Diggles Demo

Dwarves are among the most recognizable fantasy characters in the fantasy genre, mostly thanks to Tolkien and the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game. Hence, the small, but fierce warriors are known for a variety of skills, including mining, forging, drinking, and having unusually long beards. They are also renowned for living under mountains and building impressive mines that serve as cities as well.

Diggles is a strategy game that allows you to witness the might of the dwarves from a first-hand perspective and use their skills to build a massive empire underground. However, the dwarves also have their own personalities and routines, not to mention the fact that every individual can only live for so long before dying. Fortunately, they usually leave a few children behind, so you’ll never run out of workers.

There is a story going on in the background as well, which gives you a purpose and it makes it easier to keep going when things move slowly. As such, the dwarves must keep mining deeper into the ground in order to find Odin’s hound, Fenris, in order to chain it and stop it from causing any more harm. Along the way, many side missions come your way as well, which are a tad easier to deal with.

Since this is basically a strategy game with sandbox elements, your primary purpose is to maximize the number of units under your command and try to advance your technology level as fast as possible. Hence, from firepits and tents to castles and various other complex buildings, everything must be learned and unlocked before you are able to build it. After that, the dwarves pass the knowledge down to their children and your civilization starts to advance.

As previously mentioned, each unit has its own mind and routine, which means that it won’t just stand around in silence most of the time. In order to build something, you just have to select the desired structure and a free dwarf will come to erect it. On the other hand, there are some problems with the AI, since it doesn’t always respond properly and it can get pretty annoying.

Diggles is not a technological wonder either, because the graphics and the sound quality are pretty bad as well. However, it doesn’t really matter all that much in the end, as long as you are free to pursue your dream and try to build your very own dwarf kingdom under the ground.