Alright. [i]I Am Busy Digging A Hole[/i] is done and dusted. This is an [i]A Game About Digging A Hole[/i]-like. One of a few to release lately following the success of said game. And interestingly enough, some of 'I AM Busy Digging A Hole' is ripped straight from the OG. From the sales computer to the upgrade screen, and even the backyard, albeit with some small differences with regards to the backyard and the upgrade room. It seems obvious that both games were made using the same asset packs. Anyway, it's more or less the same game. In some ways more, in some ways less.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3522088665
I actually like this digging sandbox a bit more. The space available to dig is a bit more focused and a result, it just kind of makes more sense. And the yard itself has a bit more of a lived-in feel, inasmuch as it has things you might expect from a home built by actual humans rather than evil moles. Such as a (non-interactable) swimming pool. And patio furniture.
The digging itself, which is the core of this new genre of games, is less than. At least during what I'd call the first stage. Actually, let's dive into the stages first. There are two. Basically, you need to complete the game once, after which, you are challenged to do better, and the second stage (playthrough) begins. In practice however, you just do the same thing, but the digging world takes on a more horror-esque vibe. It's not horror, but the names of the stones go from, say 'Diamonds', to 'Abyssal Stones'. Normal stones become 'Void Stones'. That sort of thing. And the actual lighting is muted a bit. Which gives you a bit of a different look for what is otherwise the exact same experience played a second time.
Okay. Back to the digging. In the first stage, digging is subpar and feels laborious. You can upgrade your shovel, energy, backpack, and jetpack same as with 'AGADAH'. But you can upgrade each only four times, and the shovel in particular never really gets a fun jump in digging power. Easily two thirds of your total playtime if you finish this game will be spent in the first stage, slowly digging your way to the bottom of your digging space, after which you will slowly spend the rest of your time trying to find whatever secret might be found down there. The pacing here is not good. I would imagine it will literally sap the will to continue from a lot of players. Especially when coupled with the relatively low power for your shovel and small backpack space even when fully upgraded, which requires that you abandon digging on the regular in order to sell everything and top off your energy.
The second stage however picks up the pace and gives you actual proper upgrades for your gear. And while the cost of each is greater, so too is the value of the stones you dig up. The second stage was a lot more fun than the first stage. You can't Hoover soil like you could in "AGADAH', but the digging is still super-fast when the shovel is full upgraded in stage two, and your energy bank has enough juice to where you can actually make decent progress between recharge intervals. Your backpack when fully upgraded holds enough stones to also reduce your necessary trips back to the surface.
You do also have dynamite and lanterns, which is to be expected. What wasn't expected though is that dynamite is completely useless in this game. There is only one reason to have it, actually. As you dig far enough down, there will be times when it looks like you have dug into water. I don't know if that is intended or is a visual glitch, but you can still keep digging under it. However, it prevents you from seeing under it. The only way to remove this visual impediment is by dropping dynamite on it. And that is the singular use for dynamite in this game. Lanterns OTOH, while not essential due to the game's ambient lighting, do make seeing things much easier still.
Another oversight is that, while topping off your energy is supposed to cost between one and four bucks depending on how energy you are refilling, in practice, it always costs one dollar. That's probably a coding error.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3521658962
You do have one other goal while digging, which is to unearth cute little dragons who, once revealed, will hang out in your yard (and in one instance, inside your home) and just outside your fence as well. They have minor animations and are generally a fun little addition. While they have no actual impact on the game, they do make for a more pleasant experience in general. And you can also find some decorative plates that maybe give you a clue as to what waits for you deep underground.
With all that in mind, I'm going to offer some advice to new players. You want to approach the game as follows:
1: Focus on fully upgrading everything. That is your first priority.
2: Focus on building up your bank after upgrading your gear. You want to have about 12k stashed before you really make a push to get to the bottom of your digging space. 10k will be used immediately when you get to stage two, to fully upgrade your shovel the rest of the way and make the remainder of your time in-game much more user friendly. The other 2k will simply be used to top off your energy and buy more lanterns to use when you're at the bottom during stage one.
3: Once you've accomplished the above, make a push to get to the bottom of your sandbox and begin searching around for something unique to that area. Don't worry about going back up to the surface. Just dig until you run out of energy. The game will send you back to the surface automatically at that point. Top off your energy and head on back down. Rinse and repeat as often as necessary.
4. When you begin stage two, immediately use that 10k I mentioned to fully upgrade your shovel. The rest of the game will be paced properly once you do so.
5. Once you have fully upgraded everything in stage two, you will only need enough cash to top off energy and buy lanterns. You can pretty much stop make selling runs to the surface again once that happens. So, you will maybe need 2k for that. I doubt you'll even use it all.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3522159478
Although this game uses the hints of horror to create maybe a splash of tension, it is in no way horror or even horror adjacent, unlike its predecessor. It's a fake out here. And while I'd say the pacing in general is poor in this game, it does redeem itself during the second stage. All in all, I had a fun time with the game, and for the one dollar I spent on it during the 2025 Summer Sale, it was certainly a good experience. I'm on the fence regarding the $4.99 retail though. You probably could wait for another sale IMO. Still, I'd say it's worth a look.
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