Diggers

Game review

Diggers is a strategic and engaging puzzle game that draws inspiration from the legendary Lemmings. Much like its predecessor, Diggers captivates players with its unique blend of puzzle-solving and strategy, albeit with a distinctive focus on excavation and resource management. At the outset of the game, players are presented with a choice among different clans of diggers, each distinguished by its own set of strengths and weaknesses. This choice significantly influences gameplay, as the attributes of each clan—be it speed, strength, or another characteristic—can dictate the player's approach to overcoming the game's challenges.

The gameplay is similar in some ways to Lemmings, with the player issuing orders to his five miners, not directly controlling them. The stages themselves are viewed from the side - the mineshafts that extend throughout the levels give the impression of an anthill. The player commands his units to dig and, when needed, perform more specific actions such as picking up gems and fighting enemy diggers. The races have various personalities, and will occasionally do things without the player commanding them to; this can range from good (such as fighting an enemy) to very bad (walking into a deep pool of water and drowning). As the miners dig, rubies, gold, emeralds, and diamonds will appear.

In Diggers, players take control of five diggers, tasked with navigating subterranean landscapes in search of treasure. The primary objective is to excavate valuable resources, particularly gold, which is necessary to progress through the game. Gameplay is meticulously segmented into various areas, each requiring the collection of a specified amount of gold to unlock the next level. This creates a compelling gameplay loop, where players must strategically deploy their diggers, assigning them tasks that capitalize on their clan-specific advantages to efficiently uncover and gather resources.

The game is set on the planet Zarg, where four races are vying for the gems and ores buried there. The four races are: the Habbish, who dig quickly and have high endurance, yet are impatient and prone to wander off; Grablins, who dig the fastest, have good stamina but are weak fighters; Quarriors, who are slow diggers but strong fighters; and the F'Targs, who are mediocre but regain their health quickly. The player chooses one of the four races, then sends out five man teams to mine a region. There are 34 regions in all, with two accessible at the beginning of the game. Each region has an amount of money the player must amass in order to beat it and open up the adjacent territories. Time plays a role, as there is always a computer-controlled opposing race in the region, competing with the player to be the first to achieve the monetary goal.

Despite its inspiration from a gaming legend, Diggers carves out its own identity, appealing to fans of strategy and puzzle games alike. It's a title that, as suggested, deserves at least a few minutes of playtime, during which many players will likely find themselves captivated by its charm, challenge, and originality. Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Diggers has all the appeal of Lemmings with a good dose of exploration and greed thrown in to boot."