$4.99You Know The Drill Dig, sell, upgrade, repeat
A cozy incremental game where a little robot drills for ore, and every run funds a deeper dive.
Is You Know The Drill worth it?
You Know The Drill is worth it if…
- you want a short incremental game that respects your time and skips the endless grind
- you like unwinding with low-pressure digging and steady, satisfying upgrades
- you enjoy choosing when to push deeper and when to turn back with your haul
- you have a soft spot for pixel art, retro visuals and chill lofi soundtracks
Screenshots
Drill, sell, upgrade, repeat
The loop is simple and it works. You steer a drill through the dirt, crack open ore deposits, and haul the minerals up to sell. The money goes into upgrades: a tougher drill, better gear, a machine that chews through rock that used to stop you cold.
There is a real skill tree to spend on, and it is tuned well: you can usually afford something new after almost every dive, so progress rarely stalls. The campaign runs about four hours, and it does not pad itself out with inflated numbers or endless grinding.
A game that never rushes you
Nothing here is out to get you. There are no timers breathing down your neck in the main campaign, no punishing failure, and no need to sprint back anywhere once your hold is full. You dig at your own pace, and the game is happy to wait.
The look and sound do their part too: clean pixel art with a 90s feel, drill animations that are pleasant to watch, and a soundtrack of chill lofi beats that keeps the whole thing calm. It is the kind of game you can put on after a long day, half-watch, and still feel like you are getting somewhere. Zen Mode takes that even further, letting you dig with no pressure at all for as long as you like.
What else is there besides the campaign?
What do the different modes change?
The classic campaign is the main event, but three extra modes each play by their own rules. Rush Mode is a fast run through quicker progression, done in about half an hour. Hardcore Mode uses hand-made levels laid out as small mazes, and adds real risk: a timer to get back and damage your drill can take, so each run matters more and you have to decide when to turn around or lose your ore. Zen Mode drops the pressure entirely and lets you dig as long as you want. Hardcore Mode in particular is a favorite for how it changes the feel of a dive.
How long does it take to finish?
Short, and that is by design. The campaign takes around four hours, Hardcore Mode about two, and Rush Mode roughly half an hour. There is no prestige system or artificially stretched grind at the end, so when the game is done, it is done. If you like finishing things rather than idling in them forever, that is the deal here.
Can you play it without thinking too hard?
Yes. The core loop of drilling, selling and upgrading runs smoothly enough that you can switch off and just enjoy the digging. If you do want to think, there is room for it: choosing which level to dive, which minerals to target, and how to spend your upgrade points all reward a bit of planning. It works both ways, which is part of why it is so easy to keep coming back to.
Is there anything to watch out for?
A couple of honest caveats. The game is short, so if you want dozens of hours from one purchase, this is not it. The final stretch of the campaign leans on repeated upgrades at higher prices, which some players find drags a little. And the soundtrack, while pleasant, is shared lofi material rather than an original score. None of it breaks the experience, but it is worth knowing before you buy.
