The Dig Review

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The Dig

Review by nounMay 2002

Back before they decided to focus all their efforts on churning out one mediocre Star Wars game after another, LucasArts produced some of the best adventure games ever made. It’s a pretty impressive portfolio: Day of the Tentacle, Loom, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, and of course, the whole Monkey Island series.  While all of these were good, The Dig stands out as one of LucasArts’s most high-profile and memorable achievements.

The Dig was originally planned as a motion picture, but that idea was scrapped due to its estimated cost at the time. Steven Spielberg thought of the original concept, which was fleshed out into novel form by prolific author Alan Dean Foster, who also contributed to the game’s dialogue. The voice talent was excellent but low-budget, with the notable exception being Robert Patrick, most recently of X-Files fame.

The Dig’s opening could work just as well in a movie theater, which is no surprise given the level of talent involved in this title. The game opens with a monitoring station discovering a huge asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Cut to a press conference, where the game’s heroes are introduced to explain their upcoming journey to the asteroid and their mission to destroy it. Boston Low, veteran shuttle pilot and leader of the expedition, Maggie Robbins, a well-known journalist, and Ludger Brink, a respected archaeologist, are soon dispatched to investigate the situation.

The game begins at this point with a few simple puzzles to get you warmed up, culminating in your discovery that the asteroid is an artificial transport ship. After accidentally activating it, Boston, Maggie and Brink are whisked away from their shipmates and end up landing on another world. Your new mission? Figure out where they are and how to get back home. Shortly after your arrival, an event causes your party to split up, leaving Boston Low in your control. You’ll soon find evidence that the deserted planet you’re exploring was once home to a thriving civilization, and the bulk of the game comes from your unraveling its mysteries, namely, where did everyone go?

At its core, The Dig is just another 2D point-and-click adventure game, with 100 different areas to explore and the usual amount of obstacles in your path. However, the storyline is truly excellent and professionally developed. You get the sense that you really are on an alien world and, thanks to the excellent writing, come to view the characters as people and not just pixelated obstacles preventing your progress. The endings are ultimately satisfying (there are two different endings depending on your actions at one point in the game) and leave just enough of a plot opening to allow for a sequel.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to my adventure games in that I insist that the puzzles be logical in the context of the adventure rather than random puzzles, and The Dig doesn’t disappoint.  Nearly all of the puzzles have logical solutions that can be discovered with a little thought rather than random inventory manipulation, such as restoring power to an errant door with the tools at hand or searching the environment for a clue to a locked door’s combination.  The majority of the puzzles range from easy to moderate, with one particular head-scratcher in the extremely difficult category, which makes this an excellent title for first-time adventure gamers.

Unlike other adventure games from their competitors (cough, Sierra, cough), LucasArts’s adventures were designed to not punish the player for making a mistake. No matter what you did, you would never die or be forced to reload a previous save because you missed a vital clue.

Taking this user-friendly approach one step further, The Dig was the first adventure to feature the single-click interface.  Typically, adventure games required you to click on an interface tool of some sort and select an appropriate function (talk, use, look, etc.), then click the item or person with which you wanted to interact. In The Dig, you simply click the item, person or location on the screen and attempt to use it. The same principle applies to your inventory items. Opening your inventory, selecting an item, then clicking the hot spot on the screen is enough to determine a response. Granted, this functionality is taken for granted in today’s adventure games, but it was LucasArts that pioneered the easy-to-use interface.

As for the graphics, well, let’s be honest. The Dig was released in 1995, written for MS-DOS, and it simply cannot compare with today’s 3D graphics-enhanced genocide simulators. The Dig’s graphics are 640×480, SVGA and very pixelated, though they were considered state-of-the-art at the time. Still, don’t let this discourage you. Making the most of what they had, the artists did a fantastic job creating an alien world in 256 colors. Each screen is beautifully composed, and any relevant hot spots are easy to find and use. The cut scenes are animated and even today can easily compete with most cartoons on TV.

The Dig’s music and sound, however, are still aural treats even by today’s standards. The Dig’s music consists of heavily synthesized elements of Wagner opera compositions, creating an eerie, ambient landscape. Given that the game is from LucasArts, it should be no surprise that the sound effects are top-notch. The voiceovers are excellent as well, especially Robert Patrick’s (Boston) work, though Steven Blum’s (Brink) delivery can be a bit grating at times.

I discovered one other benefit during my Wayback Machine trip: The Dig runs perfectly on today’s powerhouse machines. On my Pentium 3, The Dig ran just fine in a Windows 98 DOS window, at normal speed, without a single crash. This is because The Dig runs entirely from the CD drive and only accesses your hard drive for game saves. Simply pop in the CD, choose either the 8 MB or 16 MB executable file (remember when 16 MB of RAM was a big deal?) and you’re off and running. Excellent news for those of us who find today’s high-budget games unsatisfying, like a $5 cup of Starbucks coffee that leaves you with a sour stomach.

What else can I say? As far as 2D point-and-click adventure games go, The Dig is definitely at the top of the list as one of the finest games ever made. Any adventure gamer who doesn’t already own a copy should take the time to locate one and experience The Dig for himself. You won’t be disappointed, and you may find yourself looking at today’s games in a new light. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: LucasArts Publisher: LucasArts Release Date: Summer 1995

Available for: DOS Windows

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System Requirements

486 DX2 66 MHz VGA card Soundblaster compatible

Where to Find It

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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