SteamWorld Dig

The protagonist Rusty is a robot who inherits a mine from his uncle. Since he additionally also received a pick-axe, the path is clearly laid out: exploring the mine and becoming rich! While the game starts with a Wild West atmosphere, later parts of the mine show steampunk elements.

Rusty can explore the mine by hacking away dirt with the pick-axe. The goal is to find treasure and additional equipment which is required to be able to proceed in other areas, e.g. a drill allows to break stone. However, those gadgets require water which can be refilled at water reserves which can be found in the mine. Other obstacles are traps, enemies, switch puzzles and platforming sequences. It is also advised to watch for rocks – when Rusty removes dirt under them, gravity comes into play.

The found precious metals or gems have to be sold on the surface – fortunately there are teleporter and elevators which shorten the way – for money which in turn is used to buy upgrades (e.g. more health points or a bigger capacity for carrying treasure) or equipment (e.g. dynamite for killing enemies, ladders or lanterns). Some upgrades additionally cost energy balls which can be found inside the mine. After dying, the people on the surface repair Rusty against a fee.