Cozy Holes

Ein Spiel, in dem es wieder nur ums Buddeln geht. Keine Ausdauer, kein Essen, kein Schlaf, kein Mensch, keine Gegner etc. Nur dein kleiner Anfangsort, wo man auch Upgrades kaufen kann, wie schneller Buddeln, mehr Buddeln etc. Der Ort ist eine Art Wüste mit Meer drum herum. Dort buddeln wir im Sand nach Ressourcen, die man aber nicht verkaufen kann. Es gibt auch kein Inventar. Stattdessen sieht man an der Schaufel eine Art Anzeige mit Punkten - Magiepunkte. Das sind die Skillpunkte, die man am Anfangsort gegen Upgrades eintauschen kann. Das Ziel ist einfach nach ganz unten graben. Es gibt wenig zu entdecken und viel zu buddeln. Aber irgendwie fühlt sich das Spiel nicht fertig an. Aber es ist ja noch Early Access... das Buddeln buggt zu sehr herum, der Kompass, der eigentlich zeigen soll, wo etwas Wertvolles liegt, spinnt rum und wenn ich jetzt in einer Richtung buddle, zeigt er plötzlich woanders hin... das aus den Löchern raus "fliegen" ebenfalls. Manchmal kann man durch die Map schauen. Ich hoffe, das wird noch verbessert. Zudem frage ich mich, warum gibt es hier solche Lava Becken? Die machen da 0 Sinn. Und das sind keine echten Becken, wie man es vielleicht aus Natur kennt... die sind in eine Art riesengroßen Blumentopf. Auch der Tag/Nacht wechsel macht absolut keinen Sinn und nervt nur, wenn Nachts alles dunkel ist... es bringt dir keinerlei Vorteile. Kann man nicht wenigstens eine Option einfügen, dass es immer Tags ist? Und warum ändert man mit 1-4 die Grafikeinstellungen... also die Zahlen über QWERTZ... hat der Entwickler überhaupt irgendeine Ahnung von Computerspiele? Aber das schlimmste ist bislang die Suche nach 100 goldene Schaufeln... Ich habe nun 10 Stunden gespielt, davon seit 6-7 Stunden volles Upgrade. Derzeit habe ich gerade einmal 14 von 100 Schaufeln gefunden. Ich weiß nicht, wie viele es gibt - ich hoffe weit mehr als 100, weil einige ins Lavabecken fallen und man da natürlich nicht rein darf. Auch gibt es selten mal 1-2 Schaufeln, die am Rand liegen, aber man sie nicht raus bekommt, weil es halt unzerstörbares ist, also die Spielwand. Da haben sich schon einige im Forum aufgeregt. Ich vermute, der Entwickler hat sich das von GTA abgeguckt, wo man diese 100 Päckchen finden muss. Nur war das wesentlich leichter... mit Lösung HUST. Und ehrlich gesagt habe ich KEINE Lust die ganze blöde Wüste um zu graben, um die bescheuerten 100 Schaufeln zu finden - das würde mich weitere 30-60 Stunden kosten. Außer der Kompass würde mal richtig funktionieren, dann ginge es schneller. Wenn ich sagen würde, wie viel Prozent Wüste ich bislang durchsucht habe, wären das keine 10% - vielleicht 5-6%. Selbst mit volle Upgrades fühlt es sich am Ende sehr langsam an. Und wenn man auf die ersten Steinschichten trifft, baut man ja etwas weniger ab, als oben der Sand. Ich gebe auf jeden Fall derzeit Daumen Runter. Und der bleibt so lange, bis sich einiges geändert hat. Und sollte kein oder kaum ein Update kommen, was irgendwas verbessert, dann lasst bloß die Finger davon. Obwohl ich ja gerne solche Spiele mag und mich nach viel Spielzeit gesehnt habe... aber nicht auf diese Art, wo man 10% Tafeln suchen kann, 5% Story hat und Rest nur die blöden 100 Schaufeln suchen muss.

A first look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKMGBozQxn4 I'm going to be honest, I'm a 1000% biased if not more. The moment I played the demo, I fell in love with it, badly. And the countdown to full release was just absolutely horrible! What a wait. On top of RL, I had to wait an extra two days to play. But now I'm finally digging as if my life depends on it, just in a very slow-paced manner because my life doesn't rely on it. If anything, I have all the time in the world to enjoy this little gem of a game, which is very relaxing and carefree. And nothing or no one is ever going to change my mind that this game isn't beyond amazing. Tucked under a blanket, cats on my lap, beverage with me and controller in hand. I'll be MIA all night, and possibly all day tomorrow too. Come back Monday, I might be available then, lol. Now, if you excuse me, Digby needs me. We still have plenty of sand and other biomes to devour! And remember: magma/lava = fast travel to home. My favorite to get back to the hut fast! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3545874798

[h1]A cozy game that ends up feeling tedious with no reward, unfortunately. :/[/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]Cozy Holes[/i] is a cozy, adventure, exploration game developed and published by FlashPoint Games, LLC. You take on the role of Digby, a magical shovel, and as you're digging layers of earth on the island you inhabit, you discover the island's secrets and perhaps, find a canine companion to help you along the way. As for the gameplay, you dig around the island, and you can use either mouse and keyboard or controller. There is a very brief tutorial that explains a bit about the gameplay mechanics although you'll have to figure a lot of them out on your own. With mouse and keyboard (which are what I used), the WASD functions are pretty self-explanatory for moving Digby around. The mouse can control camera angles, and left-clicking allows you to dig the earth while right-clicking allows you to activate the water hose, which you can find later in the game. Steam achievements are present, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game". [h2]Review[/h2] For those who have been following my curator and/or reading my reviews (I'm thankful to everyone who does so ^^), my negative rating of this game will come as a surprise. Generally, I prefer to be as open and understanding as possible when it comes to games, but let's just say that my patience ran out this time. :o The story itself is sufficient. There isn't really much to narrate, but I like how various story tablets are scattered deep with the earth layers that reveal the island's lore. Also, an end game to the story is unlocked, but you can continue to play afterwards. [h2]Now here's where the major issues happen...[/h2] The gameplay is the main focus of the game. While I have no problems with the general controls on mouse and keyboard, with controller, they are very wonky. It doesn't help that on the main menu, there is no explanation as to how the controls work. It wouldn't take too much time to explain that certain buttons can activate digging and whatnot. As some have mentioned, the controls feel very janky, and also, the camera angles can feel nauseating at times. Granted, there is a setting that can reduce this effect (which I used), but I wouldn't recommend this game for those who are prone to dizziness. As for Steam achievements, there was only one that I couldn't obtain, which was for finding 100 golden shovel heads. At the time of this review, I was able to get 96. Now, according to one of the devs, all of the shovel heads should be obtainable in a playthrough. However, a few can be stuck in lava vats. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3694793331 You won't be able to search in the lava vats until you obtain the water hose and use water to get rid of the lava. Now why is this problem? [b]Well, you cannot obtain the water hose until very late in the game, and it's located very deep in the earth layers.[/b] Yes, this is a major problem because once you find the water hose, you'll probably have dug up quite a lot of the layers and due to the janky controls, you won't be able to reach the higher lava vats. The developers are aware of this problem, and one of them has stated that they plan on fixing this problem. However, as of now, they haven't given a statement as to when they estimate this problem being fixed. As I couldn't get all of the golden shovel heads (and I dug up all of the layers - thus, my insanely long playtime lol), I am extremely frustrated. Also, it doesn't help that the developers are terrible at communicating with players in regards to the gameplay problems they've encountered. This is evidenced by the lack of responses in the Steam discussion forums as well as via email and other ways of communication. I should avoid ranting more, but I'll just wind this up by saying that this is no way to treat players who genuinely just want to improve the game. Also, a lot of these issues were reported when the game was still in early access, so I'm quite shocked that the game is fully released now, but these problems STILL haven't been fixed. As for the art, it is nice, and I like how the buildings are designed and such. I like the 3-D style that brings the island to life, and the colors feel vibrant. They can be a bit too bright at times, but you can turn down the brightness. However, I wouldn't recommend that personally since there is nighttime mode as well, and the island ends up being way too dark to see. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3694793042 With the music, the tracks are pleasant to listen to, and there's a good variety. They're all instrumental in nature and they feel perfect for giving off that island vibe. Sound effects are present as well although they can feel a bit grating to the ears. I turned down the volume for them. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Would I recommend [i]Cozy Holes[/i]? It's probably obvious by now, but if you're looking for a cozy, relaxing games, this definitely isn't it. As I was looking for those golden shovel heads and trying (and failing) to get that last achievement, it felt more like work, which is the opposite intended effect of a cozy game. I'm hoping that the developers will eventually get around to fixing the game (and no, I'm not starting a new game to hopefully get that golden shovel head achievement - I'm too tired as it is T_T), but their lack of response and overall, care towards their players speaks volumes. In the event that an actual update happens that significantly improves the game, I'll reconsider my opinion. Before I forget, I'd like to thank FlashPoint Games, LLC for the review key. As someone who truly wanted to like the game (especially because there's a dog helper), I hope that my criticisms will be taken into consideration since I'd really like to see improvements to the game. [quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38287655/]Curator(en)[/url]|[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45575907/]Mentor(es)[/url]|[url=https://www.youtube.com/@Indiegualables]YouTube(es)[/url] [h2]Current Verdict: All digging, but no real depth.[/h2] For an Early Access title, Cozy Holes is a solid option for people looking for a chill time to spend a bit of the day after a rough shift or just trying to wind down or who love sharing cozy moments with their communities. There is a great joy in the simplicity of digging Cozy Holes brings to the table. As you dig you'll find many valuables and collectables which will allow you to improve Digby, your shovel companion. Starting with a radar you will be able to improve power, speed, area and more to uncover the mysterious disappearance of the shovel tribe and the monuments they have left behind to guide you. The game combines casual and relaxing exploration with the satisfying loop of digging, improving and heading back into the hole. The dog companion is a nice addition and will often dig up stuff to help you. It's extremely important you know you can pet it. Uncovering the special locations is very exciting and while lava is a bit of a headache at first you learn to navigate around it and eventually upgrade into getting rid of it. Some of the light changes and atmospheric effects are very pretty and will stop you dead on your tracks, first in shock and panic, then in awe at the rainbow tornadoes and eerie nightly shades. I followed the development of the game from an early stage and am very happy with what the devs have done here. There's still a few issues left to polish (sometimes the physics get wonky when you step on stuff) but nothing insufferable or game-breaking. I can recommend it to everyone looking for a relaxing clicker adventure that replaces the tedium of repetition for the thrill of exploration! UPDATE: I am updating my review 6 months after release. Bugs have been reported, you cant complete the game as gold shovels will spawn on undiggable areas and this prevents 100% completion. It's been long enough for a game with such a simple premise to put its act together. There's better games in the same genre out there. It's sad to say I had high hopes but as they say, fool me once... UPDATE 2: An announcement has been made about the game being released by the end of the month. I am willing to see if the bugs have been ironed out and if the wait was worth it to make my final update. UPDATE 3: 6 months of just radio silence during Early Access with no updates and zero changes on launch. Movement sucks, camera is wonky, your body collision is some of the most rage inducing BS ever and they didnt fix the golden shovels stuck in the wall for me, they just made them invisible and I had to restart the game so they would spawn correctly, geometry brakes easily and you can slip in between the terrain seams and fall into the infamous 'blue hell', the radar will point you in any direction for stuff you dont need/care about without distinction, I could go on, but I've wasted more than enough time on this tbh. Don't bother. Play A Game about Digging a Hole or Keep Digging instead.

Rewritten Review - 2026, Full Release: I can't recommend this anymore - In early access the problems were forgivable, but they no longer are. No instructions were added, I can still see through the map to the cave, I'll eventually see no ground at all, I retrieved the parting gift just for the water not to work or stop working in use, I'm still being dragged around the map for seemingly no reason, the 'low' graphics setting is absolute torture for my eyes and yet I can't move for lag on anything higher, no material/item tracking, no help on how to use the scanner or water efficiently, there's not even an option in the settings for tutorials or instructions. It WAS cosy in the beginning but it doesn't make any sense and nothing was actually fixed from what I can see. It's more of an annoyance to play now, and I was so looking forward to it.

No clear feedback on what if anything the items you dig are actually for. Bugs like invisible objects or walls blocking walking paths. Upgrading unclear. Items unclear. Game progression unclear. PC fan spiking leads me to believe it is also poorly optimized as far as resource use. Generally below average for what is a new genre "digging", likely rushed to jump on the hype.

This game is very relaxing, I personally really enjoy not stressing over dying and losing progress or racing the clock. I can just play at my own pace and its really relaxing. Merging the gems together and making big ones is super fun. There is just a lot of littler magic to it that I enjoy discovering. I would highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a nice, cozy experience. The atmosphere just envelopes you and I'm really excited to keep digging into this to find even more. The story is really cute as well!

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I picked up Cozy Holes, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed a slow-paced, relaxing, and surprisingly creative game about digging holes. The game has you in search of the family you've lost the the quest to find youself again.Every corner you dig feels like it could lead to a new surprise whether it’s a shiny geode, or a pit of deadly lava It scratches the same itch as games like Stardew valley, but with its own unique (and cozy) feel. Even though I’ve only played for about three hours, I’ve already unlocked 9 achievements and dug 25m below sea level —and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. The exploration is satisfying, the art is delightful, and the whole vibe is pure comfort. Perfect for when you just want to unwind, and pretend the world above doesn’t exist. Highly recommend if you're into chill, and games about holes, thats make with abit of love, and a whole lot of cozy.

This game has the potential to be one of the best digging games. It's pretty fun

What should be a relaxing way to waste some time is instead a mess of getting stuck on terrain and clipping through the map. Wasted potential.