This feels so cohesive on all fronts, I am simply amazed!
While I can't say I've paid off my debt yet, I'm definitely getting better, and I like the choice of having the countdown relate to digging actions instead of measuring time in seconds, it gives the player a chance to plan ahead instead of blindly rushing downward.
My only real gripe is regarding upward movement. Not having a jump or a way to move up a single tile feels quite punishing, especially when digging out a seam or even just misclicking a direction in a corridor, I'd love to see that aspect looked into a bit further.
Viewing post in Digging Down Debt jam comments
Thank you! :D
There's a power-up in the shop called the Thrilling Ladder. It's a little buggy and not well balanced since it went in last minute, but it lets you build upward so you can return to areas you've missed. The level design tries to encourage some "oo I see something interesting above me, maybe I should buy a ladder for tomorrow", but with the limited time we didn't really do a great job communicating that to the player.