Take a moment and think back to the heyday of classic 16-bit computers. The Atari ST and Commodore Amiga were the platforms of choice for computer gamers during the mid 1980’s and late 1990’s. The 16-bit computer era gave birth to a multitude of classic games that continue to survive today in one form or another. (Team 17’s Alien Breed, for example, has been resurrected on today’s modern platforms,)
While Delve Deeper may not be a remake of an older title, or a resurrected game from a bygone era, it somehow balances the traits of classics like Lemmings with strategy RPG elements from an SSI RPG. You are given a team of four dwarfs that must dig and mine through large mountains to collect valuable ore, gems, and mithril for your greedy king.
Before descending into the mountain, a roster appears allowing you to choose a class for each dwarf — a fighter, scout, and miner. Since the mountains are cursed with creatures, it is wise to have a few fighters in your group. Scouts are neither good or bad at combat, but they should only be used as a last resort. Miners should avoid combat at all costs since they lack the HP and strength to kill most creatures. All three classes can mine, so you’re not restricted to what you choose for miners.
The game system is very similar to X-Com, another classic RPG that limits the amount of moves your team can have per turn. You must carefully decide where to send your dwarves inside the dark mountain, but not before you dig new tunnels. Before each turn, you are given three digging choices: Dirt, Stone, and Deep. Each mountain is divided into layers. Dirt layers are at the very top of the mountain; Stone layers are in the center; and Deep layers are at the very bottom. When a layer is selected, a choice of tunnels are given. These choices can be placed anywhere on the map as long as an adjacent tunnel can connect. There is a special rotation tool to move the tunnel piece around to join it with an existing tunnel. Once this task is completed, you can move your team of dwarves.
Like I mentioned earlier, your Dwarven team can move a limited amount of spaces per turn (i.e. via points) and they can only be moved one at a time. Strategy is very important when placing your team members throughout the mine. Mineable areas sparkle with jewels and other stones, and a sign indicating how many times the area can be mined will be present. If a sign reads ‘4’ then it can be mined by one dwarf (four times) or a team of four can mine it all at once. But this boils down to strategy and how you have your team dispersed inside the mountain.
Delve Deeper can be a very challenging game. It offers many different scenarios that allow up to four different teams to mine the same mountain from different starting locations. The more teams you have playing, the harder it becomes to collect ore and send it to your king. Consequently, opposing digging teams can also battle each other for tunnel space, adding strategical elements to the game. The good news is, a fallen Dwarf will revive himself after so any moves, but his HP will be severely low and will be vulnerable to the creatures inside the mountain. Returning to your starting location (where you unload your minerals and ore) will also heal the wounded, but this will waste precious turns depending on how deep you are inside the mountain. Like I said: strategy is key.
Combat is tactical and is based primarily on the stats of your team. And unlike most games, the fighting happens automatically with no intervention from the player. The amount of HP your dwarf has will determine his survival, but only if he isn’t battling too many enemies at once. It’s not uncommon to encounter large group of creatures that number in the teens, some with HP equal to, or greater than, the dwarf defending himself. In cases like these, your dwarf will perish and his death will be permanent.
Delve Deeper offers endless hours of satisfying gameplay. You can spend hours mining ore, fighting off creatures (straight from a D&D creature user manual), and exploring newly excavated tunnels in search of special items for your majesty without experiencing the same thing twice. Graphically, DD has a distinctive 2D art style that looks very classic in execution, but very modern in design. They’re cartoonish, stylish, and very colorful, even in today’s 3D saturated market.
Delve Deeper is available on GamersGate.com for only $4.99US – which is a steal considering the quality of this title. Expect hours of fun while you battle dragons, trolls, and magic users for control of the mountain. I haven’t had this much fun in a very long time.
Mike ‘STGuy1040’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
Publisher/Developer: Lunar Giant Studios
DRM Free
Purchase Delve Deeper from– GamersGate.com
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The graphics are classic 2D, but they're colorful, bright, and really stand out. | |
| Sound | |
| Quirky sound effects make this game unique. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Absolutely fun; need I say more? Buy it. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Delve Deeper is a classic PC title that shouldn't be overlooked. | |
