Gold Diggers app review: a spaghetti western vertical endless digging adventure

Introduction

Gold Diggers by Gamistry is a game that takes the endless running concept, but instead of going horizontally, you will be going down. You are put into one of the wild west's best kept secrets, the Gigantic Superlicious Steam Punk Digging Tram. With this you dig, collect gold, avoid enemies and flame pillars, and collect numerous power-ups. The game has high production values and tons of upgrades and extra diggers you can purchase. If you have played Jetpack Joyride before, you will know exactly what to expect.

Drilling Down and Taking Names

When you start the game, you’ll find out the controls use up the entire screen, meaning you will use your finger to steer the drill from left to right. The drill will simply go where you point on the screen, meaning you will use the entire screen to steer the drill. This is what makes the game sometimes really hard as, if you’re playing on an iPad, the screen is a lot larger than an iPhone screen. Drilling down isn’t as easy as it sounds, either. The first few hundred meters you will be fine, collecting gold and dodging rocks in the sand, but the further you get, the more obstacles will appear.

Get down far enough and giant underground worms (like Tremors!) will chase you and you’ll need to hit speed arrows to stay ahead. All this is stopping you from getting as far down as you can. When you die, you have to start all over again. 

 

Unlocking Upgrades

While playing and trying to beat your best run, you will be collecting coins. You will do this while playing, but also by completing tasks that the game sets for you. With these coins you can buy all kinds of different things, like utilities that might give you an edge while playing, or you can buy esthetic upgrades.

New drillers are also a good idea, since each and every driller has a special power that might give help you down the line. You can also buy gold if you get tired of collecting it, which will cost you real money. 

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• High production values
• Fun to play
• Clever enemies

 

Cons

• Hard to control
• It’s a Jetpack Joyride clone

 

Conclusion

Gold Diggers turned out to be a really fun game to play, especially as each gameplay session will take about three to five minutes. Collecting coins and buying upgrades works exactly the same as in Jetpack Joyride, and the games concept is very similar as well. The only difference is that you go down instead of right, and that the controls are just not as intuitive as with that game. That said, I think the developer has done a really good job creating a fun and beautiful game, but at no point they actually overshadow the game's big brother.

The game is compatible for iPad and iPhone.