This game is really cool, the basic gameplay loop is solid, the physics of the minecart are really satisfying, and the back flip mechanic is great.
I do agree with others here that the pacing is a bit off, but I think for me it's not so much about the prices of the upgrades, it's that your income doesn't seem to increase much as you get the upgrades. I think something like a multiplier that increases as your boost speed increases, and that you have to keep back flipping to maintain would fit in really nicely here. I do get what you were going for with the ore caves, and visually they look really nice, but they also to me break the pace of the run. The most fun I had was when I got a really good speed boost going and was just blasting down the track, trying to back flip to keep my speed up, and the treasure runs felt like something I needed to do to get more gold but brought the breakneck pace of the rest of the run down a bit.
All that being said, you guys really nailed it on so much of this game, the visuals, the audio, the gameplay. It has some of the tightest mechanics of any of the games I've played in this jam, and the whole concept is perfect for a jam game. Nice work!
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Thanks so much for the reflective comment! It definitely leaves some stuff for thought. It's a great idea with relating gold multiplier with boost amount and might be something we'll look into adding in a balance patch after the jam. While the treasure run segment is not something we'll remove, it might make sense to reduce the brake-amount (or even remove the braking altogether) so it doesn't feel like a setback.
Thanks for playing and the great feedback, it's definitely something we'll take into consideration! :D