There's a certain flavour of brutality that some video games possess. An intoxicating river of violence that flows through the gameplay and drives a story through to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion. It provokes a certain appeal that transforms a potentially generic experience into a bleak, brutal journey of blood, sweat and tears. This is where Ruiner lives and breathes.
In the year 2091, the city of Rengkok is a corrupt yet alluring hellhole. Gangs of murderous street kids roam the alleyways and corporate guards tell you where you're not welcome. The failing conglomerate Heaven controls everything from military to entertainment and everyone in between is just trying to survive.
As rich as this backdrop is, it is a clothesline from which mass murder hangs. Your character is an internally wired lunatic whose only emotions are nods, shrugs and various moods which are displayed on an impressive LED helmet. Unfortunately, this technology is easily exploited and that's where the story of Ruiner begins. Rebooted by a mysterious hacker named Her, you are told that Heaven has kidnapped your brother and you must tear Rengkok apart to find him. She calls you her 'Puppy' and as far you know, this is your only identity.
Visualised from an isometric perspective, Ruiner demands a lethally fast playstyle balanced with a methodical view towards defeating your enemies. Blood paints the floor as you cut a path through walls of bodies with swords, shotguns, pipes, rail guns and grenades. From dilapidated gang warehouses to thunderous steaming factories, the environments of Rengkok are your canvas for the art of death.
With a legion of inventive weapons and skills, mixed with abilities like a quick dash, shield, and the manipulation of enemies brains, everywhere you go quickly becomes a playground of murder. Ruiner strides knee-deep through carnage with such precision and confidence that sometimes all you can do is hang on and hope you come out alive the other side. As you begin to become accustomed to the sometimes brutally difficult combat, the game opens its doors to inventive boss encounters, and some profoundly satisfying melee combat scenarios.
Cyborgs, assassins and gang leaders can kill with only a few strikes or bullets so if you don't keep to the mantra of "move or die", you'll witness your demise many times. However, Ruiner never feels unfair. While it gives the early perception of being unforgiving, it is always clear where you went wrong, and you immediately want to jump straight back into battle to demonstrate that you have what it takes. Every enemy encounter gives you enough rope to hang yourself and it's up to you to figure out how to escape the noose.
The most outstanding companion on this murderous journey is the music. Developer Reikon Games has assembled a myriad of artists to contribute to the driving, thumping soundtrack. From Polish techno to UK house tunes, the intoxicating soundscapes help propel the violence and drive Ruiner into that golden 'one-more-go' territory which can be difficult to escape.
Every enemy encounter gives you enough rope to hang yourself and it's up to you to figure out how to escape the noose.
The characters that populate the city are a fascinating collection of outcasts, scumbags and manipulators. With names like Mechanix, Nerve and Traffic King, the cyberpunk landscape of Rengkok is littered with mysterious conversations and peculiar motivations. However, here lies Ruiner's most glaring misstep. While every character has a compelling personality, not enough is done to bring them to the surface. The dialogue is well-written but most citizens you interact with are not as fully realised as they deserve to be. Loose ends begin to pile up and by the end of the story, you're left wondering if a large part of the tapestry of Rengkok was left on the cutting room floor.
But this matters not when you're inhaling the blood-drenched aesthetics of this universe. Cinematic lighting peeks through robotic factories and muted neon colours paint your path into a unique world of futuristic corruption, though the overwhelming presence of the colour red begins to notably dominate everything in the wake of your actions. From in-game menus to warehouse lighting, this theme is a constant reminder that bloodshed is your currency and your pockets are very deep indeed.
Violence in games can be designed as an incentive to move forward. When expertly crafted, it is a catalyst to continue when you might give up and go beyond where you thought your capabilities ended. In this respect, Ruiner succeeds masterfully. A lightning-fast lethality fits this cyberpunk world like a glove and pushes you into surprising tests of skill that become more rewarding with every slice and explosion.
Ruiner creates a future teeming with interesting concepts, fascinating people and hidden despair. But it is the combat which stands front and centre. Through the endless bodies that fall by your hand, the grim layers of the story peel away to reveal a few surprises about the meaning of life, death and revenge. It is a revealing journey that's well worth taking but it is apparent from the opening scene to the mysterious finale, the only thing that is pure and absolute in the world of Ruiner is murder.
The first SteamWorld Dig was most notable for its unique blend of mining mechanics and Metroid-style exploration, but it ended right as it began to come into its own. Its sequel is twice as long and puts that added runtime to good use, as both the story and mechanics are given room to flourish. The result is a brilliant and varied evolution of the first game that not only expands upon its hybrid formula, but presents it in its best light.
SteamWorld Dig 2 takes place in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world where Earth has become a desert wasteland; its remaining inhabitants are small populations of steam-driven robots and irradiated humans. You control a steambot named Dorothy searching for her missing friend, Rusty--the protagonist of the first game. When Dorothy hears that he has been sighted entering the mines of an old trading town, El Machino, she embarks on a journey to find him.
The story is more focused than its predecessor. Events unfold at a brisk pace, occasionally hitting you with unexpected twists and tonal shifts that keep the adventure compelling throughout. Also impactful is the way the story contributes to the overarching SteamWorld universe as a whole (it serves as a bridge between Dig 1 and SteamWorld Heist). By its conclusion, past narrative threads that were once disparate and unclear are finally expounded upon, elevating your attachment to the characters and the world.
Even if you aren't invested in the series' lore, Dig 2 gives you more than enough to latch onto with its eclectic cast. Dorothy makes for a likable lead and the characters who surround her are humorous and well-written. In particular, Dorothy's Navi-like sidekick, FEN, is one of the game's standout personalities. His sassy, oftentimes snarky, remarks are amusing, but as you progress, he grows into a far more sincere and endearing ally whose presence is irreplaceable.
Also worth noting is the presentation; both visuals and music are charming and stylish. From the moodily lit underground caverns you explore to the airy and upbeat hip-hop inspired tracks that permeate the various locales, there's an endearing atmosphere that constantly pulls you in.
Dig 2 encourages you to be methodical, but unlike the original, it gives you more time to be creative, and rewards your cravings to diligently explore and discover new secrets.
Like the first game, you spend time exploring various underground mines. With your trusty pickaxe, you smash through blocks of dirt to reveal passageways, while along the way acquiring precious gems and minerals. You also obtain tools and power-ups that help you burrow even deeper. Once your pockets are filled with treasure, you return to town to sell your materials and upgrade your tools, and then you return to the mine anew.
While the digging process seems repetitive in nature, it never becomes tedious. Exploration feels like longform puzzle solving. You're always strategizing how to take advantage of a mine's terrain and the enemies within to clear tunnels and acquire more treasure. And with the more varied tools you have access to this time around, the methods you employ grow increasingly complex.
One moment you're using your pressure bomb launcher to create a pathway that you can't reach with your pickaxe, the next you're using your grappling hook to strategically detonate a TNT barrel to kill a group of enemies. These instances are when the game is at its most fulfilling, as you have a great deal of flexibility in choosing how to approach a given area. Dig 2 encourages you to be methodical, but unlike the original, it gives you more time to be creative, and rewards your cravings to diligently explore and discover new secrets.
Caves provide satisfying opportunities to exercise your reflexes and intellect.
New to Dig 2 is the addition of collectables called Cogs, which you can use to enhance your tools with mods. These upgrades are varied and unique, each improving your abilities in different ways. For instance, you can equip a mod that increases your chances of getting two precious materials from one resource block, or you might equip one that occasionally prevents instant death from falling rocks. As you obtain more Cogs, your ability to tailor mods to better suit your playstyle grows, which becomes invaluable when facing difficult obstacles in later areas. And with the varied terrain and hazards you encounter, you always feel an initiative to experiment to better your mining efficiency and chances of survival.
When you're not spending time digging, you're exploring caves, which are special rooms scattered across the map containing either platforming challenges or puzzles to solve. These brief, well-crafted trials test your mastery of the game's base mechanics: a spike-covered room demands quick execution of your mobility options; a block-stacking puzzle challenges your knowledge of the pressure launcher's limitations; and a room with collapsing boulders has you timing your sprints in different spurts to avoid being crushed. On top of rewarding you with much-needed Cogs, caves provide satisfying opportunities to exercise your reflexes and intellect. You often look forward to discovering them, as their distinct challenges are also entertaining proving grounds to test your upgrades.
Alongside the mechanical improvements, it helps that there's a greater variety in level and objective design. From an ancient temple surrounded by lava to an ethereal jungle, each location you explore goes beyond the standard underground mine you might expect. Not only are levels thematically different, they're also structured in distinct ways from each other. At one point, you're tasked to dig horizontally instead of vertically, only to be led to an area that has you completing a gauntlet of caves in order to open a gate with multiple locks. These changes in design frame the mechanics in captivating ways, challenging you to do more than just strategically carve out tunnels. Dig 2 meticulously uses its assets to great effect, continually changing up the pace from beginning to end.
Every advancement Dig 2 makes to its story and mechanics strengthens your initiative to progress. There's an overwhelming sense of momentum that runs through the adventure; as if developer Image & Form sifted the original in a pan, removing its redundancies while expanding upon what made it so fun to persistently play. In your quest to acquire every upgrade and explore every nook and cranny, there's no shortage of hidden collectables to discover. And with post-game content that unlocks after you unearth every secret, the desire to keep digging intensifies. Dig 2 manages to not only be an exceptional successor, but a great adventure in its own right. Where the first game was a diamond in the rough, Dig 2 is a polished jewel.
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