It seems like there’s a steady stream of games flowing into the Apple Appstore. Some are awful, some are obviously simple reskinning of existing games, but if you don’t mind sifting through the dross, you can find some true gems. “I Dig It” from InMotion Software is one of those gems.
The backstory is pretty straightforward. You’re a farmer who has fallen on hard times. Crops failing, banks calling in loans. So what’s an honest redneck to do? Why, take one of those old tractors and turn it into a burrowing, flying digging machine!
Your new flying tractor has some pretty awesome capabilities. It can dig straight down, left, or right (but not up, and it must be sitting on a flat surface to dig sideways. No digging while flying!), and has various upgradeable parts. If you have the funds, you can pull into your barn and upgrade the size of your cargo bay, hull strength, gas tank size, etc etc.
The game is remarkably entertaining, and can draw you in for a nice 20-30 minute round with no trouble at all. The controls are straightforward (basically just an on-screen joystick – an adaptation I’m pleased to see most developers have adopted). The graphics are well done and consistent, without going overboard, and the animation is smooth and intuitive.
The game balance is excellent. There’s several factors to keep an eye on – how much fuel you’re using, how hot the drill gets, and figuring out the best patterns to use to extract all the goodies from underground.
As you go deeper, it gets dark! You can equip your digging machine with a radar to let you see what’s around you, but you also have to keep increasing the strength of your cooling system. Naturally, as you dig deeper, you’re further away from your refueling depot, so a big gas tank and cargo container is important.
The price in the appstore as of this writing is only $0.99. I highly recommend it.
