A Game About Digging A Hole™

I really wanted to enjoy this game because, at its core, it has the foundation of something genuinely addictive. The asking price is only around €5, so I wasn't expecting a massive open-world adventure, dozens of mechanics, or hundreds of hours of content. I went into it with reasonable expectations, fully aware that it's a small indie title. Even with those expectations in mind, though, I don't think the current experience justifies the price. It's not because the game is fundamentally bad—in fact, I'd argue the opposite. The biggest disappointment is that it ends just as it starts becoming interesting. From the very beginning, the gameplay loop is satisfying. You dig deeper underground, collect valuable ores, return to the surface, sell your findings, purchase upgrades, and head back down to repeat the process. It's a formula that's been proven to work in countless mining, incremental, and progression-based games because it constantly gives players something to work toward. Every upgrade makes you slightly more efficient, every new layer promises better rewards, and every trip underground feels like it could uncover something valuable. It's incredibly easy to fall into that "just one more run" mentality. The controls are straightforward, the progression is easy to understand, and the early pacing does a great job of introducing new upgrades without overwhelming the player. The game immediately gives you the impression that you're embarking on a longer journey where you'll gradually become stronger, discover increasingly valuable resources, and unlock better ways to mine. That's exactly why the ending feels so abrupt. Unfortunately, that's where my biggest criticism begins. The game barely gives its gameplay loop enough room to breathe before everything is over. Just as you're unlocking better equipment and beginning to feel like you're making meaningful progress, the credits roll. Instead of reaching a satisfying conclusion, I was left wondering why there wasn't significantly more content built around such a fun foundation. To put things into perspective, there's even an achievement for completing the game in 30 minutes. While my own playthrough lasted closer to 40 minutes because I spent some extra time exploring and upgrading, that's still incredibly short. For a game centered almost entirely around progression, resource gathering, and gradually becoming more powerful, the experience feels less like a complete release and more like an extended demo or early prototype. The progression never reaches the point where it becomes truly engaging. I expected to eventually encounter rarer materials, more dangerous environments, larger mining areas, or upgrades that fundamentally changed how I approached the game. Instead, the progression ends almost immediately after it begins. There's never a point where resources become scarce enough to require careful planning, where expensive upgrades become long-term goals, or where you have to optimize your mining routes to maximize efficiency. Those are usually the moments that make games in this genre so addictive, yet this one concludes before any of those systems have the opportunity to develop. Even something as simple as additional underground layers would have made a huge difference. Imagine discovering entirely new biomes with unique ores, hazards, or mechanics that gradually expanded the gameplay. New tools, better backpacks, faster movement options, improved mining equipment, and more meaningful upgrade choices could have extended the experience significantly without changing its core identity. The disappointing part is that the game already has the hard part figured out. Building a satisfying gameplay loop isn't easy, yet the developers have managed to create one that feels rewarding almost immediately. Mining is enjoyable, upgrading feels meaningful, and watching your efficiency improve is genuinely satisfying. The problem isn't that the gameplay lacks potential—it's that the game runs out of content long before that potential can be realized. There are countless games built around repetitive progression that remain engaging for hours because they're constantly introducing new milestones. Just when you've mastered one system, they give you another goal to chase. Better equipment unlocks harder areas, harder areas contain rarer resources, rarer resources unlock entirely new mechanics, and the cycle continues. This game hints at that kind of progression but never actually delivers it. It feels like you're playing the opening chapter of something much larger, only to discover that there aren't any more chapters. I also think the game's short length hurts the value proposition. A low price doesn't automatically excuse a lack of content. Plenty of inexpensive indie games manage to provide several hours of meaningful progression or enough replayability to justify their cost. Here, even though the gameplay itself is enjoyable, it simply doesn't last long enough to leave a lasting impression. What disappoints me the most is how much unrealized potential is clearly visible. The mechanics are already there. Expanding the world with additional layers, introducing more varieties of ore, adding new equipment, expanding the upgrade tree, including optional objectives, secrets, or post-game content would dramatically increase the game's longevity. The satisfying gameplay loop already exists—it simply needs far more content to support it. I genuinely hope the developers continue updating the game because I think there's the foundation for something fantastic here. I would love to see future updates that add more depth, more resources, more meaningful progression, larger maps, additional upgrades, and reasons to continue playing after reaching what is currently the ending. If those improvements were made, I'd happily come back, replay the game, and change this review to a positive recommendation. As it stands today, however, I can't recommend purchasing it, even at €5. That's not because the game isn't fun—it absolutely has enjoyable moments, and I never found myself bored while playing. My disappointment comes from the fact that the experience ends before it has the chance to become great. Rather than leaving me satisfied, it left me feeling like I'd only played the first hour of a much bigger game that simply doesn't exist yet. I sincerely hope that changes in the future, because the potential here is undeniable. Right now, though, the game falls well short of what it could have been.

For the price of a coffee, one can get an awesome little game. This is a decently made game and an awesome story for having such a simple premise. Well made, Fun to play, enjoy yourself.

I was really hoping I'd like this game. It had remained on my wishlist for many months. I was hoping for something like Motherlode from the old internet. The game is devastatingly short and... once you're done, it's over. So sad. Zero replay value. Don't bother.

A very simple, straight forward and unique game that is entirely explained through the title alone. You get upgrades, collect resources, listen to chill music and uncover the secrets that lay beneath your backyard. A short, chill and relaxing experience!

迅速通关然后退款成功，这才是最重要的成就。 内容不是很多，也是不错的游戏。

[b]A Game About Digging a Hole[/b] [i]is a game about digging a hole. ….. [b]why did I expect it to be anything more than that???[/b] [/i] It does pretty much everything it set out to do: the gameplay loop is fine and the tools work as intended, [i]the game itself doesn’t look half bad[/i], and it’s pretty cheap, less than a cup of coffee [i]as all the ads say[/i] [spoiler] (“$5.00 for a cup of coffee?? glad I don’t drink coffee then!” I say as I buy my third overpriced gas station soda this week). [/spoiler] But even with all that going for it, [i]I just couldn’t say I had much fun.[/i] I’d hate to say it, but [b]I’m tired of this, grandpa.[/b] [b]CONGRATURATIONS!!!!![/b] you are the [b]LUCKY WINNER[/b] of a [b]BRAND NEW HOME!!!!![/b] but [i]oh what’s this???[/i] your new home also has [b]BURIED TREASURE[/b] in the [b]BACKYARD!!!![/b] no one has ever found it, but we know it’s there! [i]nothing sus about that!![/i] [spoiler]trust us; we sell real estate!![/spoiler] now, go out there and [i]get digging!![/i].....oh, don’t even bother unpacking or anything. [b]you literally can’t go inside your own house.[/b] [i]so, [b]get digging![/b] [/i] That’s more or less the crux of the matter. [spoiler]Again, who knew that A Game About Digging a Hole would mainly focus on digging a hole??[/spoiler] You start out with nothing but a shovel and a dream. There are like half a dozen different kinds of ores and such you can find in the ground, which you can then sell online, and then [i]buy better tools with.[/i] Everything can be upgraded; your shovel to a high powered drill, [i]better battery life for said drill[/i], improved inventory so you can carry more stuff, [i]all of that.[/i] Plus, you can buy dynamite and lanterns, too! [b]Doesn’t this sound like fun![/b]….well, maybe for like, [i]the first thirty minutes.[/i] My biggest issue [b](which might sound so stupid but no matter)[/b] is [i]there’s really not much to do in this game…[b]besides digging.[/b] [/i] You’re going to make enough money to buy [b]every upgrade[/b] [i]so fast[/i], and then there’s just [i]nothing else to spend money on.[/i] It’s almost as bad as the stud multipliers in LEGO games. [i]oh[/i], but [b]what about the DYNAMITE?[/b] Explosions, man! [b]Explosions are so cool![/b]...not these. This game somehow managed to have the [i]weakest, most pathetic, most boring dynamite mechanic [b]I’ve ever seen.[/b] [/i] It looks more like a big fart cloud, and it barely even scratches the dirt [b]even at the highest upgrade.[/b] And ultimately, there just isn’t enough to find. The only things in the dirt [spoiler](aside from “the treasure” or whatever crap)[/spoiler] are the random ores, which are only there to give you money, and I’ve already pointed out that [i]money is worthless.[/i] Like, we’re supposed to be digging a hole that’s like a mile deep underground! [b]Get creative![/b] Have dinosaur bones! Have some kind of ancient artifact! Ruins! UFOs! [b]Arbys![/b] Just SOMETHING that would compel me to keep digging [i]even though I have better things to do![/i] But [b]nope[/b], just dirt, rocks, and [i]the vaguest sense of riches.[/i] I once said in a previous review that [b]Exit 8[/b] and [i]games within that genre[/i] are the most visually repetitive games I’ve ever seen, but [b]Digging Hole Game has proven me a liar.[/b] [i]It’s just… [b]dirt.[/b] [/i] an overwhelming sea of shapeless, almost textureless [b]brown and gray. [i]e x c i t i n g .[/i] [/b] It’s not that the game even looks that bad or anything. [i]It looks fine.[/i] reminds me a lot of a WiiWare game, but [i]it still looks fine.[/i] It’s just, the vast majority of the game [i]just doesn’t look like much of anything. [/i] But let me first tell you about the things that AREN’T dirt!...your backyard layout kinda looks nice. I like the little trophies you get for whenever you get an achievement. [i]there are a lot of limes in your garage for some reason.[/i] [spoiler] was that just like a free prop from the Unreal Engine store? I don’t see why else you would have a box of limes (and nothing else). [/spoiler] The actual digging effects and dust particles look pretty slick, same can be said for the ore’s shiny sparkle. [i]The tool models[/i] (and animation) [i]legitimately seem unfinished[/i], but really at that point I’m just nitpicking. [b]I really don’t have a lot to say here. [i]It’s just dirt. [/i] [/b] [spoiler]Don’tcha love dirt, man?[/spoiler] I must stress that [b]the main problem here [i]is probably just me.[/i] [/b] I got EXACTLY as advertised, [b]it’s a game about digging a hole.[/b] It’s just [i]in the end, [b]I got tired of digging a hole.[/b] [/i] It’s not what I’d call [i]bad[/i], but at the same time, I feel like I could’ve gotten the entire experience [i]by watching some streamer highlights.[/i] Sorry.

It was short , but really fun ⚡