A free rock-mining game
Stone Miner
is a
simulation
mobile video game wherein you must
mine for precious resources
in order to profit. Developed by ZPLAY Games, this cute-looking
3D game
features manual mining gameplay in the form of
driving a rock grinder truck
, and upgrading it to easily clear levels and unlock various cosmetic rewards.
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Similar to
Oil Well Drilling
, Stone Grinder uses
simple controls and objectives
in order to clear each level. However, it
badly requires a tutorial
and some background soundtrack in order to keep players well-informed and engaged for long periods of time.
Harvesting precious stones
In Stone Grinder, you get to manually drive a truck that has rotating spikes in front. Your goal is to
mow down the different-colored blocks
on the island you’re on, collect the ore left behind, and
sell them
for Gold. To move, simply press and drag on the touchscreen in the direction you want to go. The camera stays fixed while your truck moves in all cardinal directions.
You start off on a floating barge that contains all the facilities you need. There are five areas available:
Sell
,
Upgrade
,
Shop
,
Pet Shop
, and
Factory
. The first two are unlocked by default while the rest can be unlocked within the first 6 levels. The Shop offers truck and player customizations. The Pet Shop offers pets that permanently buff your truck. Meanwhile, the Factory manufactures items you can sell off.
You unlock the next level every time the meter at the top of the screen reaches a star. You can move on to the next island or keep going to achieve a three-star rating. Eventually, you’ll encounter tougher minerals and bigger maps. However, there’s
no tutorial
to give you a tour of the features—most especially on how to upgrade your truck properly. The game
doesn’t have any background music
either.
In need of some features
All in all, Stone Grinder is a great choice of a mobile game to pass the time. Its controls aren’t too complicated and clearing all blocks can be a satisfying endeavor for most. However, it
sorely needs a few features
to make it more appealing for players—namely, a tutorial to properly introduce the mechanics and some music playing in the background.