I was surprised recently to see I was approaching my 100th review—wow, that is a lot more voluntary writing than I expected to do after graduating college—and luckily a game I really enjoyed gets to mark the occasion. The Dig is an engrossing point-and-click sci-fi classic that fans of the contemplative puzzle-y adventure Outer Wilds should consider checking out. At least if you have a tolerance for old-school PC gaming. (But hey, you could develop that here, right?)

This game features a greatly streamlined interface compared to many classic point-and-click titles, with one click generally being enough to do a range of clear, context-appropriate interactions. Its puzzles can sort of feel similarly obtuse to other games, and have a few frustrations in the actual execution of the solutions. There is artificial and arbitrary-feeling stuff here, but I still feel like they are really well-integrated into the game world and just feel cool, like I'm actually engaging with this alien world somehow. The large hub area you spend most of the game branching off from feels like a puzzle itself, and progression through that area brings a very satisfying flow through its various secrets.

With your space crew somewhat at odds with one another, most of the game finds you as commander on a pretty lonely journey through mysterious environments. It can get sort of eerie at times, and they don't shy away from a couple tense situations. When they do show up, the characters are not always supposed to be likable, but they contribute well to the game's serious, grounded feel despite its fantastical sci-fi setting. That setting is brilliantly atmospheric, boldly colored and full of strange creatures and mechanisms. The art and music are excellent. It's just a super immersive and interesting game world with juuust enough character focus to work on multiple fronts.

From its somewhat urgent-feeling opening to that slower main section, the storytelling usually felt pretty strong, whether it focused on more active events or just quiet worldbuilding. There were definitely times where narrative/logical leaps were made that I didn't quite understand, which I suppose is a result of the game's infamously troubled development. And I was not a big fan of the ending, as it kind of swerved in a direction different from what I felt it had been building toward. Still, it was pretty fascinating and had some very memorable scenes to take away.

When taken as a whole, despite any flaws this was an excellent experience that provides a refreshing contrast to prior LucasArts adventure games that I wasn't personally as into. Very impressive and definitely deserves some of the updated re-release love that other games of the era got, so that more people will try it out.