Cave Packer by Tommeh

[raw]
made by Tommeh for Ludum Dare 58 (JAM)

A cozy incremental mining game about digging deeper, collecting oddly shaped ores, and packing them perfectly into your backpack to maximize profit. Sell your haul to upgrade tools, expand your inventory, and unlock new abilities. Can you find the famed Prismatic ore?

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Controls

  • LEFT MOUSE: Mine
  • WASD: Move
  • SPACE: Jump
  • E: Interact
  • R: Rotate

Asset Credits

  • Music by Brandon75689 - https://opengameart.org/content/cave-theme
  • Color Pallette by Kerrie Lake - https://lospec.com/palette-list/resurrect-64

Post deadline fixes

  • Changed wrong tutorial text from "TAB" to "E"

Ratings

Overall 55th 4.108⭐ 67🧑‍⚖️
Fun 38th 4.083⭐ 68🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 329th 3.346⭐ 67🧑‍⚖️
Theme 155th 4.069⭐ 67🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 310th 3.846⭐ 67🧑‍⚖️
Audio 174th 3.689⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Mood 237th 3.789⭐ 66🧑‍⚖️
Given 41🗳️ 66🗨️

Feedback

Arthur Iung
Oct 06th · 21:40 UTC
I had to force myself to stop playing. I love tech tree games.
As for the game, I felt that having a timer pushes you more into racing against time rather than “collecting,” and the inventory system felt a bit more like “resource management.”
The pickaxe sound was the most satisfying thing about my Monday — I might even use it as my alarm tone <3
I’m definitely adding this to my favorites so I can come back and play more later!
Stingdragon
Oct 06th · 21:44 UTC
Super cute! I got stuck when dropping off ores and can't leave the inventory screen.
🎤 Tommeh
Oct 06th · 22:02 UTC
@stingdragon Thank you for finding a bug. You need to do a frame perfect input to softlock it... Jam time is not over yet so I went ahead and fixed it in the itch.io page!
Stingdragon
Oct 06th · 22:26 UTC
@tommeh That sounds great! I must have stumbled into a special case because it did not repeat. I think I opened my inventory and emptied into storage at the same time and it just stopped me from leaving.
naru
Oct 06th · 23:18 UTC
Very well done! The game feels really engaging and fun to explore the skill tree
Psevdonim
Oct 07th · 00:28 UTC
A bit addictive :)
The gameplay isn’t the most comfortable and could use some quality-of-life improvements, but it’s still really addictive! Thumbs up!
![image_2025-10-07_05-25-02.png](///raw/069/56/z/6e63a.png)

![image_2025-10-07_05-25-40.png](///raw/069/56/z/6e63b.png)
Chikendeath
Oct 07th · 09:56 UTC
incredible game good job, i can't stop playing, great idea you creat your own jump, nice inventory and skill tree
Bumble
Oct 07th · 09:58 UTC
I was not expecting the size of the upgrade tree I was discovering throughout the game! A small but really well fleshed-out idea! We also went the 'sort your backpack'-route but way more frantic and a lot less polished :sweat_smile:
Rogaven
Oct 07th · 10:01 UTC
Looks interesting in the screenshots, but for some reason the inventory won’t close when I press Tab (macOS 15.6, Chrome), and I can’t progress further :cry:
🎤 Tommeh
Oct 07th · 10:07 UTC
@rogaven Oh there is a typo in the inventory screen :(. The inventory is supposed to be toggled with "E". Sorry for the confusion!
space8
Oct 07th · 10:11 UTC
This game produced an unholy quantity of dopamine in my brain. Fantastic work!!
twistways
Oct 07th · 16:11 UTC
That was so much fun to play! I had some problems with getting back to the surface sometimes
Hexela
Oct 07th · 16:42 UTC
A very neat game. Backpack mechanic feels very satisfying. Liked it a lot.
Alex Mulkerrin
Oct 07th · 17:11 UTC
Really good flow state to the game as you swap between mining and playing backpack tetris. The game seemed well fleshed out and the graphics and sound are very suitable. My favourite upgrade was the jump height one as you just sail through the underground. Good job!
Artalasky
Oct 07th · 17:44 UTC
The game is brilliant.
I completed it in 18 days. I was hooked. All themes are 5 stars.
danicoredj
Oct 07th · 20:46 UTC
beautiful game and game play
Skylone
Oct 07th · 22:19 UTC
exciting game
fritzendugan
Oct 08th · 05:44 UTC
Slowly learning faster and faster ways to clear the most amount of stuff in the minimum time was really fun. The jump was a little frustrating sometimes to try and slip through some of the tight holes once you really got your jump upgraded, maybe somehow making the collision a little more forgiving would've been nice. I loved how by the end I was basically clearing the whole map out each time! And the patterns I dug looked cool. Very good game feel. Kudos for an actual ending! Very polished for a jam entry 10/10 love digging games <3

![Screenshot 2025-10-08 at 01.43.35.png](///raw/95a/3/z/6ed84.png)
harujam
Oct 08th · 07:22 UTC
I enjoyed this one so much! The best part was to get the inventory full only to notice the time is almost up and I've no direct way out...but still made it back with 5 sec daytime left. My only critique is on the mining animation: it could be juiced up a bit with some easing or full pixel animations.
GoogleFrog
Oct 08th · 07:56 UTC
Nice entry. This is possibly the best digging game I've played in the last 6 months. The tile inventory system adds something, and the upgrade system is interesting. I liked how the game shifted from surface digging, to making staircases halfway down, to strip mining the bottom half of the map.
OldDog
Oct 08th · 11:15 UTC
It took me 18 days to achieve victory, and the core gameplay is absolutely captivating — I just couldn’t stop until I had unlocked every upgrade. It’s truly fantastic! The backpack management is also really fun, though by the late game I was mining so many minerals that I simply couldn’t fit them all in my inventory. The ending was the perfect finishing touch.

This game absolutely deserves to be developed further — it has huge potential to become a hit. The mining mechanic is incredibly addictive, and all the other details are executed perfectly. I’m confident this game will be the champion of the competition. Five stars!
8212games
Oct 08th · 11:15 UTC
very addictive and fun! music is SO GOOD! Thank you! ![photo_2025-10-08_14-13-57.jpg](///raw/673/66/z/6ee54.jpg)
LDJam user 237945
Oct 08th · 18:19 UTC
My 5 year old said "Very good, put 5 stars, I appreciate the game". Asked if we can play some more tomorrow :D
I say, great vibe, audio, visuals, mechanics and progression - great job!
Jadener
Oct 08th · 18:34 UTC
A little bit slow, but enjoyable, and I really liked how grand the upgrade tree was.
Yorsh
Oct 08th · 18:43 UTC
Solid game! It's well made and works well. It's little bit too repetitive for my taste, but the upgrade tree is nice. Good job :)
Pancu
Oct 08th · 18:51 UTC
nice game! at first i thought it would be a bit slow but then with the upgrades it wasn't, i also like the graphics, and i ended up playing it more then i intended to, overall very good!
Pacelin
Oct 08th · 19:25 UTC
I completed the game in 18 days, and I enjoyed it. At the beginning, the controls can be a bit clunky. However, as you level up, the game becomes more engaging.
I would suggest trying to switch the controls from "tap" to "hold," as this may improve the overall experience.
The progression is excellent, but towards the end, the significance of the iron becomes less clear. However, this is not a negative aspect, and it may be worth considering adding a cost to the iron for later upgrades. Thank you for the gaming experience, it was exciting!
LDJam user 233347
Oct 08th · 19:38 UTC
Very addicting :frowning: Awesome entry therefore. ohh and... minor error in iron pickaxe text.

![pickaxe text.png](///raw/38f/83/z/6efe4.png)
Xahon
Oct 08th · 20:19 UTC
It took me some time to realize how to dig. I assumed Terraria-like controls but you have to hold LMB and move to specified WASD direction to dig. Pretty good game, challenging because of timer and I like it has a perk tree
marks
Oct 09th · 01:50 UTC
Really enjoyed the game! Very addictive to max out all the upgrades. The tetris-style inventory is a nice twist and quite satisfying when it all fits. Had some fun situations during early game, racing against time to return ores within last seconds, feels familiar, haha. I liked the polished feel, nice work!
Ciphereo
Oct 09th · 06:43 UTC
Super cute game!
Ira Baciu
Oct 09th · 09:01 UTC
Feels like a whole game u can put on Steam, well done! <3
WormKingBoo
Oct 09th · 21:13 UTC
Soooo addicting! I played this game longer than any other LD game so far. Great graphics and music too!
Derek Glennon
Oct 10th · 02:19 UTC
Really solid and polished game! I could have played this for a long time. Honestly ship it haha really great job!!
leorean
Oct 10th · 11:38 UTC
Solid meta-progression, very entertaining :v: That's a great entry!
Threeli
Oct 10th · 23:11 UTC
Sorry I'm late to playing your project, today was the first day I could get back on the computer, but I'm here now so let's go!

I'll start with a critique, the controls were a little frustrating. Firstly having to press 'e' to get out of the inventory rather than esc, and the jump felt a bit off. Now for the rest, this is brilliant and I hope you're considering working on it further. There's already so much, but this could be expanded in many different ways. With just a little polish you'd have a solid and pretty fun experience on your hands. One of my favorites this jam for sure, excellent work on this!
dumchevdev
Oct 11th · 15:45 UTC
Very nice and well-designed game, well done!
UnitedFailures
Oct 11th · 18:17 UTC
Took me 14 days to beat the game. This game is seriously addicting lol.
DaveCo
Oct 11th · 18:17 UTC
This is my FAVORITE game!!! It has mining, tetris, upgrades, AWESOME!
yana666
Oct 11th · 20:20 UTC
even though I'm not a mining fan, I found it really hard to put down the game. discovering new types of ores and stones was especially enjoyable. there was a bit of a lack of variety, but overall, it's a very enjoyable game. complete in 25 days. thank you!
6Knowledge
Oct 12th · 10:40 UTC
A simple mining game, a few of these have been running around this jam but this specific execution is the most complete / comprehensive package. The art and atmosphere are well put together and the gameplay has enough gimmicks to stay interesting. Overall, well done.

Just for future reference, from the rules: "You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio). You can opt-out of a voting category when you submit your game."
🎤 Tommeh
Oct 12th · 12:52 UTC
@6Knowledge I could've sworn that I opted out of the audio category but now that I'm looking at it, I seem to have accidentally pressed the "Humor" checkbox instead of "Audio"!

Thank you for the notice. I have now fixed that
xpoho
Oct 12th · 18:11 UTC
![изображение_2025-10-13_011117212.png](///raw/d14/a3/z/6f531.png)

Really innovative and nice game! I like it, my friend. Thanks ^_^
LDJam user 99418
Oct 12th · 19:15 UTC
When you have a full pack of gold and only 20 seconds to get it out XD

I love it, scratches that splunky itch without being so punishing!
BlackCat508
Oct 13th · 03:35 UTC
this game is great! I played a lot longer than I thought i would, I love physical inventories like these and it was implemented amazingly, overall probably one of the best games ive played this jam so far
CaptAndrey
Oct 15th · 18:55 UTC
I liked how ores look. I also liked sounds and mechanics.
milq
Oct 16th · 08:55 UTC
Wow! What an amazing game! It’s like Minecraft but with a skill tree! Honestly, it’s incredible that you managed to make this in just 72 hours. Outstanding work! The music choice is spot-on, too. If it gets a lot of success, I’d definitely consider releasing an extended version on Steam or other platforms. Really solid entry, great game!
rosypenguin
Oct 18th · 20:07 UTC
![cave_packer.png](///raw/486/z/6f785.png) I had a blast with this one. Loved the gameplay loop, didn't want it to end. Only tiny nitpick is the controls for placing the ores in the inventory, sometimes it doesn't place the ore unless I'm pretty exact in the spot, which can be a little hard when you're running out of time. But otherwise, amazing game!
Dannyk1994
Oct 20th · 21:53 UTC
Love it! Great job. Very addictive and hard to put down! Racing back to the top was a great thrill the deeper you get . Well done