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Drill Deal: Borehole (Alpha) similar games & best alternatives

Drill Deal: Borehole (Alpha)

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2020

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Quick resume

Drill Deal is a unique simulator in a fun style that will draw you for hours. It's a building simulator like never before. Feel the thrill of a drill hitting underwater oil fields. Sell the precious substance and make your oil rig more efficient.

Global score

87/100

Genres

Indie, Free To Play

Similar games

    Pros

    • Addictive and fun management gameplay
    • Relaxing atmosphere with charming voxel graphics
    • Good tutorial and clear mechanics
    • Potential for deep production and tech tree
    • Free alpha with smooth performance

    Cons

    • Limited content and maps in alpha
    • Bugs and pathfinding issues with employees
    • Lack of save feature in alpha
    • Ui and controls need polish and better scaling
    • Some mechanics feel repetitive or underdeveloped

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fantasy, Violence, Story, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Exploration.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players have freedom to build and assign workers but within some constraints like platform limits and fixed production chains."

    • Competence
      2

      "Game involves managing production chains and employee assignments with some challenges, but alpha state shows limited difficulty and some bugs."

    • Competition
      -4

      "Focus is on personal management and progression without competitive or ranked modes."

    • Continuation
      3

      "Players report addictive gameplay and desire to keep playing despite some bugs and limited content."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Single player management game with no evidence of multiplayer or cooperative play."

    • Creativity
      2

      "Players can design layout of platforms and buildings, but within predefined structures and limited ability to move or delete platforms."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control over other players; interactions are with game systems only."

    • Escapism
      3

      "Players use the game as a relaxing distraction and stress relief, enjoying the management and setting."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment, no indication of obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      2

      "Players explore mechanics and try different layouts and strategies, though some routines are established."

    • Exploration
      -3

      "Limited maps and content in alpha; mostly familiar environments with little new discovery."

    • Expression
      -2

      "Some customization of platform layout but no avatar or cosmetic personalization reported."

    • Fantasy
      -3

      "Game simulates realistic oil rig management with some light fictional elements like pirates."

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "No social or community features; single player experience."

    • Growth
      3

      "Players learn management skills and improve efficiency over time."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires active management and attention; some micromanagement needed."

    • Intimacy
      -5

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional sharing."

    • Leadership
      2

      "Players manage and assign employees, guiding their tasks and roles."

    • Progression
      4

      "Players unlock new buildings, upgrades, and contracts, advancing their oil rig operation."

    • Relaxation
      3

      "Many players find the game relaxing and enjoyable despite some bugs."

    • Sensation
      1

      "Visuals and sound effects are pleasant but not intense; voxel style with some nice water effects."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social recognition or visibility features."

    • Story
      1

      "Some scenario events like pirate attacks add light narrative context but limited story depth."

    • Strategy
      3

      "Requires planning production chains, employee assignments, and resource management."

    • Thrill
      0

      "Some tension from pirate attacks but generally low risk and predictable outcomes."

    • Value
      3

      "Players feel the alpha offers good entertainment value for free; full game expected to offer more."

    • Violence
      -2

      "Combat is minimal and cartoonish (pirate attacks), focus is on constructive management."

    • Survival
      1

      "Players must maintain operations and defend against pirate threats, but risk is moderate."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026