I put about 20 minutes into this, so the criticism is maybe a bit surface level. I'm not a fan of the genre, but I've enjoyed Cookier Clicker and Insaniquarium, so I can get into it if the conditions are right. This one isn't really clicking with me though. Like it's doing the thing correctly by "unfolding" all these mechanics incrementally and giving me more to do and think about, but at the same time nothing really changes. I can only derive so much interest out of upgrading my ability to click on the screen less. The upgrade tree I found confusing, like it's presented as an optimization problem where I should figure out what upgrades are most worthwhile, but they all feel like they basically do the same thing, because there's really only one metric that matters: dps.

I'm aware that criticism can apply to literally any incremental game, as someone with limited experience in the genre it's really difficult for me to frame why this feels mindless and pointless but cookie clicker does not feel mindless and pointless (even though it is). Perhaps it's because it's missing that exponential growth dopamine that hacks your brain into thinking you're making so much progress that it stops caring that you're not really doing anything. Or maybe it's missing the aspect where I save my currency now so I can get a super great upgrade later vs spending it now for a less good upgrade; that aspect is important because it gives you something to look forward to in the long term driving you to stay with the game longer while also continually awarding you for engagement in the short term with small dopamine hits too.

I normally like to give specific actionable feedback, but I'm a bit at a loss here. I can't really envision myself enjoying this without some significant changes that'd turn it into something it's not. Insaniquarium has conflict and tension in it which keep the gameplay loop engaging because you can actually make wrong choices, loose progress, and fail entirely. Although I'd prefer if your game had that, it seems you're deliberately not going for that kind of design, so I'm probably just not the target audience.

edit: oh, forgot to mention, I am not a fan of the title screen music at all, it feels like it belongs in a completely different game.

This was pretty cool! I love how well put together it feels both thematically and mechanically.  It's a little of a slow burn, and I don't normally play games like this, but I can see the vision and it's pretty cool.  Some general comments:

1. The prompt at the very beginning mentions PSX, I'm not sure what that is
2. The SFX and Master volume slider could use some additional sound effect feedback while adjusting the slider so that the user knows what the levels are as they adjust it.
3. The text for the save Slot is blending into the background (contrast issue)
4. it's a little hard to see which upgrades are available in the upgrade tree.  It may just take getting used to, but it does feel like a small friction point
5. it's sometimes disorienting searching dark floors in the dark.  Finding your way back to the center can be somewhat of a challenge
6. At  the end of stream the game froze and was unresponsive.  It was while viewing the map and zooming out and leaving fullscreen.

The VOD for the review is linked below and will be available for 60 days from the date of broadcast:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2870092300?t=1h38m10s

okay yeah i REALLYYY enjoyed this oneee!

I'm a sucker for a roblox incremental or idle game, and I feel like this scratches all of those itches without trying to get me to spend robux. In my eyes, that makes this a PERFECT game.

If I had to give a critique, maybe I'd say that the upgrade shop is a bit overwhelming at first? Since so many upgrades are locked behind room requirements, it might make the game more compelling to have these be revealed as the player progresses, instead of displaying them all from the start.

Darkness is a neat mechanic to put in a game like this. I think I mentioned when I streamed that this could be a delightful secret horror game - I don't imagine that's the vibe you're going for, but you have all the systems in place for a really fun rug pull later... I can't tell what I'm mining because it's so dark... omg... what if i'm mining... PEOPLE?!

 YES that's kind of a stupid twist! NO i don't care! Anyway I'm definitely the target audience for this and I'm eating it UP. I'm going to be playing more soon, probably while I listen to an audiobook or watch a youtube video essay. GREAT stuff!

Played it for a bit on stream around 2:24:30

Unlocked at Floor 115!

Hi there! Definitely a joy to see more incrementals like this that don't force a timer on you! I do agree with everyone's sentiment that it is a bit slow, not the level clearing per say that feels pretty good, but more the I am getting new things aspect of the game.

For example having your 1st item in first shop tab you see unlocking feels pretty demotivating yup I definitely saw the other items that unlock in the other shop tabs, maybe show those tabs first instead?

I think part of the feeling could also be alleviated by having some kind of notification pop up or highlight or something similar when you have a new upgrade or item you can purchase in the shop to show the player there is something new for them to take a look at.

Overall though with a few tweaks I can definitely see this being a really fun time, great work!

i love your idea! the atmosphere is great and it really tickles that cozy aspect. i really appreciate the hover mode. i felt like, in the beginning of the game, there should be more things happening, such as things to buy in the shop. i played on browser and i wish i could make it fullscreen so it'd be a little easier to read. the art is great and overall you have a very distinctive game, congrats!

The atmosphere on this game is great! I just wish all of it happened faster. Maybe I am just zoomer brained but I wish upgrades happened faster and the room got darker faster.

I played on "hover" mode.

For some reason, it felt like the same room over and over again. Buying upgrades didn't seem to make much difference, since they almost never trigger. Even though the blocks look different and contained different ore, I couldn't detect any mechanical difference, so breaking the blocks all felt the same. Waiting until room 5 or room 473 for an upgrade just feels like torture, and it probably means each run plays the same, since you'll take the upgrades in exactly the same order.

I've played other clickers where the goal is to mine an area by clicking all the tiles. Maybe check out Arcane Earth, which has a lot of ideas I think you could borrow to improve your game. Most significantly: 

• you can buy the upgrades whenever you can afford them
• there are a variety of upgrade paths, including auto-miners that can clear a screen relatively quickly
• the layers are fairly large, with lots of blocks
• sometimes just mining a tile triggers a special effect (magical weather) or you discover treasure (trinkets, rare ores) these all have an immediate impact on gameplay or allow you to buy upgrades sooner.

If your game already has some of these features, you should let the player see them sooner. If I've been playing for several minutes/rooms and nothing's changed, I'll start to think I've seen everything the game has to offer, even if there are still hundreds of rooms to go.

Satisfying game loop and sounds, click click, mine mine (actually I used the HOLD option, appreciate you give choices). I wanted to stop around room 40-50, played till 90 and I would have kept on going if there weren't so many other entries to be tested. 

The progress is a bit slow, either some faster  upgrades to mine easier or more idle mechanics so the game picks up some pace. 

GL HF!

I deliberately kept this to about five to ten minutes so I could reach more jam games and give more devs useful first-impression feedback. I played on Windows 11 through Chrome, and that early window still matters because plenty of players will decide whether to continue before seeing the long-term progression.

I am a big fan of idlers and clickers, and you did a lot right here. Letting players mine by clicking, holding, or hovering is fantastic, especially for someone like me with carpal tunnel, but honestly it is a good option for everyone. I also appreciate being able to play or completely skip the tutorial, and the tutorial itself is concise and well designed. There was a brief freeze of roughly one to two seconds after I selected it, but everything continued normally afterward.

Mining feels satisfying, the sound effects provide strong feedback, and the UI and artwork are consistent with the strange, visually dense world you are creating. The density makes sense for the mechanics, but the presentation can still become messy and difficult to parse. The itch page font was especially hard for me to read, to the point that my eyes started glazing over while reading the description. I would increase its size or replace it, and if you are committed to the in-game font, please consider offering a more readable alternative in the accessibility settings. The red text against the blue background in the settings is also difficult to read and needs considerably more contrast.

The promise of “one more block” comes through immediately, and this is definitely something I would play again. What is still missing is a sharper explanation of what makes CORE!1! different from the many other mining clickers and idlers already available. The pets, unusual pickaxes, evolving environments, or whatever you consider the real twist should be pushed much harder on the page and during those first few minutes. The basic loop works, now I want the game to tell me why this is the particular hole I should lose several hours inside.

If you have two minutes, dig into BEAT BAES and return the favor. I would genuinely value the playtest trade.

Dig into BEAT BAES · Mark the weak seams

Hello and welcome to Feedback Quest 9! My name is Hythrain, and I'm one of the hosts for this lovely event! I'm also one of the streamers, so both the game and this feedback are being done live! If you want to see the see the VOD, let me know and I'll link you to it when it's uploaded to YouTube!

This game was weird to play. Not because I didn't get the concept. Quite the contrary, I picked up what I was doing pretty fast. It's because nothing about the rest of it made sense. Nothing in the game is taught in an organic way. You just have to... figure it out. For example, what stuff in the store is permanent? Which is temporary? It's not always inherently clear, and even when it is... why bother when you should be saving for permanent stuff? Why would I buy temporary lights when I can have permanent ones? It's not like my pets can't see. They know where the drops are, they know where the blocks are. The light only helps me to do the level faster. When I get close to the end, I can just wait until they finish everything off.

There were also several aspects of the game that I just outright didn't like, such as how there's a button on the skill tree that's makes you zoom the entire skill tree out... right beside the button that lets you exit the skill tree. It's even far more prominent than the button to exit the skill tree, which is likely to make players click it first and zoom out the tree when they might've otherwise wanted to keep the tree zoomed in. I know I hit it a few times and got annoyed that I'd have to zoom in again later.

Oh hey, here's my third permanent light from the store! Let's just- nope. Nope. Not using this. Fuck off, light. There's a lot of inherent comedy in this game. I get that and I like it. But that doesn't really mean it's okay to do things that are just going to annoy the crap out of the player like that light just making loud noise non-stop.

And then there are things that don't make sense. Am I not underground? Why is it raining? Oh hey, this block generates light. Let me just attack this other one and that light is gone now despite the block still being there. What? Ok, let's do some skill upgrades. This started at 10%, I wonder what it'll be on the second level.... only 12%? That feels so small. Well, okay, let's do the third level and wait 30%? That's just such weird scaling.

And then there's the fact that I can't move my lights - not even the singular light that's supposed to be bound to me - anywhere. Only the chicken can move its own light.

One thing I also think should be changed is that if I'm trying to pick up an item and my chicken walks over to it when I click on it, my click should go onto the item and NOT the chicken. I'm already trying to grab it to speed the chicken up.

Last in my notes is how I get notifications about relics in the next three rooms. It says "Relic chance." I would normally take this to mean that there's only a chance to find a relic, but why is this limited to only three rooms? This makes me feel like it's less of a "chance" and more of a "you gotta find it in one of the next three levels," yet I don't even know what I'd have to do to even find a relic. Is it in the stones I'm breaking? Is it somewhere in the darkness? I just don't know.

Overall, I can see this being fun but a lot of things just kinda annoyed me instead. One thing this came could use is some tutorials (organic or otherwise) just to make things more clear. Having to just figure things on your own is a 1980s and 1990s game thing and, unless you're trying to emulate that, it doesn't belong in modern gaming.

Edit: I noticed a short time after I ended my stream that the game didn't close properly and there were processes still running related to the game. I would recommend checking into this as this could cause 

• Youtube Link / Twitch Link
• Graphics : Generally fine but certainly could do with some tweaks, as it is a lot of the various 'ores' look like they're just floating in front of the blocks, as oppose to being 'part of' them (Part of this is their location, they're on the edges!)
• GUI : Generally fine, but the skill menu feels a bit too spaced out and the upgrades menu is formatted strangely, why upgrades not in a logical order with the upgrades being lower depths being at the top?
• Performance : Flawless
• Music / Sfx : 
  • Music : Completely absent, unless you count ambience like the wind.
  • SFX : Mostly fine
• Gameplay :  Incremental idle game without much idling and a heckuvalot of clicking.
• Misc Issues : 
  • The Upgrades and items menu has all items highlighted, then quickly darkens all the ones that are unavailable.
• Notes : 
  • There should be SOMETHING , like a pointer to the 'next level' button after clearing it , it's unclear that it won't just spawn new layers of rocks.
  • The immediate transition into pitch blackness with no explanation of how to get your light out, or that there is in fact lights, etc is also a negative.
  • Why is the map so large, if the game eventually fills that space in, then make the map stretch to fit the newer / deeper levels , let it be part of the 'incremental' aspect. As it is , it's just starting off in a large field with practically nothing to do in it.
  • Rainstorms, flowers, nature etc thousands of meters below the surface of the planet?
  • What do the various ores and gubbins mined out of rocks actually do, I thought it'd be a crafting system, but it seemed to not be , nor they seem to offer any more $.
  • What is the driving force here, you slowly get upgrades but not much else, are we working for a rebirth , 'crazy' upgrades that let us nuke the entire block of stone, guns, etc
• Final Thoughts : It's rather lackluster to be perfectly honest, and feels like it's unsure necessarily wants to be. If it wants to be an incremental game, it's far too slow to get the ball rolling; if it was to be an idle game, it fails at being that as well as all of what you get is far too slow and unhelpful to make idling have an appreciable gain.