You're going to need to take mining-shooter BORE BLASTERS away from me

BORE BLASTERS is a mining-shooter from Scottish studio 8BitSkull, the same developer that also made Void Scrappers and Fates of Ort, two other games I also quite liked. It seems they're onto something again here!

This could easily end up replacing all those horde survival games I've been playing like Vampire Survivors, Brotato and all the others. It gives a similar sort-of feeling with repeated runs, as you gather upgrades and watch lots of numbers go up but in a rather different setting. Here you're given a gyrocopter with a machine-gun drill to mine underground across various random islands, many with different biomes and creatures and special item blocks to blast through. It's simply delicious and with full Native Linux and Steam Deck support — you need to try it out.

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I like that it's not particularly punishing either. While the fuel mechanic may need some tweaks, if you fail a run you at least get to keep your rewards to continue unlocking more permanent upgrades to just dive in and try some more mining. Nice and accessible.

Game Features:

• Fast-paced mining action - Mining has never been so intense and rewarding; the satisfaction of blasting through the depths would make any dwarf grin with delight.
• Bite-sized runs - Runs can be over quickly or last longer, if you’re able to survive. Play for a few minutes or up to 10-15 if you’re an experienced player.
• Un-punishing progress - If you fail a run or need to cancel early for whatever reason, you keep your rewards and resources to spend on upgrades and abilities.
• Unlockable characters - Dive into the narrative of this dwarven steampunk world to complete quests and unlock playable characters with new and unique abilities.
• Upgrade your gyrocopter - Visit the Techsmith and spend your earnings on permanent upgrades to make mining faster, safer, and more satisfying, or discover temporary upgrades buried in the mines to help you out in a pinch.
• Endless replayability - No two runs will be the same, a diverse range of biomes and procedurally generated mineshafts mean you’ll never know what’s ahead.

Try out the demo on Steam as part of Steam Next Fest.