Keep on Mining!

A simple incremental mining game that offers brainless addictive fun with a massive skill tree, but the repetitive gameplay and grindy endgame wear thin.

Introduction

Keep on Mining! is a straightforward incremental game where you hover your cursor over rocks to mine them automatically. The loop is simple: mine rocks, collect ores, craft them into bars, and spend those bars on a massive skill tree to get more powerful. Then you mine tougher rocks and unlock new ore types to repeat the cycle. It's brainless fun if that's what you're after, but it has some issues that keep it from being great.

The Skill Tree

The skill tree is genuinely massive, which gives you plenty to work toward. You're constantly unlocking new upgrades that boost your mining power, speed, and range. Once you finish 100% of the main tree, there's even a smaller endless skill tree if you want to keep playing. It's nice to always have something to spend resources on, and the progression feels steady for most of the game.

Repetition and Simplicity

The biggest issue is that nothing changes throughout the game, which would be fine if this were truly idle. But since you have to actively move your cursor the entire time, the lack of gameplay evolution becomes a problem. You're doing the exact same thing from start to finish, just with denser rocks and bigger numbers. No new mechanics, no variation, just hovering your cursor while pickaxes spawn and smash rocks.

The endgame gets particularly grindy because you're still doing that same cursor hovering but waiting longer for upgrades. Without any gameplay variation, it starts to drag.

The progression loop is satisfying at first as you see your resource totals climb and unlock new upgrades in the skill tree.

But the repetitive nature becomes apparent when you realize you're doing the exact same cursor hovering from start to finish, just with bigger numbers.

The Mine Problem

The mine is supposed to be the idle mechanic that auto-mines resources for you, but it never felt worth the investment. The upgrades are expensive, and even when fully upgraded, it doesn't provide enough value compared to just actively playing. I kept upgrading it hoping it would become useful, but it always felt like a waste of resources.

Verdict

Keep on Mining! delivers exactly what it promises: a simple, short incremental game with a big skill tree. If you want something brainless and addictive to zone out with for a few hours, this works fine. But the repetitive gameplay, lack of variety, and grindy endgame keep it from being more than just okay. The mine feature is disappointing, and by the end you'll probably be ready to move on.