Fill Up The Hole Review Summary

Great value for money: Players consistently praise the game for its excellent value, noting that its low price point makes the enjoyable and polished gameplay experience well worth the investment. Many found it to be a relaxing and engaging time-waster.

Responsive and active developer: The developer is highly praised for their responsiveness and dedication. They are noted for quickly addressing bugs, implementing community-requested features like endless mode, and maintaining an active presence.

Endless mode well-received: The swift addition of an endless mode was a highly appreciated feature, directly addressing community feedback and significantly enhancing the game's replayability and long-term enjoyment.

Unique take on genre: Despite drawing inspiration from other games in its genre, the game successfully establishes its own unique identity and relaxed gameplay style, distinguishing itself from similar titles.

Hidden depth and secrets: The game contains surprising depth and hidden elements, including subtle details that reward attentive players and an unexpected 'bad ending' that adds intrigue.

Game is too short: Many players found the game to be too short, often completing it within 2.5 to 3 hours. This brevity contributed to a feeling of monotony and a lack of depth, leaving players wanting more content and a more satisfying progression curve.

Unsatisfying forced ending: The game's abrupt and forced ending, which sends players back to the main menu without allowing continued progression, was a major point of dissatisfaction. This design choice also forces complete restarts to experience different endings or strategies, which players found frustrating.

Confusing tech tree: The tech tree and upgrade system were often described as confusing or unclear. Players desired better explanations for upgrades and clearer links between nodes, as the current presentation made it difficult to understand progression and build possibilities.

Lack of endless mode: A significant number of players requested an endless mode or New Game+ feature. This would allow for continued play, exploration of all upgrades, and a more relaxed, long-term engagement with the game beyond its current short campaign.

Tedious micromanagement: The game's core loop involves manual rebuilding and constant adjustment, which some players found tedious, especially those expecting a more 'idle' experience. The construction breaking mechanic also seemed inconsistent.

Short but replayable: The game offers a relatively short playtime, with most players completing a single run or the main story in 2-4 hours. However, achieving 100% completion or exploring alternate endings and endless mode can extend gameplay to 5-8 hours.

Core gameplay: Fill the hole: The core gameplay loop revolves around hiring 'Peons' to produce and throw trash into a mysterious hole. Players earn money from this process, which is then used to upgrade their operations and fill the hole further.

Similar to Gnorp Apologue: Many players noted that the game shares significant mechanical and visual similarities with 'The Gnorp Apologue'. Despite the influences, it manages to maintain enough unique elements to feel like its own distinct experience.

Building destruction mechanic: A key mechanic involves buildings randomly exploding or collapsing due to earthquakes, requiring manual rebuilding. A 'Relaxed Mode' is available for players who prefer to avoid this construction breaking mechanic.

Multiple endings available: The game features multiple endings, including 'Bad' and 'Good' endings, and potentially a 'True' ending. This encourages players to explore different approaches and replay the game to discover all outcomes.

Poor performance and framerates: The game suffers from significant performance issues, including low and inconsistent frame rates, even on high-end hardware. This makes the game feel sluggish and unresponsive, detracting from the overall experience.

Numerous in-game bugs: Many players report a variety of bugs, such as characters getting stuck, quests not progressing, and visual glitches. These issues, while not always game-breaking, accumulate to create a less polished experience.

Clunky user interface: The user interface is often described as clunky and unintuitive, particularly for inventory management and menu navigation. This makes basic interactions cumbersome and less enjoyable.

Unbalanced difficulty spikes: Some players feel the game's difficulty is unbalanced, with certain encounters being overly punishing or unfair. This can lead to frustration and a sense of unfairness rather than challenge.

Multiplayer connectivity issues: There are reports of issues with online multiplayer, including connection problems and desynchronization. This hinders the ability to play with friends and enjoy co-op features.

Highly Recommended Game: Many players highly recommend the game, especially to fans of idle, incremental, or management genres. They praise its chill nature and value for money, suggesting it's a solid choice for those seeking a short, relaxing experience.

Mixed Value Perception: Some players express mixed feelings about the game's value, with a few not recommending it or even refunding it. Concerns include the price point and the potential loss of progress, indicating a desire for more robust features or a lower cost.

Compared to Other Games: Players frequently compare this game to 'Gnorp' and other titles like 'Magic Tower' or 'Magic Archer'. This suggests that while the game is enjoyable, players often see it as part of a broader genre and look to other games for similar or perfected experiences.

Endless Mode Improved Reception: The addition of an endless mode significantly improved the game's reception, leading some players to change their recommendation to positive. This highlights the importance of content updates, particularly those that extend gameplay longevity.

Play Relax Mode: One specific piece of advice from players is to engage with the 'relax mode'. This suggests that this particular mode offers a more enjoyable or intended experience for some users.

Desire for more content: Players are eager for new content and features, including an endless mode, sandbox mode, workshop support, different map layouts, and a New Game+ option with persistent upgrades. There's also a specific suggestion for a manual grabbing/movement upgrade line.

Suggests Discord server: A suggestion was made for the developers to create a Discord server for the game. This indicates a desire for community engagement and direct communication with the developers.

Read associated book: One review mentioned the importance of reading a book associated with the game. This is a niche piece of advice and not directly related to gameplay.

Liked similar games: A reviewer mentioned liking similar games like Tower Wizard or Magic Archery. This provides context on player preferences but isn't actionable feedback for the current game.

Game runs in background: One player noted that they kept the game running in the background while doing other activities. This suggests the game might be suitable for passive play, but it's not a strong point of feedback.