Nerds That Geek Game Review: ‘Deep Rock Galactic’

Written by Scott Murray

Thanks to some friends, I started playing Deep Rock Galactic earlier this year and I’ve discovered a delightful game I can play with friends, with strangers, or even alone, with variety to keep me hooked no matter how many hours I’ve put in.

On the surface, it’s a remarkably simple game. Become a Dwaven Space Miner, land on a resource-rich planet, navigate a randomly generated series of tunnels, obtain various items, and fight off monster bugs. You’ll spend lots of time shooting bugs with a variety of weapons, and lots of time digging things up out of dirt or digging new tunnels to navigate to new areas. In a masterclass in gameplay design and balance, Developer Ghost Ship Games has kept things fresh and fun with varied environments, satisfying character classes, and missions that remix themselves so no two are exactly alike.

Players can choose between four classes of dwarf: Driller, Engineer, Gunner, and Scout. Each has their own weapons that excel in different areas of combat, unique “Traversal Tools” for getting around the maps, and support tools that help out others in your crew. Every class feels distinct, fun, and capable; anytime I find myself thinking “I wish I was playing another class right now...” I always follow it moments later with the thought “... but then I wouldn’t have this really awesome class I’m playing right now!” You never find yourself feeling like one class is the favorite and another has been neglected; they all feel equally useful in some situations and equally at a disadvantage in others. Satisfyingly, none of them are outright bad at anything, just “okay” at worst, so you always feel like you can contribute to the team. Likewise, you’re always glad to see another player join you no matter what class they’re playing, and others are always happy to have you join them. Even making a team entirely of the same single class still works, since each class is self-sufficient enough to get by and each new player provides more firepower and resources to help you endure even if they don’t bring a new set of tools.

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At its heart Deep Rock Galactic is meant for cooperative multiplayer, ideally in a team of four with each person playing a different class, but it works just as well alone or in smaller groups. The difficulty scaling is excellent, deftly adjusting the number of enemies and the availability of health and ammunition to accommodate any combination of players. With five different difficulty levels, seven different mission types, and eight different environmental biomes each with their own unique environmental hazards, no two missions ever feel exactly alike, and you’ll find yourself facing fresh challenges thanks to differing environments and enemy compositions even if your team composition never changes. Plus, thanks to randomly generated maps, even if you fail a mission and immediately restart you will have a totally different cave layout to contend with, so the game never feels repetitive. And if you do decide to go it alone instead of playing with a group or joining a public match, you have the option of bringing along a helpful robot to watch your back and keep you working efficiently, even with only one set of hands. I’ve played many solo missions and can personally assure you that, while nothing quite beats the thrill of hearing your friends cheers or shouts in your headset, the game itself is just as rewarding when played alone.

The missions are rewarding beyond the thrill of success too, thanks to a well-paced experience system that has you unlocking new gear, weapons, customization items, and even new beers to drink on the Space Rig lobby between missions. Unlocks come quickly enough that you never feel like you have to slog through a repetitive grind, but slowly enough that you always have something new to look forward to. Actual equipment is unlocked just through playing the game and leveling each class up, and then a one-time purchase of in-game credits and materials lets you buy the gun or piece of gear forever. Mined crafting materials from the levels let you purchase upgrades for your equipment, and cosmetics unlock through level-based challenges, side-objectives uncovered during missions, and are even occasionally gifted to you outright. Although there are some paid cosmetic DLC packs, I’ve never once felt like I’ve had a shortage of cool ways to customize my dwarves.

If you’re even remotely interested in co-op shooters or team exploration adventures, you owe it to yourself to check out Deep Rock Galactic. While you’re guaranteed adventure and excitement, who knows what else you might dig up?

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