Info about Kin and Quarry:

Official game description:
**An evil Geomancer has stolen the magic essence from your sacred Evertree and buried it deep underground!**
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Now, you and your tiny kin must dig, mine, and excavate** in order to restore the Evertree back to its former glory. You will find **rare artifacts** along the way that will attract more kin to your cause, but beware, for the Geomancer is always watching, and when night falls, they will close the earth and seal your mine!
**You are the steward of these lands** and can help your kin succeed through digging, encouragement, and more. Assist your kin in their cause by clicking, swiping, and hovering your cursor to expedite their mission in recovering the lost essence.
*   **Hire several kinds of kin**, ranging from miners, diggers, exploders, and more.
*   **Launch a drill** in order to aid your efforts digging deep.
*   **Mine 20+ ores**, which will make you more effective in your quest.
*   **Discover 150+ rare artifacts**, which will attract more kin to your cause.
**It's a new day.** Are you ready to guide your kin to the deepest depths and restore the sacred Evertree?

Release date: Jan 16, 2026

Categories: Idle Game, Resource Management, Base Building, Character Progression, Worker Management, Procedural Generation, Crafting, Clicker Game


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging and addictive gameplay loop (weight 0.5): Players consistently highlight the game's addictive and enjoyable gameplay, particularly in the early to mid-stages. The loop is described as fun, engaging, and well-paced, making it suitable for both active and idle playstyles.
- Positive first impressions (weight 0.41): The game excels in its initial experience, with players describing it as having one of the best first impressions for an incremental game. The early-game pacing and rewards are particularly well-received.
- Non-intrusive and enjoyable soundtrack (weight 0.38): The soundtrack is noted as pleasant and non-intrusive, complementing the gameplay without distracting from the experience. Players appreciate its subtle contribution to the overall atmosphere.
- Flexible and rewarding skill system (weight 0.32): The skill tree and build customization receive high praise for offering free respeccing, diverse build possibilities, and strategic depth. Players enjoy experimenting with different builds and adapting their strategies.
- Cute and polished visuals (weight 0.23): The game's aesthetics, including HD-2D graphics, cute art style, and visually appealing UI, are frequently mentioned as a strong positive. Players appreciate the polished and relaxing visual experience.
- Satisfying progression and content (weight 0.21): Players report a rewarding sense of progression, with layered systems, multiple upgrade paths, and a satisfying curve. The game offers enough content to justify its price and keeps players engaged over several hours.
- Convenient and accessible features (weight 0.07): Features like 60-second cycles for short play sessions, easy interface, and loadout options enhance accessibility. Players also appreciate developer transparency, such as warnings about lag.
- Improvement over predecessor (weight 0.03): The game is seen as a significant improvement over its predecessor (NOMAD Idle), with players noting enhancements in gameplay, content, and overall experience.

Common complaints:
- Poor value for price (weight 0.66): The game is criticized for its short playtime (finishable in a day) and lack of content relative to its cost. Players feel the price (e.g., $10 or 346 rubles) is unjustified for the experience provided, especially compared to similar incremental/idle games.
- Excessive late-game grinding (weight 0.5): Players report that progression slows dramatically in later stages, with repetitive tasks and low drop rates making advancement tedious. This issue is compounded by diminishing returns on unit efficiency (e.g., 100 units mining slower than 50).
- Unbalanced progression systems (weight 0.38): Progression is hindered by exponential resource requirements, unviable end-game builds, and locked talent points. Some upgrades become unusable after ascension, and certain blocks may turn unbreakable, forcing respecs or halting progress.
- Frustrating UI/UX design (weight 0.27): The interface is described as unintuitive, with issues like annoying unit selection, lack of early exit buttons, and restrictive skill trees. These design flaws exacerbate the grind and reduce enjoyment.
- Misleading idle game design (weight 0.23): The game requires constant player input (e.g., activity every 60 seconds), contradicting the 'idle' genre label. Features like no early exit for runs or auto-restart further frustrate players expecting a hands-off experience.
- Missing quality-of-life features (weight 0.22): Players request manual control for abilities (e.g., snow fox explosion) and note the absence of features like auto-restart or early exit, which are standard in similar games.
- Technical and localization issues (weight 0.2): Problems include untranslated text (e.g., Chinese in Japanese versions), poor readability, and visual inconsistencies (e.g., high-res textures with pixel art). Some skills appear bugged or remain locked post-completion.
- Orb/artifact farming inefficiencies (weight 0.13): Lower-tier orbs require excessive farming even after unlocking higher tiers, and artifact rarity issues make 100% completion difficult. Some achievements may be bugged, adding to the frustration.
- Performance and pacing dips (weight 0.11): Laggy performance and progression stalls (e.g., around layers 8–10) disrupt the gameplay experience. The pace slows significantly in later stages, making the game feel like a slog.
- Lack of endgame content (weight 0.08): Players express disappointment with the absence of post-completion content, such as infinite modes or replay incentives. The game offers no meaningful goals after finishing the main progression.

Gameplay feedback:
- Build variety and experimentation (weight 0.96): Players can create and switch between multiple builds using two large skill trees, affecting gameplay satisfaction and viability. Builds range from skill-based to resource-focused, with some excelling in end-game scenarios.
- Core idle/incremental gameplay loop (weight 0.94): The game revolves around a progression system with idle and incremental mechanics, including skill trees, resource gathering, and layered advancement. Players progress through stages with minimal input, often resetting cycles (e.g., every 60 seconds).
- Currency and upgrade systems (weight 0.85): Multiple currencies (e.g., per-run, meta-progression) fund upgrades in level-up trees. Upgrades are critical for advancing through layers, with some builds relying on specific currency strategies.
- Short completion time (weight 0.77): Achievements and core progression can be completed in ~5–6 hours, appealing to players seeking concise experiences. However, this brevity may limit replayability for some.
- Autonomous unit mechanics (weight 0.17): Units act independently but can lag if overused. Damage output scales with unit quantity, and manual control (e.g., WASD) is optional for efficiency-focused playthroughs.
- Miner unlocks and character diversity (weight 0.16): The game features unlockable miner types (e.g., fox, mole, mouse) with unique abilities, adding strategic depth to progression. Players start with a basic miner and expand their workforce to overthrow the antagonist.
- Pacing and difficulty spikes (weight 0.16): Progression speed slows significantly around layers 8–10, creating frustration. Players must adapt strategies (e.g., bulldozing layers) or grind artifacts to overcome these walls.
- Layer-clearing mechanics (weight 0.12): Players clear layers by clicking blocks or using units, with bonuses for full clears. Later layers introduce mechanics like drill overheating, adding risk-reward elements.
- Event-driven progression (weight 0.06): Temporary events (e.g., 10x material drops) incentivize active play and strategy shifts. These events break monotony but may feel forced for idle-focused players.

Performance notes:
- Severe lag and FPS drops (weight 0.13): Players report significant lag and frame rate issues, including as low as 5 FPS, particularly when too many units or bomb spam builds are active. This affects gameplay fluidity and responsiveness.
- Optimization problems with buffs (weight 0.04): Units mining slower when buffs are applied suggests poor optimization, leading to inconsistent gameplay performance and frustration during critical moments.
- GPU-specific screen flickering (weight 0.03): Players with RX 6700 XT graphics cards experience screen flickering, indicating potential compatibility or driver-related issues that disrupt immersion.

Recommendations:
- Recommended with discounts (weight 0.27): Many players suggest purchasing the game only during sales or at a reduced price (e.g., $3 or in bundles). Full price is often deemed too high for the content provided.
- Ideal for genre fans (weight 0.27): Fans of digging, incremental, or idle/clicker games are more likely to enjoy this title. It serves as a good entry point for newcomers to the genre.
- Casual and short-term appeal (weight 0.24): The game is well-suited for casual play, short bursts, or an afternoon playthrough. It offers a heartwarming experience but may not sustain long-term engagement.
- Progression issues need fixes (weight 0.24): Players report frustration with progression difficulties, particularly around layers 8-10. A hard reset system with boosts and tougher blocks is suggested to improve gameplay.
- Outclassed by competitors (weight 0.1): While the game is high-quality in its genre, some players feel better incremental or digging games exist, making it a lower priority purchase.

Other player notes:
- Player drop-off at layers (weight 0.04): Players report noticeable attrition at specific game layers, likely due to difficulty spikes or lack of engagement. This data from achievement statistics highlights potential design flaws in progression balancing.
- Worker efficiency suggestions (weight 0.04): Players propose improvements to worker mechanics, such as adding platforms or portals, to enhance gameplay fluidity and reduce repetitive tasks. These suggestions aim to optimize resource management and player experience.
- Spoiler concerns in narrative (weight 0.04): A specific character spoiler (ferret with dynamite) is mentioned as self-destructing, which some players feel disrupts immersion or reveals key plot points prematurely. This may impact narrative satisfaction for story-driven players.
- Praise for developer track record (weight 0.03): Some players note the developer's history of creating solid games, which builds trust in the current title's potential quality. This feedback is more about reputation than direct gameplay critique.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.34): Players experience frustration due to technical and design issues, including laggy performance, poor graphics, and localization problems. Progression is hindered by excessive grinding, unbalanced builds, bugged skills, and unclear mechanics like worker management and skill descriptions.
- Disappointment (weight 0.15): Disappointment stems from repetitive and grindy gameplay, lack of meaningful endgame content, and slow progression that feels unrewarding. Players also feel the game does not deliver value for its price, with issues like debuffs in abilities and halted progression at higher levels.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.14): Players feel satisfied due to enjoyable progression, build variety, and the flexibility to respec or experiment with skills. Completing the game and achievements, as well as overcoming early struggles to feel powerful, also contribute to this emotion.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Enjoyment is driven by fun and relaxing gameplay, incremental progression, and the ability to experiment with combos and skill trees. Players appreciate the game's addictive and satisfying mechanics, which make it a fun time-killer.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement arises from discovering overpowered builds, addictive gameplay, and the variety of upgrades available. The game's unique mechanics and cute graphics also create a positive first impression that fuels excitement.
- Anticipation (weight 0.03): Players feel anticipation due to eagerness to explore the game further, expectations for future updates, or potential additions like language support. This emotion reflects hope for more content or improvements.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement is caused by quirky or unexpected mechanics, such as the exploding ferrets, or humorous observations like achievement statistics showing player drop-off rates.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom results from slow growth, repetitive resource gathering, and monotonous gameplay patterns that fail to engage players over time.
- Affection (weight 0.02): Affection is inspired by the game's cute graphics and charming elements, such as little animals, which create an endearing and enjoyable aesthetic.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from grindy progression and cumbersome mechanics, such as unit selection, which disrupt the flow of gameplay and create unnecessary friction.
- Resignation (weight 0.01): Players express resignation when giving up on 100% completion due to frustrating mechanics, such as artifact rarity issues, which make full completion feel unattainable.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from unclear or illogical mechanics, such as overlapping models causing six foxes to behave like one, which disrupts player understanding and immersion.}