A Game About Digging a Hole Review

Sometimes, you just see a game and know it's something you’re going to have to experience for yourself. For me, this mercurial feeling was in full force when I saw A Game About Digging A Hole in my recommended titles. Due to being more busy than sane, however, I let it lie for a future spelunk… until a lovely friend decided to give it to me as a gift, so here we are.

You’ve probably heard or seen the latest title from indie developer Cyberwave, which gained quite a following after its release in early February! Maybe it’s our innate need to dig whenever we see a freshly mown lawn, maybe we all have a little Dwarf in our heads demanding satisfaction, or maybe it’s just fun to dig a hole. Whatever the reason, AGADAH is here to fill that void and let us dig to our heart's content.

The plot, in all its simplicity, is that you have purchased a house that has a pile of treasure hidden somewhere deep underground. Being of an entrepreneurial spirit, you want this treasure and so set off to work with your brand-new Super Mega Digger 3000 Ultimate 2.0 to excavate your newly purchased riches!

There are a few issues, however, in this wonderful plan. Firstly, the Mega Digger is basically a pneumatic garden trowel with the battery life of a potato, and secondly, if said potato battery were to ever run out, it would explode… and not in the fun way. Luckily, your entrepreneurial spirit has prevailed yet again, as you have found a thriving market for all kinds of minerals, even the stones in the dirt! And so the loop begins.

In short, the moment-to-moment gameplay of AGADAH is exactly what it says on the tin: you dig a hole. As you dig, you find minerals to sell and slowly accrue money for upgrades, such as a better shovel attachment, a larger backpack, a long-lasting battery, and even a jetpack. Each time you dive in, you make longer and deeper trips underground, all while having the very visual indicator of your progress, the hole itself.

The promised treasure is, however, not as easily found as you may imagine; you end up digging quite a ways into your once-lovely garden in search of its bounty. You even wind up needing lights and dynamite to clear out some of the peskier rocks, which I’m sure the neighbours are thrilled about. In addition to your trusty auto-shovel, you also have two radars that can help locate hidden items, such as briefcases of money or mineshafts (don’t ask).

The digging itself is surprisingly relaxing: by clicking the mouse or right trigger, your mighty shovel will scoop out a small patch of dirt and slurp up a bit of your battery. Keep digging on the same spot and it will dig down, or you can expand your dig site as you please! While your inventory is limited and the battery is almost always empty, it's easy to lose yourself in the methodical task at hand. This is also helped by the very visual aspect of the hole getting slowly bigger and bigger. However, the constant clicking may eventually make for sore fingers, so make sure to rest up every now and again. My wrists have yet to forgive me.

Though it may seem slow at first, with each punch of the shovel hardly leaving a dent in the ground, the speed quickly picks up as you gain upgrades. As AGADAH is pretty short, clocking in at about 90 minutes (though you can spend a lot more if you want), the game never gets boring. Each new upgrade is exciting, and being able to delve deeper and deeper is fascinating in its own right.

Speaking of, as your garden grows ever cavernous, you will start to notice there is more to your garden than you may have thought: instead of simply shovelling dirt out of the ground, you’ll discover nooks, crannies, and even something akin to tunnels that could be natural, but also seem a bit more… intentional. Though I believe the exact shape and form of the backyard pit is random, I was still impressed with how the game managed to subtly guide my efforts, as I followed the path of least resistance and most shiny.

Now that I’ve sung the game's praises, time to qualify some of it: the game is not perfect. As you dig, you may end up leaving behind tiny, floating pixels of dirt behind. While these are seldom an issue, they are hard to spot and easy to run into. While rare, there were a few instances where I got completely stuck on one, forcing me to load out or pray that enough wiggling and blind shovel-slashing would set me free.

In a similar vein, the dynamite in the game can be a bit unreliable. Required to clear out larger boulders and rocks, these sticks of explosive oomph are a staple tool in your arsenal, at least when you get into the deeper depths. However, the volatile candy bars cause a slightly smaller boom than one could expect, making it easy to completely miss your target. They also may occasionally clip through the dirt itself. These are small things in general, and the price of a single stick is pretty low (around 100$), but it can still be disheartening in the early game. Dynamite should always be fantastic and dangerous in equal measure.

A Game About Digging a Hole is great fun. The satisfying progress, the fun upgrades and general humour of the game, and the task itself keep you hooked, whereas the relatively short runtime makes sure it never goes stale. If you look at the game’s screenshots and have the slightest inkling that it could be fun, it probably will be. I heartily recommend booting up a podcast or audiobook, strapping on your jetpack, and setting off for an evening of hard work and great discoveries.