Full Bore: The First Dig Review AND GIVEAWAY - Puzzles are Challenging Again!

For those of you who have been gamers for a long time, you'll remember the "good ol' days" of gaming. I know I sure do! What always surprises me when I play them again, though, is that "good ol' games" are usually REALLY hard! I can't count the action games I wanted to smash my controller over (Contra, Ghosts N Goblins), the random battles in RPGs to take on a new area or buy equipment (Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy) and the puzzle games that were basically impossible to complete (Myst!). Heck, even Zelda was way harder back then, especially Zelda II: The Adventures of Link!!! Full bore truly is old-school for more than the fun, retro-styled graphics and animation, it's a really hard game!

The game puts you in the shoes of one of two boar adventurers: Frederick ("He's a boar!") and Hildi ("She's a boar too!"). Frolicking in a field chasing butterflies quickly turns into a heck of an adventure as the ground is blown up and you fall into a crazy deep cavern. Here you'll learn the main controls and get your first gem before finding a rocket and climbing inside.

Block puzzles are the name of the game with Full Bore and there's no shortage of them! You'll be running across sand that breaks apart quickly as you stand on it, movable blocks, lasers and the batteries that power them... Some you can dig through, some you can't; some are affected by gravity while others remain where they were; some can be destroyed from a short distance with ground pounds; some you can drop down through. The game stays fresh the entire time, and if you're ever truly, completely stumped going after a gem you can skip it temporarily and come back for it. This was incredibly helpful for me as I even had to watch videos on youtube to see how some of the puzzles were solved!

This is one of the most amazing parts of the game, having to race a drill deeper and deeper!

For those paying attention, the game is "The First Dig", and as such you'd expect that a sequel is coming up. You would be correct! However, unlike so many games these days that require all sorts of DLC to get the full experience, part two of Full Bore is actually included in your purchase! Once it releases, you'll get it!

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was given a copy of the game for review, which did not affect my review.

Available for: PC, Linux (normally $12, on sale at the moment for $8; with soundtrack is normally $18, currently $13)

Website: http://www.wholehog-games.com/fullbore/

Developed by: Whole Hog Games