Just keep on digging.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/42910/digger-dan-dx-3ds-review
Digger Dan DX harkens back to the days of high score arcade game goodness in a lot of ways. Encouraging quick movement and skillful memorization of its small, but challenging maps, the game plays with concepts from age old classics, while forging its own path. And while its sound and graphic design may leave players wanting, I never felt like the game was lacking in fun ways to challenge me in each level.
As the name implies, Digger Dan DX stars a young lad named Dan on his quest to unearth hidden treasures underground. There really isn’t any story beyond this, but there doesn’t need to be in this type of game. Digger Dan is more interested in teaching the player how to navigate its earthen labyrinths for gems. The game starts off with easy levels requiring you to unlock levels one at a time in order to reach new, more challenging modes.
Digger Dan DX is not afraid to offer players a challenge after those levels. Opening the exit door requires him to first find all of the gems in the level. And while the timer hitting zero doesn't end the level, you’ll no longer receive the time bonus for completing the challenge in the amount of time allotted. So the game quickly requires a strategy to plan out the optimum path by memorizing the level quickly, and getting to the door as fast as possible in order to score the most points. Unfortunately for Dan, gems and dirt aren’t all that stand in his path. There are all sorts of critters and hazards that require quick thinking and movements if they want to get a gold star at the end of each area.
While Dan has all sorts of obstacles to overcome, he’s not without help of his own. There are power ups he can acquire that temporarily make him invincible. Also there to help is a trusty little gopher friend that can fit through certain cracks that Dan himself is too big to get into. Making things a bit easier is the map displayed on the bottom screen, which is extremely valuable in planning out the highest-scoring path to success. A minor annoyance were the special gems in each level. This is easily the most frustrating part of the score building process, as these gems seem to be placed very randomly in patches of dirt, so finding them becomes somewhat of an inconvenience.
If Digger Dan DX has a downfall, it is in the graphic and sound design. While the graphics are by no means offensive, each area begins to look largely identical, and even on 3DS everything is overly simplified. The sound, on the other hand, is the worst aspect of the game, as it’s literally the same tune playing over and over. I found myself playing the game on mute more often than not because of this.
That said, Digger Dan DX is still a thoroughly enjoyable title, especially for those yearning for the high score obsessed days of yesteryear. If you’re a fan of games like Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Mappy, I think you’ll find Digger Dan DX to be right up your alley.
Topic: Digger Dan DX (3DS) Review (Read 2885 times)
