Hole Is Mine

I finished the game in about 5 hours and got all 38 achievements naturally along the way. I don't regret playing it, but I also think some of the negative reviews are remarkably accurate about its biggest problem: progression relies far too heavily on farming. The beginning is especially rough. Throwing your Mini'Ohs around is the core mechanic, but having to throw your backpack around as well quickly feels more annoying than meaningful. I eventually got used to it, but I'm still not convinced the backpack mechanic adds anything that would be missed if it were removed. More importantly, almost every new Cave/Depth eventually becomes a stat wall. You reach new content, realize you're underpowered, go back to previous areas, farm resources, buy upgrades, and return. Then the cycle repeats. The first Cave was the worst offender for me, but farming remained a major part of my playtime. There are equipment sets and opportunities to think about builds, and I did start paying more attention to them later on. Still, runs become chaotic enough that I rarely felt my build choices mattered as much as simply buying more raw upgrades. The skill tree was similar: most of the time I just bought whatever was cheapest and worked my way upward. Ironically, the game felt best near the end. By the final Cave, progression became less dependent on constant farming and the runs started feeling freer and more enjoyable. I almost wish the game had reached that rhythm much earlier. On the positive side, it works very well in short sessions, the achievement set respects your time, and I personally had zero crashes, performance issues, or other technical problems during the campaign. So yes, I recommend it, but know what you're getting into. [b]If you don't mind repetitive farming occupying a significant part of a short incremental game, there's something enjoyable here. I just wish it reached its best version of itself sooner.[/b]