Feel what it’s like to use heavy machinery in VR.

Did you ever play with construction toys as a kid and wanted to operate one of those?

If so, then a new virtual reality (VR) game can help you – almost – feel like you’re right there living out that fantasy. If you never had this dream then, who knows, maybe you’ll just like the fact that this game is basically ripping off PowerWash Simulator VR in nearly every way – except you’re not going around cleaning.

The game in question is Dig VR developed by Wired Productions (Arcade Paradise VR), it released Nov. 14 for the Quest series of headsets.

Players will take on the role of a child starting out on their father’s old digger, before it makes its way into the machinery afterlife in a cloud of black smoke. From there, you and your new tiny digger will take on tasks around the town of Diglington – yes the town is apparently aptly named for those who wish to complete all available tasks by digging (again very similar to PowerWash Simulator VR and its setting of Muckingham).

You accept jobs from your garage’s job board, these start out simple – as your tiny digger can only do so much – like digging out holes (obviously). As you progress through jobs and build up enough reputation and hard-earned cash, you’ll be able to buy bigger and better diggers, alongside an abundance of attachments. Once you have these, jobs like breaking up walls with a drill, or cutting down trees with a saw, will all be available to you to perform at your leisure.

Dig VR is obviously a very arcade style simulator, but one who has never actually driven a digger before can assume that they tried to make controlling this heavy construction machinery is as close to realistic as they could get.

When you hop into your digger, you’re treated to a view of buttons, levers and other doohickeys. You can opt to play things safe and use thumbsticks to swap between moving the digger and the excavator arm, or, you can go for the full experience and use the movement levers and joysticks for the arm. You’ll also use the ‘X’ button when you need to swap out your attachments.

Of course, using the full motion controls takes some getting use to as there’s a lot of wrist bending that needs to be done as you dig and dump. Once you get it, the assumption is that you’ll feel like a construction worker who does this for a living, but it does take some time to figure out how to make this thing go – especially without doing things that mess up your missions.

You may find some of the more annoying instances of gameplay come from the controls. This can especially arise when you need to move around your designated dig zone, or move over to the tarp where you dump the dirt, only to come back and position yourself properly to get back to work. While motion controls add to the immersion and expected fun of the game, those with low tolerances for annoyance when you’re coming back for that last bit of dirt, only to struggle with getting to the full 100 per cent completion, may find this tedious.

Could this be how real construction workers feel? We may never know, but it is definitely something you’ll struggle with here as you work on your digging career.

As you play the campaign, you’re offered two modes of presumed difficulty. You can go for the fully graded mode where you’ll lose points and money if you dig where you shouldn’t, break things, or even leave dirt where it shouldn’t be. The alternative is zen mode where you can dig and break things to your hearts content, but the rewards are less here – and if you’re hoping to unlock all kinds of things you will need to excel in graded mode.

Graphics here are not meant to be realistic by any means, you won’t be blown away by the world around you when playing Dig VR. On the upside, comparing this to Powerwash Simulator VR the graphics are definitely a step up – if you’ve played that game you’ll know how ugly the VR port is compared to its flat screen predecessor.

Considering how long that game has been out, it’s actually quite pathetic of developer nDreams to drop DLC every few months, while avoiding fixing the disgustingly ugly graphics. But let’s move on from that.

In addition to the career mode, Dig VR offers a sandbox mode to just mess around, a “treasure hunt” game where you literally use the digger to hunt for treasure, as well as mini games. These games – which of course all feature using your digger for the task – involve: bowling, scooping balls, and catching rubber duckies with a magnet.

There’s also an online mode for those who want to, presumably, dig with others?

Overall, Dig VR is a very niche game that will appeal to a small group of VR gamers. Unlike the nearly relaxing nature of PowerWash Simulator VR, stepping into a digger to complete tasks comes with a sense of doing work – and the stress that accompanies that. Sure, the game has a zen mode that doesn’t take off marks, but you’re still going to be struggling to dig out that last little bit of dirt; while trying avoid that internal disappointment when you inevitably make a mistake.

Some of the mini games are fun, but unless you’re really invested – or have an overwhelming urge to finish something you start – chances are this game is not something you’re going to come back to often.

This game was definitely made for – and possibly by – people who use to have tons of construction vehicle toys, and at some point, dreamed of driving around a real one. For everyone else, it’s probably not something you’ll want to pick up.

Dig VR, was reviewed on the Quest 3 after receiving a game key.