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Corporate Dwarf Mining in Outer Space
The initial premise of Deep Rock Galactic is odd, this is a game about a team of space dwarfs who work for an extremely greedy mining company that values profits over the lives of its employees.
Deep Rock Galactic is two parts exploration and one part action. Most of the game has players adventuring through underground environments mining for resources but that’s punctuated with waves of enemy attacks.
When you look at the total package of Deep Rock, it’s simple, funny, gorgeous, and a whole lot of fun. After playing the game for several hours over a week I was astonished how under the radar this game is and it deserves a lot more attention.
The Gameplay
Every session starts off with you and your team at their headquarters, from there you select a mission, upgrade your characters or tools, and tinker around with a few other aspects of the game
There are four classes total, Driller, Engineer, Gunner, and Scout. Each class plays differently and they are all designed in a way that compliments other player characters while simultaneously standing out with their own strengths.
Gunner, as the name implies is really good at dealing out damage but offers little in the way of helping out allies. The scout on the other hand may not be as potent a bug killer but has extra powerful flares and ways to get to places faster and help the team achieve its mining goals sooner.
The game can be played with 1-4 players. When playing solo you get a helpful companion bot to work with instead of a bot dwarf character. Like most multiplayer cooperative games, Deep Rock Galactic is absolutely playable with any number of players but it’s most fun with a full group of 4.
There are a few mission types but typically your mission consists of your team dropping down to a mining site and digging your way through it to find your precious resources.
At this point the game becomes a loose mix of Minecraft and something like Left For Dead; you forge a path to your resources through mining but from time to time you may get hit with a swarm of creatures that want to take you out. At that point, it’s time to find a good spot to do battle and survives the waves of enemies who come at you from all over.
This change-up in the gameplay provides a sweet and sour flavor combination that works really well. Deep Rock Galactic has an abundantly chill vibe to it but things can get frantic when one of these waves shows up. It’s a peaceful, relaxing play punctuated by moments of fun intensity.
When combat is happening the gameplay holds up just as well as it does when mining. Guns feel responsive, controls are tight, and the action doesn’t disappoint or feel like some tacked-on afterthought.
The difficulty of these fights varies from mission to mission, generally, I think they can be handled without too much problem if you properly prepare but there have been times when I have been wiped out by one of these waves.
Deep Rock Galactic is the Perfect Xbox Game Pass game for easily accessible fun
A really fantastic quality about Deep Rock Galactic is the game’s instant accessibility. Within 30 minutes of first trying the game, you and your friends can jump right into the meat of the experience and start playing together.
There are no complicated mechanics to parse through or gameplay elements that have a long learning curve. This game is simple but also extensive, very easy to learn and play but with enough content to keep you coming back.
The cartoony aesthetic and light-hearted comedy also make this a good game you can play with kids, Deep Rock Galactic firmly fits into the family-friendly category of games and even though it has a teen rating, I think most younger kids could handle this game as long as they aren’t afraid of bugs.
If you are looking for a fresh game to play with friends this week, I say look no further than Deep Rock. This one is a winner that provides a pretty unexplored type of multiplayer experience. If you have Xbox Game Pass give it a try as part of your subscription, if you don’t I still think it’s worth looking if it’s available on your platform of choice.
Average Rating