Mining is one of the most satisfying activities in any videogame, as long proven by the likes of Deep Rock Galactic, Terraria, Spelunky, and of course the mighty Minecraft. Yet – as they all prove – it can also be fantastically dangerous. So instead of doing it yourself, why not run a powerful mining corporation instead and have others do the hard graft? That’s the premise of Drill Core, a new roguelike strategy game that’s just launched on Steam, and you can try it out for free with a Steam sale discount if you want to keep playing.
Drill Core puts you in charge of the titular organization, a company that definitely has its workers’ best interests and potential climate collapse in mind, and isn’t just out to rack up as much profit as possible. Drill your way down through planetary crust, setting up a base of operations atop your mining platform and directing workers to extract the valuable minerals and resources below ground, all the while reinforcing your defenses against hostile local fauna. A little colony sim, a little base building, a little tower defense, and you have the perfect loop for a satisfying strategy game.
During the day, you’ll plow downwards, with your drill expanding into a large platform that you can build structures on to further your economy, your workers’ capabilities, and the defensive options at your disposal. You’ll direct your employees deep underground in search of various resources, carefully managing their workload and ensuring they prioritize potential hazards such as eggs that can hatch into potentially dangerous critters.
As night falls, you’ll call your crew back above ground, keeping them safe from the subterranean terrors that tear through the tunnels. Your main focus, however, will be the swarms of overground creatures that funnel down into the tunnel shaft left behind by your main drill. To handle these, you can deploy a range of defensive turrets along the walls and platform, with a mixture of auto-attacking options as well as some more powerful weapons that you can manually deploy as and where you see fit. The whole thing is reminiscent of an RTS spin on the delightful Dome Keeper.
The more you mine out, the deeper your main drill platform will dig down. Be careful, however, as increasingly dangerous foes will begin to show up further into your run, including powerful boss monsters that will take real preparation to bring down. Once you’re finally forced to evacuate, you’ll be able to unlock more upgrades between runs with the currency you’ve earned, furthering your capabilities and allowing you to take on even tougher tasks.
If all that sounds good, you’re in luck, as you grab Drill Core at a pretty sizable early discount thanks to a launch Steam sale. Still not quite sold yet? No matter. There’s even a free Steam demo you can jump into, so you can check out the loop for yourself and see if it clicks.
Drill Core is out now on Steam in early access, with a free demo available to download. It’s on sale for 20% until Thursday September 19, meaning you’ll pay just £13.40 if you buy it before then, or £16.75 afterwards.
The launch version includes the first two biomes and ten different difficulty levels, with more biomes, platforms, and other content planned to be introduced through regular updates “every few months.” Hungry Couch says it’s currently aiming for the full launch in the second half of 2025, and aims to release a roadmap once it has solidified its schedule.
For even more run-based action, take a stroll among the best roguelike games in 2024 to see what’s most worthy of your time. Or try one of the best single-player games on PC right now.
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