Interesting puzzle game. Definitely have to play through a couple of times so you can strategically dig if you want to make progress.
Only feedback I would give is the controls feel a bit clunky. I would recommend having WASD as well as the Arrow keys. My keyboard actually doesn't have arrow keys so I had to improvise a bit. Additionally I feel like it would make more sense that pressing z, x, or c would use their corresponding tool rather than switching to it. It would make it easier to actually use the tools. I think switching would work better if you could use your mouse to click where you want to dig. I do understand this is a clone of the pokemon mining game so probably taking heavy inspiration from their control scheme.
Thematically the art, style, and music of the game was great, Felt like a good cohesive package.
Great work! It was a fun game!
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originally it was z x and c as just using the tools, but we ran into the issue of people constantly pressing the wrong one and getting upset that they screwed up the buttons, which, when there's strategy involved, is not fun. Being able to decide your tool, see which tool is selected for verification, and then using the tool worked a lot better for the playtesters I got.
As for the arrow keys, i don't think i've ever heard of a keyboard without them, so I never thought to not use them. it certainly would be clunky to use zxc and wasd, but when you're using arrow keys, they're on the opposite side of the keyboard, so if I went with wasd, I would also need to swap out the tool buttons.
I appreciate the thought you've put into the control scheme based on playtester feedback. It's great that you're prioritizing what works best for most players.
From my experience, many games using WASD also incorporate Z, X, C for actions, especially in strategy games where quick reactions aren't crucial. Have you considered allowing both WASD and arrow keys as options? In my experience, providing choices often caters to a wider range of player preferences.
Another idea you might consider is implementing full mouse control (clicking tool icons to switch and clicking the grid to dig). This could potentially make the game more accessible, even on mobile platforms.
Regardless of the control scheme, I found the core gameplay enjoyable. It's clear you've put a lot of effort into creating a fun and engaging experience!