DIG Raiders: Anomaly Extraction

There are some games that are difficult to explain without simply saying, “you need to play it to understand it.” DIG Raiders: Anomaly Extraction is one of those games.

It’s strange, chaotic and at times completely ridiculous, but it works… in places. 

After spending time with DIG Raiders throughout the week, I’ve found a game that I’ve enjoyed far more when playing alongside other people than when heading underground alone. There are still a few issues with multiplayer performance and controller support in my experience, but underneath all the madness is a surprisingly satisfying mining and exploration loop.

Gameplay & Mechanics

The basic idea is simple enough. You’re in debt, you’ve acquired a dig site connected to an alien crash, and now you need to head underground, dig for valuables, explore increasingly strange areas and hopefully make some money in the process.

Officially, the game supports both single-player and online co-op, with mining, exploration and alien encounters forming the core of the experience.

But describing DIG Raiders that simply doesn’t really capture how strange things can get.

You start digging with your pickaxe and before long you’re discovering new areas, encountering aliens and finding all sorts of things buried underneath the surface.

And yes, one of my favourite parts is simply digging.

There’s something quite relaxing about swinging your pickaxe, breaking through the ground and wondering what you’re going to uncover next. Finding a new area after digging your way through is genuinely satisfying, and it gives you that constant feeling of wanting to see what’s a little bit further down.

And I’m still discovering things.

That’s important because I wondered how much this concept would have. The more I’ve played, however, the more I’ve realised there’s quite a lot here that I haven’t seen or fully understood yet.

Much Better With Friends

This is where DIG Raiders really started working.

You absolutely can play it alone, and technically I actually had a smoother experience doing so, but I found solo play could become a little boring after a while.

Bring other players into the equation and it’s a completely different experience.

The strange situations, exploration and general madness become much more entertaining when you’re experiencing them with other people. DIG Raiders feels like a game built around those moments where you and your friends aren’t necessarily doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, but you’re having a great time anyway.

The downside is that multiplayer wasn’t always completely smooth for me. I experienced some lag during my time online, whereas the game generally ran pretty well when I was playing alone.

So there’s a trade-off: solo gave me the smoother experience, but multiplayer gave me the more enjoyable one.

The Energy System Surprised Me

One mechanic I was initially concerned about was the energy bar.

When I first encountered it, I thought having to manage energy while exploring would eventually become annoying. Surprisingly, the longer I played, the more I actually appreciated what it added to the game.

When you’re running low, you eventually have to return and restore your energy before heading back underground.

Importantly, your progress isn’t simply wiped away. I could return with a full energy bar and continue exploring, which gives the whole process a nice rhythm rather than making it feel like I’m constantly starting again.

But there is a catch.

Restoring your energy costs money.

That’s particularly important when you’re already trying to earn enough money to deal with your debt. Every time you recharge, you’re effectively eating into the money you’re working to recover.

Personally, I quite liked this.

It gives the energy mechanic an actual purpose. There’s a small risk-and-reward decision involved in deciding how far you want to push things before returning.

At the same time, I can absolutely see some players finding it frustrating, especially if they’re focused on clearing their debt as quickly as possible.

Mouse and Keyboard Was the Way to Go

I also had a noticeable difference between playing with mouse and keyboard and using a controller.

For me, mouse and keyboard was easily the better option.

When I switched to a controller, it felt as though I had severe stick drift pulling me towards the left. Initially I thought something might be wrong with my controller, so I tried a couple of others.

I experienced the same thing each time.

Because of that, I eventually returned to mouse and keyboard and found the game considerably more comfortable to play.

I can’t say whether everybody will experience the same controller behaviour, but after reproducing it across several controllers, it’s something I have to mention based on my own experience.

Visuals & Atmosphere

DIG Raiders isn’t trying to take itself particularly seriously, and that’s probably for the best.

Its colourful environments, bizarre characters and increasingly strange discoveries complement the type of game it wants to be.

There’s almost a sense that you’re never quite sure what ridiculous thing the game is going to throw at you next.

That weirdness won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, but I found it became part of the game’s personality rather than something working against it.

What I Liked

The biggest positive is simply how much fun DIG Raiders can be with other people. Digging and discovering new areas is surprisingly satisfying, there’s more to uncover than I initially expected, and the game’s strange sense of humour gives it plenty of personality.

I also ended up appreciating the energy and debt mechanics considerably more than I expected. Having to balance exploration against the cost of restoring your energy adds another small layer of decision-making to what could otherwise have been a very straightforward digging loop.

What Could Be Better

The multiplayer experience could use some additional polish. I experienced lag online despite solo play generally running well.

Controller play was also problematic during my testing. The constant leftward movement I had with my controllers made mouse and keyboard my preferred way to play.

And while DIG Raiders supports solo play, this is where I found the experience started becoming repetitive. The game’s chaotic personality really comes alive with other people around you.

Final Verdict

DIG Raiders: Anomaly Extraction is weird, chaotic and much more entertaining than I initially expected.

Playing alone showed me that there’s actually a satisfying little mining and exploration game underneath all the madness. Digging through the ground can be strangely relaxing, and discovering a new area gives you just enough of that “I’ll keep going a little longer” feeling.

But playing with friends is where it really comes together.

The multiplayer lag and controller issues I experienced stop it from being as polished as I’d like, and solo players may find the repetition setting in sooner than those playing with a group.

Yet I’ve been playing throughout the week and I’m still finding and learning new things. That’s probably the biggest compliment I can give it.

It may be strange, but DIG Raiders is FUN, and that’s all that matters right?