You Know the Drill! by ludokai

[raw]
made by ludokai for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

A 2D incremental mining game where you dig underground to reach the bottom. Mine resources, sell them for profit, and buy upgrades to dig deeper and faster.

I'm planning a full version to be released on Steam in the following months, please let me know if you're interested!

How to Play

Move & Mine – Use your mouse to guide your drill.

Manage Battery – Keep an eye on your battery—if it runs out, you lose your resources.

Recharge & Upgrade – Enter the shop to recharge your battery and buy upgrades.

​Credits

https://godgoldfear.itch.io/low-poly-stones

https://godotshaders.com/shader/lightweight-crt-effect/

https://godotshaders.com/shader/color-manipulator/

https://bdragon1727.itch.io/border-and-panels-menu-part-3

https://jotson.itch.io/gravity-pixel-font

https://gowldev.itch.io/health-stamina-bar-pixel-art

https://www.kenney.nl/assets/cursor-pixel-pack

https://rustedstudio.itch.io/free-music-lofi-tracks

https://jdsherbert.itch.io/ultimate-ui-sfx-pack!

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Ratings

Overall 36th 4.241⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Fun 13th 4.352⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 350th 3.389⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Theme 72th 4.278⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Mood 2th 4.648⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 16🗳️ 37🗨️

Feedback

CamComDuck
08. Apr 2025 · 02:53 UTC
great execution on a simple concept! I especially like the shop UI, I spent a lot of time on mine and yours looks so much better haha. especially the bouncing text!

My suggestion is I felt the prices were a bit too high, and the mining speed a bit too slow. The overall vibe is excellent though, I could see myself relaxing playing this game.
LDJam user 0
08. Apr 2025 · 03:01 UTC
Love the chill vibe and atmosphere, the whole game feels very polished especially given the time constraints.
Gabexiii
08. Apr 2025 · 03:08 UTC
Mining some ore with lo-fi in the background is something I didn't know i needed. Amazing execution on the theme, the game runs smoothly and is very easy to understand and play. I would add a little arrow pointing towards the shop so we dont get lost, specially in the very late game when my mining paths are everywhere. Awesome work!
Owinmowe
08. Apr 2025 · 03:09 UTC
I love this type of progressive games. I feel like this could be a complete game if more content was added. Nice job!
Poshaus
08. Apr 2025 · 03:23 UTC
I played for like an hour lol. The music seemed to stutter a bit. Loved everything.
Texugo
08. Apr 2025 · 11:36 UTC
I really enjoyed playing this, it's like a mixture of agario(slitherio) with A Game About Digging A Hole! The music is soothing, the vibes are great and seeing how much impact the upgrades have on your mining speed and overall durability is fun!

Nothing sadder than losing your inventory right in front of the shop HAHAHAHA
LDJam user 242394
08. Apr 2025 · 19:11 UTC
I really like the overall progression and mechanics!!! It feels very polished, great entry :D
bakuzen
08. Apr 2025 · 22:51 UTC
I enjoyed this game a lot, the smooth gameplay and overall mood makes it perfect to just relax with :D I love the drill's design with the spinning rotating parts, it becomes low-key hypnotizing if you look at it long enough hahah. The 'Low Battery' warning was also perfectly in-time to book it back to the Shop in time before the battery runs out.

A polished Steam version sounds really promising-- I'd love to see a more fleshed out version with more variation in upgrades, especially since the upgrades in this one did end up feeling a bit linear. Stuff like additional drilling tools, sensors or RNG events could be really fun to have the player really notice their progress.

Overall great work, hope to see more! ^^
Tori
08. Apr 2025 · 23:18 UTC
I just played "a game about digging a hole" which i adored so of course, i'm in love with this entry
the gameplay work well, it's well balanced, the UI and gamejuice is deliciousss, great job
breadley
09. Apr 2025 · 04:08 UTC
Very satisfying loop of collecting and upgrading, and love how much solid and economical the art direction was! Also such a great touch to have backtracking the paths that you already formed give you a bit of a speed boost. Really great work, and would definitely play more if you felt like continuing the project!
JohneyD
09. Apr 2025 · 18:38 UTC
It's an amazing game! I really enjoyed this game. Great progression from simple to complex, interesting visual style and calm relaxing music, I really liked it!
Broco
09. Apr 2025 · 21:29 UTC
I gotta admit this was one of my favourite games so far. It's very simple, yet everything it's greatly executed.
Drilling ores feels great with those particles, buying upgrades also feels great! The drill is just rotating basic shapes, yet it looks really cool. I love how it records your paths so you know where you have already drilled and where there might be something more. The chill music makes it really relaxing.

The only thing I missed is some sounds. Some really soft diggin-on-soft-earth ambiance. Some drilling sound when you are drilling the ores, and some "ding" sound when you bounce off the gold when you're still missing the upgrades. Maybe a bit of change of the background depending on the depth you are on.

Also I would've loved if instead of reaching down to win, you were to collect materials to build a ship or something similar.

Anyways, great entry! I really enjoyed playing it 😉
Skosnowich
09. Apr 2025 · 22:10 UTC
Simple gameplay loop, but really addicting - I was quite happy that you can't buy all the upgrades that the bars suggest, but only like half of it, else I'd probably still be mining. I loved that you could build your own highway to get up and down faster. Really polished entry!
JoyceIsDrawing
10. Apr 2025 · 05:16 UTC
Very simple and addictive I could see myself no lifing a full version lol. Looking forward to see whats added in a full steam release!
retonymy
10. Apr 2025 · 08:33 UTC
My co-jammer mentioned this as a standout fun entry and got me curious to try it! After playing, totally agree : ) really fun and satisfying loop that is easy to get into and sink into a flow state. I also think the rock shake, white-dot resource collection and drill sparks are great feedback effects and i like the mesmerizing little rotation on the drill parts.

Once I saw that you go a bit faster through carved-out paths, and that "banked" resources aren't lost on battery death, ended up burning some runs not mining any resources but just going down as deep as i could to carve out a highway for later -- it was probably impractical but it was kind of fun to do exploration cycles!

Glad you are making this a steam release, I love chill games and would definitely be interested in playing this when it's out. Will keep a bookmark on the itch page if you ever end up updating it with a link for wishlisting later down the line : ) Great work!
randomhuman
10. Apr 2025 · 11:01 UTC
That's a very addictive game loop! I would still be playing if I hadn't run out of upgrades to buy. Looks and sounds great as well.
Axodo
10. Apr 2025 · 12:47 UTC
Gotta be honest: this is a prime example of a perfect gamejam entry. Everything is ont point!
Controls really intuitive, nice mechanics that make you wanna play more, the sensation of being able to go deeper and deeper each time. Congratulations! :)

Only downside: I softlocked by running out of battery just as I was entering the shop =p
ShadyShade
11. Apr 2025 · 17:34 UTC
That was pretty fun and polished game, so addictive as said above, ha-ha.
Really liked how gameplay, graphics and audio work together.
Nice entry, nice job! :two_hearts:
WhaleJam
11. Apr 2025 · 21:17 UTC
So much fun! Major motherload vibes, I really loved when I discovered that you move faster through the area you've already dug out, so I went on to expand a sort of highway down the middle so I could snake around faster. Not sure it actually made me any faster but it was fun. Nice job ^^
Clink
12. Apr 2025 · 20:21 UTC
Clever title. Cool concept. Easy to understand, intuitive gameplay. Simplistic, almost to a fault. I would have welcomed some more nuance to the gameplay, whether it'd be in the form of more minerals to dig or just a few visually interesting set pieces to see as you make your way down.

It's addicting, but not necessarily engaging. The type of game to turn your brain off to while you listen to a video / podcast in the background. I did enjoy the "move faster through drilled out spaces" feature though. That was a thoughtful addition.
Axodo
14. Apr 2025 · 09:22 UTC
I like this one so much that I started speedrunning it :')

Best run is 2:53 :smile:
JHax
15. Apr 2025 · 10:09 UTC
Soundtrack's well curated, really chill atmosphere, does play as quite meditative almost. The drilling particle effects were nice and satisfying. I liked the way movement's handled, and leaving a trail of everywhere you've been is a nice touch as well!
K48UTO
15. Apr 2025 · 17:19 UTC
addictive game. I didn't find any downsides. It would be cool if the drill's tail cells did something too.
beardywombat
16. Apr 2025 · 10:28 UTC
Loved the chill mood, the music really created a good atmosphere. I was also impressed with the level of polish, the snake tail and particle effects were solid.
talan huszk
23. Apr 2025 · 11:34 UTC
A simple but really fun game. Gameplay feels satisfying. Same for the visuals simple visuals that look great with with the CRT screen filter on. Good job for making the game!