Dome Keeper review: you’ll love digging in this video game

A small engineer equipped with a drill and a jet pack digs under a dome installed on a hostile planet. As blocks shatter under the power of his tools, resources are revealed. Suddenly, the radar installed in his HQ tells him that an enemy threat is approaching. Here he is, therefore, forced to turn back, abandoning his riches to protect his fragile habitat. Welcome in Dome Keeperindependent game developed by two people.

The notion of duality constantly runs through Dome Keeper, an experience that takes the form of a pure two-in-one game. On the one hand, it is enough to dig to find minerals, even relics. On the other, you will have to survive and defend yourself, eliminating all the aliens who are rushing on the dome to destroy it. Of course, the two facets communicate: you can improve your base with the treasures unearthed underground.

We chain the games in Dome Keeper

You may fumble a lot in your first part of Dome Keeper, cut to confuse. After a brief introduction, the hero must perform his main task: digging, digging and more digging. This hard work is not really one for the player or the player: it is enough to go in the direction of a piece of land so that it disappears under the blows of the drill – which is very satisfying. Naturally, the deeper we go, the more resistance the environment will put up, making the walks more tedious.

Once destroyed, the blocks make it possible to clear a path towards the unknown, until creating tunnels or a large cave (it is up to you to decide what will facilitate your movements). Some will reveal one of the three resources of the game, which you will have to bring back to the dome by considering the notion of weight (the more you carry, the slower you will be). Despite simplistic gameplay, Dome Keeper constantly challenges his hero, who must learn to manage his sense of priorities in order to triumph. Because, outside, the enemies come in waves at regular intervals. And, it is imperative to be present to defend the dome when they arrive, which encourages not to lengthen the underground exits too much between two attacks.

At first, Dome Keeper gives nothing, not even a way to see the state of its stocks. You have to unlock everything yourself, via a tree that gives access to a range of improvements. Some are related to the dome itself (shield, weapon damage and velocity, etc.), while others relate to the tools available to the engineer (drilling power, movement speed, transport capacity). We can also find small random facilities, which can really be very useful (the freight elevator to send resources without transporting them is very valuable, for example).

Since resources are limited, choices have to be made all the time. Should I improve the offensive skills of the dome or, on the contrary, make it easier for me to explore? Between moments of calm and those of tension, the balance is sometimes difficult to find. That’s all the charm of Dome Keeper, where the notion of renunciation is real. The game also benefits from a captivating visual design, relying on pixel art rendering and deliberately coarse little details to hit the mark. As a bonus, we unlock new worlds with each victory, and they know how to distinguish themselves on the side of the visual atmosphere. There’s nothing like breaking the routine.

Despite a gameplay loop that ends up becoming repetitive, we want to chain the games, whether they end in failure or triumph. The random nature of the map can be frustrating (you won’t always have access to the freight elevator…), but there is nothing unacceptable either. Also note that Dome Keeper misses a bit of explanation from time to time. Fortunately, the pace of each attempt is slow enough to allow for some errors.

Otherwise, the most addicted will be able to vary the pleasures by modifying certain parameters of the game, from a larger map (be careful not to get lost) to the difficulty (there is an option after “Brutal”), passing by the type of dome. You will thus have the opportunity to defend it with a sword – difficult to maneuver – rather than with a laser beam. Scoring enthusiasts will bet on Prestige mode to pass the time: the goal is to score as many points as possible by sending resources.