To The Core

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,663 reviews
  • gameplay
  • grinding
  • music
To The Core Game Cover
Starting at $7.99Buy now
Get on Steam

"To The Core" is an incremental drilling game set in a solar system with various planets. Gather resources from planets to buy upgrades and drill deeper, while managing fuel and mastering resources through repetitive mining. Each planet presents a new challenge, requiring upgrades to drill further. The game is still in early development and subject to change.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,663 reviews
gameplay87 positive mentions
grinding212 negative mentions
  • The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay loop, allowing players to progressively upgrade their drill and destroy planets.
  • The graphics and soundtrack are enjoyable, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The game is relatively short, taking around 6-10 hours to complete, making it a good option for casual play.
  • The game suffers from frequent crashes, especially in the late game when many particles and effects are on screen.
  • The last achievement, requiring players to break 10 million blocks, is seen as excessively grindy and tedious.
  • The user interface is clunky and can be confusing, with issues such as slow scrolling and difficulty in selecting certain elements.
  • gameplay251 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a simple yet addictive loop that involves mining and upgrading, providing a satisfying sense of progression. While many players appreciate the engaging mechanics and enjoyable graphics, some criticize the repetitiveness and lack of depth in late-game content, leading to a grindy experience. Overall, the game offers around 5-10 hours of gameplay, making it a reasonably priced option for fans of incremental and mining games, though it could benefit from improved mechanics and clearer explanations.

    • “It has a fun and simple gameplay loop with new ideas and upgrades coming up at a well thought out pace.”
    • “The gameplay loop never deviates from the core premise, but changes up the mechanics and features with which you chase that premise often enough to keep the gameplay loop from becoming stale.”
    • “The gameplay is satisfying, the upgrades feel impactful, and the various planets and locations that you can go to feel different and interesting.”
    • “I do think something is missing from the gameplay; you can basically hands-off the mining and click off the weapons without skill.”
    • “The gameplay is very repetitive.”
    • “The core gameplay loop is repetitive but satisfying; going from struggling to break through the first layer of a planet to visiting a different planet gathering resources for upgrades before returning to the previous one and coring it in all of ten seconds happened several times throughout my playthrough.”
  • grinding220 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback from players. While many find the grind enjoyable and satisfying, especially in the early to mid-game, others criticize it for becoming tedious and overly repetitive towards the end, particularly with achievements requiring extensive block-breaking. The farming mechanic, intended to alleviate some of the grind, is often viewed as underdeveloped and cumbersome, leading to frustration with the need for excessive clicking and lack of automation options. Overall, the game appeals to those who enjoy grinding, but it may deter players who prefer a more streamlined experience.

    • “It's not grindy at all; I would say that it is perfectly balanced.”
    • “It's not too grindy and has the perfect upgrades.”
    • “The end game became kind of repetitive to max all the upgrades/buffs, but otherwise it wasn't too grindy.”
    • “The last two achievements are a bit grindy but doable, and the dev has said they are adding an easier way for one of them.”
    • “The final achievement is far too grindy and should either provide some way to more easily grind for the achievement or add some quality of life aspects to make it less painful.”
    • “My biggest gripe with the game is it can be a bit tedious at times.”
  • music144 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many users praising its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is described as "banging" and "fantastic," some players noted that it can be repetitive and expressed a desire for more variations. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and addictiveness.

    • “It has one of the best soundtracks (in my opinion)!”
    • “The music is fantastic, especially the sun's background music!”
    • “The soundtrack is really good, which it didn't need to be.”
    • “Music is very repetitive; it would be nice to have 2 or 3 more variations, but I really enjoyed this game and it was well worth the £6.69 that I paid.”
    • “Super annoying how when I close the game with the music and sound effects muted, the game opens with the music on in the same position every time (tested it a few times).”
    • “Music volume is always reset to low each time I booted the game up, and I would have to repeatedly mute it (for the record, I think the music is decent, but preferred outside music/podcasts).”
  • graphics66 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as simple yet aesthetically pleasing, featuring a charming pixel art style that enhances the overall experience. However, players have noted performance issues, particularly in busy scenes where frame rates can drop significantly, suggesting a need for better optimization and more graphical settings. Despite these concerns, the visuals are often praised for their engaging design and the satisfying feedback they provide during gameplay.

    • “The graphics are a lot of fun, with an absolute ton of stuff going on at any given second - however, this can wreak havoc on your system.”
    • “Game is exactly what you bargain for and even more, amazing graphics and versatile gameplay.”
    • “Very engaging, nice visuals, and fun progression :)”
    • “The graphics are basic and the screen gets crowded at later stages.”
    • “All this made worse by the lack of graphical settings and excessive abuse of chromatic aberration that makes certain planets entirely unplayable as the screen is completely unseeable.”
    • “I feel like I shouldn't be playing this game - the interface is pretty bad, the feedback is confusing, and the graphics are not at all clear (e.g., I can't see my own ship/drill most of the time, for all the stuff going on).”
  • optimization45 mentions

    The game's optimization is notably poor, particularly in the late game where performance issues such as significant frame drops and lag become prevalent, especially when using multiple upgrades and abilities simultaneously. While some players report smooth performance early on, many experience severe slowdowns and crashes as they progress, indicating a need for better optimization and quality of life improvements. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable, the optimization shortcomings detract from the experience, especially during intense late-game scenarios.

    • “The skill tree is crazy, no performance issues, no crashes, no lags.”
    • “There were a couple of performance issues here and there, but honestly, they didn't bother me much considering how enjoyable the whole experience was.”
    • “A great game in need of a bit of optimization!”
    • “Still some performance issues with some end game upgrades, but I hardly had any issues with that until I started to grind for the 10 million achievement.”
    • “Some late game upgrades create way too many entities and will cause noticeable frame drops and stuttering.”
    • “Endgame performance is a mess and the UI kind of sucks (finding and clicking on planets is a nightmare), but I played it to the end and I'd pick it up again for any future content releases.”
  • replayability26 mentions

    Overall, the game has low replayability, with many players noting that it can be completed in just a few hours and lacks meaningful content after the initial playthrough. While some enjoy speedrunning and find the gameplay addictive, most agree that once the achievements are unlocked, there is little incentive to replay. Future updates could potentially enhance replay value, but as it stands, the experience is brief and repetitive.

    • “Good replayability for speedrunning.”
    • “Loved it and I found great replayability in trying to speed run the game.”
    • “Very addictive upgrade-focused gameplay and interesting replayable levels.”
    • “There is no replayability after beating the game or getting all achievements, which only takes a few hours.”
    • “Not much replay value though, so don't expect it to keep you occupied for multiple days as it's very easy to blast through it in the course of a day.”
    • “Granted, some of the upgrade paths are just chains of 'make number go bigger', and since all the upgrades are permanent and you'll unlock them all in time, the only strategic decision is which order to unlock things, so there's very little replayability once you've completed the game.”
  • stability19 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting various bugs, particularly in the endgame stages and user interface. Common issues include UI glitches, freezing during fullscreen mode, and lag that can severely impact gameplay. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments, it suffers from a lack of polish and stability, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.

    • “The end game level is slightly buggy where if you destroy the core and restart as the animation for the end game scene happens, you will lose your UI until you go through and see the end credits.”
    • “Some words of warning, however, this game has brought my PC to its knees and I can no longer mine several of the planets because the lag gets so bad that the game freezes.”
    • “The UI is bad; scrolling and moving through the menus is slow and buggy.”
  • humor18 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players noting its youthful and quirky charm, often highlighted by funny sounds and absurdly large numbers. Many reviews emphasize the game's ability to provide a lighthearted and entertaining experience, making it a recommended choice for those seeking a cozy gaming session. However, some players also mention technical issues that detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “Highly recommend for a chill/cozy experience with a galactic twist and the cosmic humor of exponential expansion.”
    • “The difference in power between the start and the end is just absolutely hilarious.”
    • “[h1] This game is dangerously funny; play at your own risk! [/h1]”
  • story12 mentions

    The game's story is virtually nonexistent, with many users noting that it lacks any significant narrative or depth. It is primarily designed as a chill experience, allowing players to enjoy gameplay without the distraction of a compelling story. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a relaxing gaming session rather than a rich narrative experience.

    • “Capitalism sends drill operator into sun in daring mission to mine hydrogen 👍”
    • “All in all definitely recommended when you want to relax and take a break from being preoccupied by a story or competitive gameplay.”
    • “A chill game to just play with your brain off; don't expect some great story or some ultra mechanics since it's not all of that, it's just something you vibe to, and frankly, for what it is, I enjoy it for that.”
    • “There is very nearly zero story.”
    • “There is no story whatsoever.”
    • “Maybe a light story, or some boss battles, or some other AI ships that do something, I don't know.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The game offers a pay-once model with no microtransactions or ads, reminiscent of classic flash games and incremental upgrade titles. Players can enjoy uninterrupted progression without the typical monetization pitfalls found in free-to-play games.

    • “Pay once, play forever, no annoying microtransactions, and a real 'hail mary' to the golden days of flash games.”
    • “The game feels like a free-to-play game without the ads and in-game store.”
    • “It's like one of those incremental upgrade games you might see on a mobile app, but there is never a halt to progression (and obviously no microtransactions).”
    • “There are no microtransactions.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy To The Core

Play time

9hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
6-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 59 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games