Diggy's Adventure takes players beneath the sands of Egypt

Diggy's Adventure is a Facebook game from Pixel Federation. It was first released on Facebook back in June but has just recently started to show some steady growth, appearing at No. 5 on our list of emerging Facebook games last week. Diggy's Adventure casts players in the role of the titular explorer, who has come to Egypt in search of his missing father. A linear series of quests takes players through the game's story, and the actual gameplay is split across two distinct components -- building up Diggy's "base camp" and exploring various underground mines and tombs. The exploration aspect of Diggy's Adventure makes up the bulk of the gameplay. Its execution is very similar to Atakama Labs' sadly-defunct Little Cave Hero, albeit with a more modern aesthetic. Clicking on the tiles of the grid-based map moves Diggy around, and he is able to dig through certain materials in exchange for energy. Harder materials require additional energy to dig through -- unlike Little Cave Hero, there is no need for specific tools to be acquired before being able to break through rock, for example. Various special items are scattered around the levels, and Diggy will often have to make careful use of these to solve various puzzles. Part of the challenge comes from determining exactly how the various items work, because the game does not always explain these things explicitly after the initial tutorial. When back at base, Diggy is encouraged to talk to his companions to advance the plot and purchase various items to improve his rate of energy regeneration or maximum energy capacity. Constructing items costs soft currency, which is acquired along with experience through digging, and takes place immediately rather than after a real-time delay. There is only a limited amount of space available in the underground base, however -- additional areas must be unlocked by expending either soft of hard currency. Some structures require specific resources to construct, too -- these may be acquired by digging through appropriate materials in the various caves, mines and dungeons, though some may also be acquired through gift exchanges with friends. The game's monetization stems from its use of a hard currency, which is used to purchase certain premium items. That said, the vast majority of in-game objects may be purchased using soft currency, with only energy-restoration items requiring hard currency to acquire. The energy allocation is also fairly generous and refills at every level up, too, meaning the game never feels obtrusive or heavy-handed towards free players -- at least early in the game. Diggy's Adventure is a fun, original game that eschews the conventions of social games to create something friendly to core and casual players alike. While it does not have the endearing pixel-art aesthetic or dry humor of Atakama Labs' excellent Little Cave Hero, its gameplay will certainly satisfy those who are missing grid-based digging puzzles. It deserves to enjoy some success, though quite how much it will manage to stand out amid titles from publishers with bigger budgets for user acquisition remains to be seen. It's certainly a worthy title, however, and deserves to be appreciated for its solid gameplay, entertaining mechanics and good presentation. Diggy's Adventure currently has 80,000 monthly active users, 40,000 weekly active users and 10,000 daily active users. Follow its progress with AppData, our tracking service for social games and developers. Play Not just a good Facebook game -- Diggy's Adventure is a good game, period.

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Diggy's Adventure takes players beneath the sands of Egypt

Pete Davison

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