Drill Rift

Clunky UI but solid gameplay. I like the main mechanics and the drilling feels fun. Main complain is that i would have liked a bit more control on where im drilling rather than the pure random events. The tech tree unblocking as you go deeper is a nice touch.

This game feels incredibly bare-bones. Barely any content. Fairly easy to beat everything there is, I think. It feels as though the game is just continuing without end and there's no more achievements to be gotten. (Got to 10K so far and no real challenge in sight, got enough mythril for 2 more deliveries stocked up in the stash. This is, by the way, my first try.). And 15 euro for this? No. No way.

So far, a really solid first impression. The game isi definitely unforgiving but it doesn't feel unfair. Haven't had the chance to explore everything yet but happy with my purchase. Not recommended if you like easy games, but I definitely recommend it if you enjoy a real challenge.

Drill Rift is a turn-based strategy game from Steam Veil Games where you manage a remote drilling outpost deep underground. You oversee dwarves, upgrade machinery, manage resources, and push deeper while balancing efficiency against growing madness, with clear eldritch undertones if you dig too far. Pros ✔️ Eldritch themes work for me - I’ll admit I’m biased here, but the creeping “you should not be doing this” vibe adds some nice flavor to the management loop. ✔️ The drilling mechanic is neat - Digging deeper feels purposeful, and it’s a satisfying central mechanic to build the game around. ✔️ Machinery systems make sense - The way the moving parts and upgrades fit together feels logical and easy to understand. Cons ❌ Day-to-day progression isn’t clearly communicated - I really wanted some kind of clearer transition between days, like a lights-out moment or reset, to help pace things better. ❌ Technology unlocks feel underpowered at first - Unlocking a new tech only to have it start effectively at level zero feels rough and a bit deflating. ❌ Party composition lacks agency - I would’ve liked to choose my starting dwarves instead of being assigned them, especially since they don’t have strong enough personalities to justify the lock-in. Conclusion This felt fine, but very bare bones. The foundation is there, and I can see how this could turn into a solid time-sink with more systems layered on top, but right now it feels more like an early version of something bigger. I didn’t dislike my time with it, I just kept wanting more depth and clearer pacing. If it continues to build on what’s here, I could see myself enjoying it a lot more down the line. Score 5/10 Deep Drills — A solid foundation that hasn’t quite struck anything exciting yet.

I should have listened to reviews that said just play the demo. The full game has the features, quality, and polish of a crappy demo. I got it because I like the art. I hope the $$ helps the developer make it into a full-featured game that doesn't suck.

Me está gustando bastante. El juego es fácil al principio, pero conforme avanzan los días cada vez es más complicada la gestión de los recursos. Tienes que pensar muy bien como usarlos para poder seguir bajando lo máximo posible. Es un juego que le puedes echar muchas horas, ya que compites contra ti mismo y al final en cada partida quieres superar tu marca anterior.

Gripping atmosphere, creative lore, satisfying game mechanics and overall a very cool concept. I've found myself playing for hours without realising. Congratulations to the studio since it's clear they poured their heart into this.

Would definitely recommend, found myself playing game after game trying to figure out the best strategies, and theres a good level of variability there. Game is well balanced in the sense that I managed to lose to all the different potential reasons across different games. Would maybe move some of the dwarf character customisation to earlier in the game to improve replayability, by the time I was unlocking the correct technology and building, I was too constrained on resources so spend them on anything else.

Interesting for 2 hours. Got beyond 10k depth, stuck with game breaking (not ending round) bug. Faced "The Beast" every few turns.... damn i didnt get bored by a game that much in a long itme.

Has some interesting gameplay, but with the little amount of content it gives as well as the cheap AI looking backgrounds I wouldn't buy this for more than $5 if even. I've paid less than that for games that feel way less cheap and have more content,