REVIEW: Cave Digger Riches (VR)

REVIEW: Cave Digger Riches (VR)

Cave Clicker, Err… I mean Digger… The only kind of Grind you just can’t get enough of, that isn’t Co-op anyway.

Author: Avatario
Steam: Released
Type: Single-player
Genre: VR, Action
Developer: VRkiwi, Mekiwi
Publisher: VRkiwi, Mekiwi
Release date: 10 May, 2018

Introduction – “Stick around, I’m full of bad ideas”

Cave Digger, the name alone gave me pause. Is this another Minecraft clone? Or possibly something new?

I was both surprised and delighted to be given the opportunity to review a VR game I had no knowledge of. Get your pickaxe and headlamp out and let us dive right in fresh, together!

Initial Experience – “So you choose death then?!”

Cave Digger had a small installation size and was installed almost instantly, which is great for those of you with slower ISP connections. Upon the very first launch, it did a few quick configuration changes and then promptly loaded. The menu is clean, and the interface simple and user-friendly. After loading up the first level with no inclination for what I was in for, I was pleased with the graphics, because they are simple enough to run well but also complex enough with a decent level of polish to impress me.

You begin in a small space, likely 10′ x 10′ if I had to guess. The middle of the “room” was a bin and the walls were made out of bare rock with grates over them. Once a level was selected, a timer started ticking away! I dug like a madman through several rocky boulders and found some gems, I let them hit the floor and left them there, they piled up, and the timer ran out. I was then presented with a score, and a wall of scores to compare against. OBVIOUSLY, my score was very poor as I hadn’t loaded anything that dropped while mining into the bin. Reload. Mine! Toss into the bin! Score increasing… Money earned!!! Now back at the main room, I can see objects for sale along the back wall, “GREAT! What are these?”. Tools to increase the ease of finding and extracting gems and other objects!

WAIT A MINUTE I know what this is!!!

What it is – “Don’t look a steam-gift horse in the mouth, I always say”

It’s Cookie Clicker, on VR Steroids! Surprisingly Fun! Like many other fun VR games to date (Beat Saber, The Climb, Torn, Space Pirate Trainer, etc.), Cave Digger is an easy title to get into, with minimal rules and a nice learning curve, but a demanding level of commitment to get on the top of a leaderboard. There is a decent selection of levels, and the difficulty scales well. I cover the paid DLC “Riches” a little more in detail below, but what you need to know is that it adds a variety of additional tools and things to do.

What it isn’t – “Never dig straight down!”

Minecraft. There is no building or exploring, only mining. In a single small space. Your mileage may vary. If this sort of thing is in your wheelhouse, you may get hooked and find it sucking up all the time you have. If not, you might play for a few minutes and dig yourself to the nearest exit.

Riches DLC – “Try to make it back with most of your limbs still attached”

A paid DLC for the cost of a retail game is nothing new. Provided the additional value is worth the investment, I cannot complain. So then I guess the question is, is Riches worth the added cost? Personally, I think so, as long as you enjoy the base game content and find yourself wanting more.

What is included:
• 6 new endings
• A Toolbelt
• 1 new level: Lava
• Many new kinds of riches for the inquisitive digger.
• A competitive mode to find the hardest worker of them all.
• 10 levels with constant loot and all tools available.
• A leaderboard at the Frontier saloon.
• An Infinity Gantlet you can punch rocks with!!!

It looks like the developer is also adding mini free DLC or content packs in the form of “seasonal” or “Holiday themed” updates. The Halloween update has just been added, and the filter it applies is pretty nice.

Verdict – “The jungle grows restless…”

The BEST thing is… its a free game, so get it, try it out, and if you like what you see and enjoy the competitive nature of leaderboards and the mindless but fun “clicking” gameplay style, well, buy the DLC and expand upon the neat little game VRKiWi made.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the review.

Did you know all the Mining game titles for the quotes referenced in the headers?

Title Quotes:

Introduction – Dead Space
Initial Experience – Elite Dangerous
What it is – Steam World Dig
What it isn’t – Minecraft
Riches DLC – Deep Rock Galactic
Verdict – Terraria

Written by
Dead Parrot
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