Diggers (video game)
| Industry | Video game development and publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Diggers |
Diggers is a puzzle video game created and distributed by Millennium Interactive for the Amiga CD32 platform, initially launched in Europe in 1993 and later in North America in 1994. The gameplay centers around managing a mining crew tasked with extracting valuable minerals from a planet. Subsequent releases included versions for the Amiga 1200 and MS-DOS. At the CD32's release, Diggers was packaged together with the platform title Oscar. A follow-up game titled Extractors was released in 1995 for MS-DOS.
Gameplay
The game is set on the planet Zarg, where four distinct species vie for gems and ores: the Habbish (characterized by rapid digging speed, high stamina, but impatience), Grablins (the quickest diggers with solid endurance yet weaker combat skills), Quarriors (slow diggers but formidable fighters), and F'Targs (balanced abilities with fast health recovery). Players choose one species and deploy teams of five miners to excavate one of 34 regions—only two are accessible at the start. Progression requires earning a set monetary goal to unlock neighboring zones while contending against AI-controlled opposing species.
The gameplay shares similarities with Lemmings, emphasizing issuing orders rather than direct miner control. Presented from a side perspective, players command their teams to tunnel, gather gems, and confront rival miners. Each miner possesses unique traits and may occasionally act independently, sometimes aiding or hindering efforts. Excavation yields rubies, gold, emeralds, and diamonds.
Miners can be teleported back to base to sell collected minerals at the 'Zargon Stock Exchange', where only three types of resources are traded simultaneously and prices fluctuate based on recent transactions. A store provides various mining equipment such as dynamite, automated drills, and bridge parts. While miners can be sacrificed without ending the game, losing them results in financial penalties; each new level grants a fresh team of five miners.
Reception
The PC edition received a three out of five stars rating from Next Generation, which remarked that Diggers merges the charm of Lemmings with aspects of exploration and resource management.
Amiga Action gave the game a 91% score, describing it as "an utterly addictive and remarkably original masterpiece." They praised its captivating gameplay as a strong competitor to the Lemmings franchise despite the absence of a detailed instruction manual.
Reviews
- Génération 4 (May 1994)
- Amiga Joker (Nov 1993)
- Power Play (Dec 1993)
- Amiga CD32 Gamer (Mar 1994)
External links
- Diggers at Amiga Reviews