Golden Miner

Golden Miner is a deep-shaft gold extraction puzzle built around Vein Pulse, a mechanic that treats ore as connected geological veins rather than isolated tiles. Each pickaxe strike on gold extracts an entire contiguous vein in a single move, then gravity collapses the mine face while pyrite, quartz pings, and scarce dynamite reshape the board. Twelve escalating shafts demand route planning under a strict pick limit, with limited geo-sonar pulses that briefly expose true gold without spending a strike. Stars reward leftover picks and sustained combo multipliers, while a Portuguese geology archive explains real vein formation, fool's gold, and Brazilian alluvial traditions. The result is a calculated mining challenge unique to Golden Miner, not a generic tap-and-collect arcade loop.