Drill Core Review

Drill Core is one of those games that sneaks up on you. I went in expecting more or less the par for the course for the mining sim genre, maybe something to kill an hour or two while listening to a podcast. But after nearly 20 hours of telling my tiny pixel workers to dig holes while fending off alien hordes, I’m genuinely hooked. That’s not something I expected from a game that under the surface is all about corporate planet exploitation.

Dig, Defend, and Don’t Die

At its heart, Drill Core is deceptively simple. You’re a platform manager for some sketchy megacorp (think Weyland-Yutani meets Amazon warehouse management), and your job is to drill to the center of dying planets. During the day, you direct your crew – miners, carriers, and guards – to dig through blocks, collect resources, and hopefully not get eaten by underground nasties. When night falls, you should (intelligently) recall your workers to scurry back to safety while waves of alien creatures attack your platform from above.

It’s this day/night cycle that really makes the game tick. You’re constantly juggling between “I need more iron to build that turret” and “oh crap, my miners just got crushed by a boulder I didn’t notice.” The tension between greed and survival is real, and the stakes get higher the deeper you mine as the attacks above get more and more intense.

So what’s new in 1.0?

After spending months in Early Access, the 1.0 release feels like the game finally figured out what it wants to be. Perhaps the coolest new addition is The Swarnid platform. This unique platform basically makes it so you’re managing alien bugs instead of humans. And before you ask, yes, it’s as weird as it sounds (and fun). Your workers are now larvae that evolve based on what you need, and they get a sweet 20% damage bonus against nighttime enemies. It’s different enough from the standard Earthcrusher platform to feel fresh without completely changing the core mechanics of Drill Core.

The quality-of-life improvements are where 1.0 really shines though. You can now prioritize specific resources globally (thank god), which means no more watching your carriers ignore that precious Technology ore while they haul their 47th piece of regular stone. Gamepad controls got a major overhaul too such as improvements that make moving the camera and issuing orders feel more intuitive now instead of like you’re trying to perform surgery with oven mitts. That being said, I still prefer keyboard and mouse.

Perhaps the best overall addition though is the in-game wiki. Just hover over any block or enemy and hold control to get info about it. No more alt-tabbing to figure out what the hell a Husker block does or why that specific alien just one-shot all my units.

The Real Gameplay LOOP

The best aspect of Drill Core is how well the different systems mesh together. During my first few runs, I was just frantically clicking, trying to survive and build whatever I thought may extend that a little bit. But once things clicked (pun intended), I found myself planning out unique “builds” based on my initial technologies. Can I afford to skip building a repair station this run to rush for better turrets? I *should* get an AOE based turret, but with all my machine gun enhancers, isn’t it better to just keep pumping them out?

The roguelite elements work perfectly here. Each run feels different thanks to randomized tech unlocks, planet layouts, and those delightful “random events” that usually mean something terrible is about to happen. One run you might get lucky with early drone technology that makes resource collection a breeze. The next, you’re desperately trying to fend off enhanced enemies with basic machine gun turrets because the RNG gods hate you.

Speaking of which, let’s talk more about the turrets. The game now lets you customize their targeting behavior and upgrade them individually. Each turret type has between 3 and 15 upgrades, including unique ones that completely change how they function. I really enjoy turning the basic laser turret into a chain-lightning death machine that makes night defenses almost relaxing. Almost.

Progression is a Grind

If there’s one thing that might turn people off, it’s the grind. Permanent upgrades between runs require a decent chunk of resources, and early on, it can feel like you’re barely making progress. You’ll need to complete several contracts just to afford basic worker speed upgrades, and don’t even get me started on the costs for unlocking new platforms or major technologies. In fact, my first run ran on for quite a while and I was able to finish the entire run successfully which felt like a pretty subtantial feat for my first run. But in the end I was only able to forward couple upgrades after. For me personally the grind is welcome; I love constantly looking forward to more unlocks. But I know not everyone is going to like that.

The game tries to offset this with its difficulty scaling – you can replay easier contracts to farm resources – but it still feels like progression could be about 20-30% faster without breaking the balance. Some runs feel less like strategic challenges and more like resource-gathering chores, especially when you’re saving up for expensive upgrades.

A Beautiful Core

Drill Core offers three distinct biomes: Cavernous, Frost, and Jungle. Each hastheir own quirks and challenges. After 20 hours, they start to feel more like palette swaps than truly different experiences. Sure, Frost has ice blocks that slow your workers and Jungle has more aggressive flora, but the core strategies remain largely the same. It’s not a huge issue, but more biome-specific mechanics would’ve been welcome.

On the technical side, Drill Core runs smooth as butter. I didn’t experience any crashes or major bugs during my time with the 1.0 release. The pixel art style is clean, pretty, and has enough charm to give the game personality. Watching your little workers scurry around never gets old, and the death animations for enemies are satisfyingly crunchy.

The sound design deserves a special mention. It’s minimal but effective. Even after many hours, the klaxon warning for nightfall still makes me slightly panic even after dozens of runs, and the drilling sounds are oddly satisfying. The music knows when to fade into the background and when to ramp up during intense moments.

A Core Worth Drilling Into

Drill Core is a solid and now expansive entry into the genre with its 1.0 release. It’s got a few rough edges, and the grind can occasionally feel excessive. But when everything comes together and you’re frantically recalling workers as the night alarm blares, watching your carefully placed turrets mow down waves of aliens while you calculate if you have enough resources for that next upgrade you think you’ll need to survive the night, it’s genuinely thrilling.

For $20, you’re getting a game that respects your time (mostly, grind pending), offers genuine strategic depth, and manages to make corporate planet exploitation feel… fun? If you enjoyed games like FTL, Into the Breach, or even old-school flash tower defense games, Drill Core is absolutely worth your time. Just be prepared for a few frustrated restarts while you figure out what the hell you’re doing.