This is the type of game you could whip out on a dime on your phone and play to kill some time and have fun. Actually, the graphics remind me a lot of pixel-art mobile games, especially how they go in tandem with the gameplay! The start of a run is pretty slow but this mostly ends up working to the games benefit as once you get a few upgrades it really gets going. The main gameplay loop (at least, I how interpreted it) of strategizing how to min-max the most out of every session is addictive and the amount of time you get is just right. I thought the idea of having portals to end the run would've been a bad thing but it serves as a nice bow to tie up the runs once they start to run their course.

Also, this game would go HARD with some more juice & spicier sound design, like having special effects for mining ores. Wish I had more to say about the upgrades but they're all pretty good and the satisfaction of building up a powerful character is just a tried & true driving force to keep going! One nitpick is that I would've personally preferred if the bombs activated instantly, and you just had to level them up better.

Another thing is that I do wonder if the game would've benefited from having some kind of fail-state, but that would severely alter its design & direction. Like maybe you need to pay some sort of toll each round forcing you to focus on getting cash, or there's a limit on how many days you can take to beat the game, which you can extend by paying a lot. But that's purely my opinion and not a big critique by any means.

Overall this is a pretty relaxing & stress-free arcade game.

Really addictive and enjoyable gameplay! I could play it all day if i had it nearby at all time lol! Great Job

Nice work! I figured my way out, thanks to the indicator on the bottom left, which I guessed was a "out is this way" bit. I think maybe a good way to expand would be to start the player in a much smaller room with a clear exit so they know what they're looking for when they get dropped into the main game, but overall I think you did a good job of getting me there. Thanks for sharing! :D

Such a satisfying gameplay loop! I’m a huge fan of incremental games, and the upgrade system here is brilliantly designed—it kept me hooked and chasing that next upgrade. Awesome work!

Didn't expect myself to play this for so long, was bummed to find a portal...

Anyway very addictive gameplay loop, it also helps that everything is top down so you can see where the ores are! Started out a bit slow, because some sections were completely empty, but after a few rounds and getting some speed buffs the pace really started to pick up! great game, keep up the good work :)

I yearned for the mines. I really liked the loop and it got pretty addicting quickly :) great stuff

I like how it easy to get in and how it actually complex!

Very nice. It's strangely hard to put down once you start playing :D 

Very fun and rewarding, nice game loop and handling of the theme, and I really love mining games

Fun!

nice Idea. good job

great game! well polished! got addicted to mining

This game is crazy fun. no way this is your first game jam. i am genuinely addicted. I have created a beast of a miner when i finished playing one shotting gold and mining at light speed. 

But my big issue, Now I was already one shotting gold ore so now ofcourse the next goal is to one shot diamond ore. but i saw a portal and went in and game finished... I was kinda sad. The goal should be creating the best miner with the best upgrades, not finding some portal to end all your progress. Maybe instead of findinga portal to beat the game, it could be this impossible hard to mine ruby ore which you can grind  and get your upgrades to mine that ore. So the replayability may come from how fast and efficiently you can find and mine that ruby ore.

But overall the most fun game in the jam!

This was a damn good game loop. Simple but immensely satisfying. You start as a chump, barely mining a few blocks before time was out. It was during this stage I discovered a diamond before I had time to mine it and it sparked a fire in me. By the end I was carving my way through the map, cutting diamonds like butter, optimising my bomb usage and ultimately wrecking shop in this pixel underworld. That's my one gripe. I agree with Squishy Turtle Games, in that the portals feel like an end to the fun loop you've built. But an immensely fun game and you should be proud, my first jam game sucked big time and barely worked, xD
Keep up the good work, you've got a solid core here!

I like it so much! It felt like a cookie clicker but mining. I was really locked in and addicted, so great job!! I would say as it progresses, it would be nice to have stronger ores (ex. ruby?) that take longer time & higher price to mine!

I finished the game at day 26... hope this is not the worst record haha.