iDigging Review (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

I’d rather gauge soil out of my backyard than attend marriage counseling. Or at least, that’s what I’m told to believe in iDigging, anyway. Because let’s face it, nobody likes the idea of losing their beloved to the neighbor next door. But what people do tend to love, naturally, is the idea of there being treasure beneath the surface of their own home. It’s a pipe dream—a mirage that has little to no happy endings, true. But for some reluctant folk who enjoy the concept of being at the heart of a victimless success story, it’s enough to drive them and propel their desires to get their hands a little dirty.

It goes like this: a spouse—my spouse, sadly—has left me for the neighbor, not because I lack the motivation to make sacrifices in aid of our marriage, but because I have zero dollars to spare, and I have a gaping hole in the backyard that supposedly houses a treasure that I just can’t seem to unearth. With them out of the way, though, I can tend to more pressing matters, as in, the void that lingers in the yard and a magic carpet that, for some reason, keeps turning up at my doorstep to “help” me conceal the ever-expanding pit of regret. It almost sounds like the ideal pastime—a short-term solution for a long-term marital crisis. Or at least, it would be, if not for the neighbor who continues to pry and openly threaten to call the police.

iDigging is a bit like The Great Escape, in that you spend your spare time shoveling dirt and expanding your backyard labyrinth, and the remaining hours concealing your work to prevent the law from merrily knocking on your door to wedge a hammer directly in your seemingly innocent project. And that’s sort of what you’re doing here: digging a hole and upgrading equipment—drills and explosives, for example—to help you carve even deeper, and taking advantage of various tools—carpets and guard dogs, naturally—to help you keep a lid on your backyard antics. With an annoyingly nosy neighbor on one side of the fence, and a constant reminder that you’re digging a crater on sacred grounds, you find yourself with a rather difficult task. But hey — treasure. Who cares, right? If you put your back into it, then it should be worth it. Right? Right.

If you’re familiar with digging games similar to the likes of A Game About Digging a Hole, then you ought to know the basic gameplay loop that binds to this backyard endeavor. At first, you have little to your name—a poxy digging tool and a vacant home with no space to flex your inner Feng Shui. However, as you dig deeper into the yard, you begin to unearth ores and other natural rarities with which you can sell in exchange for better tools, home improvements, and stealth upgrades that can aid your quest to remain under the radar as you complete your duties. And for the most part, that’s your one true love: a simple hook that asks little more of you than to dig, sell, and build your way back into the limelight.

What sets iDigging apart from other digging games of its kind is its story. Yes, it’s a little boneheaded and about as transparent as a watered down igloo. Yet, it does make an effort to feed you a little more context on what it is that you’re doing. A neighbor with prying eyes; a spouse who thinks you’re an imbecile; and a constant threat that prevents you from simply turfing up your own property. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still the same gig as what you would have seen before, and it’s still an on-rails experience that consists mostly of doing the same chores several times over in exchange for small improvements. Though, there is a layer here that allows you to tread just a little further beyond the frontline of an otherwise predictable situation.

iDigging is, above all else, a slow game that rewards patience over any other skill or exercise. It isn’t the sort of action-packed archeological dig that you would typically find in an Indiana Jones flick, nor is it one that presents you with frequent twists and turns to keep you on your toes, for that matter. It’s slow, and more often than not, a little dull. But it’s the little bits and pieces here that make it all the more enjoyable, like the stealth aspects and the prying eyes that take it upon themselves to prevent you from grafting. There’s also a good amount of hidden gems, treasures, tool upgrades and furniture pieces that you can obtain, too, thus making the whole process more beneficial and easier to stick around for. Is there a point to any of it? Eh, not really. That said, iDigging gives you a lot to work towards, and I guess that’s what matters most here — that there is a goal for you to chase. The question is, is the risk worth the reward?

Verdict

iDigging grovels around in the dirt in an attempt to breathe life into a familiar world of sunken ores and elusive treasures where strenuous back and forth grafting is often rewarded with small victories and the occasional sequence in which you can feel the fruits of your labor frothing from the soil. Although vaguely similar to most digging games on the market, its inclusion of a storyline and a stealth-based element does make it more of a standout cousin on its chosen family tree. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still the same old digging with the same incremental routines. But, I can give credit where it’s due and say that, for a game that leans into the usual trappings, it does make for one of the better games of its kind.

If you’re a fan of A Game About Digging a Hole or Backyard Digger (or just about any other digging game that involves a shovel and a yard of ores), then it’s likely that you’ll enjoy fumbling for treasures in this sunken labyrinth. Of course, I wouldn’t expect a perfect game, as it essentially looks and plays as you would expect it to, with some rather unfavorable mechanics and a slither of graphical slop that can frequently pull you out of the picture. However, if you can turn a blind eye to the monotonous routine and a couple of technical issues, then you should be able to find a reason to stick around for the long haul. Well, here’s hoping, anyway.