So in the end, when I look at it, the game really is about digging for jewels, selling them, then digging for more jewels. And yet it never, ever feels like that as IÂ’m playing. IÂ’ve finished the game twice now, once on 3DS, and now on PC, and both times IÂ’ve been absolutely hooked throughout. And itÂ’s thanks to the incredibly subtle cleverness behind the design. As the game goes on, even mining itself becomes a more elaborate task, requiring forethought and care to get to the tougher places, without cocking up your route. The layout isnÂ’t just blank sheets of rock to mine, but intricately crafted domains, as interesting as possible to explore.
Another design element that deserves celebration is how it very cleverly gets you to retrace earlier steps to pick up what you missed. You could do that at any time, but then the drive to keep moving forward is pretty strong. So when the game has you revisit a few specific challenge areas to reveal some surprises, along the way you re-explore places, now complete with a pile of extra skills. Everything is suddenly more accessible, and those places you messed up and couldnÂ’t climb back up are now reachable. This is a game that makes you wait an agonisingly long time for the precious double-jump, but once youÂ’ve got it, oh boy.
