though they make returning to town a lot easier, you'll still be forced to backtrack a significant stretch as you create distance between yourself and the most recent teleporter. The best you can do is make sure that the return path is as streamlined as possible.

I admit that I felt pretty fed up with the game on a number of occasions precisely because of these shortcomings. Even so, the allure of what lay hidden beneath the surface compelled me onward. Soil gives way to a long-lost subterranean civilization, which then gives way to evidence of a world much more advanced then the one on the surface. Eve?ry hundred meters is some new surprise, some ne?w revelation.

There is a genuine allure to SteamWorld Dig??, you just have to clear out the rubble to find it.

The post Review: SteamWorld Dig appeared first on Destructoid.

'Hardcore platform mining adventure'

Seeing more original titles on the 3DS eShop is one way to put me in a good mood. Today, we got the heads up on SteamWorld Dig, a platform game designed by Gothenburg, Sweden-based studio Image & Form. It's set in a post-humanity Wild West that's full of steam-powered robots and, by the looks of i?t, muta??nts and presumably other creeps.

For now, all we've got are some screenshots and a mid-2013 release window to go on. While I'm sure this will look great in 3D, as many 2D games on the platform do, the developer says SteamWorld Dig is "Not another 3D effect showcase nor a cheap port;?? we're mak??ing an Actual Game™! :)"

Could be cool! I'm hopeful Image & Form will have some footage for us before too lon?g. Assuming that genre des??cription is accurate, I am so down for this game.

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