Combining a cute art style with playful dialogue, Ground Divers delves into the literal depths of an alien world while only glancing at the metaphorical world.
The game is set in the distant future. You are part of a small team of quirky explorers sent to mine natural resources. The team is cute, with cheeky banter bouncing between them. The designs are great, and it’s clear that a lot of time and effort went into creating each member of the cast.
You control an adorable robot called a pickaxe. Your team will give you advice, but otherwise you’ll mostly interact with them between levels. They manage warehouses that store finds, create new drills and other equipment, and allow Tsuruhashi to be customized between runs.
In the opening scene, we get a glimpse of the economic situation. There is a brief discussion of the energy crisis, but it is not clear why mining is the solution. Ground Divers’ slapstick It’s hard to tell if this is intended as satire, because his humor doesn’t feel like social commentary.
Likewise, there is a reference to the enemies you face being the indigenous peoples of the Earth. did. Instead, the topic never comes up again and mining is fun.
It is valid to use games that are primarily for children and not make critical statements about the environment or politics. However, the inclusion of path references makes it feel like the game has a dark undertone planned just to get back to humorous dialogue between characters rather than building on nuance. has been put on the back burner in favor of a sweet and silly style.
The game itself is generally fun. There are 7 missions and in each he has 3 levels to rescue trapped UFOs, fight enemies and collect minerals. Bonus points are awarded for completing 3 tasks per level. This includes using special moves, finding treasure, and breaking a certain number of blocks.
You can go back and replay as many levels as you like, with a new randomly generated map each time. This will allow you to rethink your strategy for ground routes, where to place your base camp, and how to get the most out of your journey. Use the resources you find to build power-ups, so you can come back with more energy and firepower to fine-tune Tsuruhashi to suit your specific mission demands. You can then benefit from certain types of special moves that become more powerful.
The missions are simple and fun overall. They last for a limited amount of time until Tsuruhashi runs out of power or the creature in front of you loses patience and destroys the camp. Ground Divers is good for those who want to enjoy a little strategy growing into bigger rewards without overthinking the plot.
