LinuxPC (Microsoft Windows)2022

Shafted

Shafted is a quick resource management game. Build your mini mining colony. Optimize your mineral outputs. Strategically position your buildings with turn based tactics. Pay off your contracts or else you'll get shafted.

Storyline

SHAFTED is a micro-mining simulator with an emphasis on letting you quickly build out your colony. Single rounds are fast and short. The alien clients swoop in to extract contract payments. Clear out those clients and call it a day.

Trailers

Screenshots

Positive

7 Steam reviews

Review History

Reviews

7 total

≥h

Steam User 3036STEAMRecommended

Great, fun, compact puzzler.

Mar 15, 2025·2h·1·Verified

Steam User 8769STEAMNot recommended

[i] My Experience [/i]

I was first drawn to [b]SHAFTED[/b] by the cool art style. I found the pictures used for the aliens, for your operators, and for the shadowy cabal to be evocative.

I was also intrigued by the gameplay displayed in some of the screenshots, which reminded me of [b]Pipe Dream[/b]. I've always enjoyed this style of mini-game, from playing [b]Pipe Dream[/b] itself in [b]Microsoft Entertainment Pack 2[/b] to the hacking minigame in the first [b]Bioshock[/b].

It's a good thing I enjoy it too, since [i]much[/i] of your time with the game will be spent utilizing this gameplay mechanic to maximize mineral output. Your mineral output is also affected by the arrangement in which you place your structures. Initially I found myself pulled into the puzzle of it all, but after a while I began to get frustrated.

Every turn, the alien (that is demanding payment from you, no less) destroys certain squares with some sort of orbital laser blast. It feels awful to have carefully considered the placement of a structure and to excel in your [b]Pipe Dream[/b] mini-game, only to have the structure randomly destroyed. To make matters worse, you'll often spend currency to upgrade your structures and begin mining a lower level, and the resources put into this effort are also lost when the building is destroyed.

As the goals for my mining colony continued to increase, my patience with the incessant alien attacks decreased. Eventually, I decided to move on to something else that was more fun. By the way, I thought that [b]SHAFTED[/b] would be a good candidate for Steam Deck play, but it doesn't work all that well - if I recall correctly, you're mostly just using the touchpad as you would a mouse.

Feb 8, 2024·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 2586STEAMRecommended

Meh.

Oct 18, 2023·1h·Verified

Steam User 0581STEAMRecommended

You blink once and suddenly you spent 3 hours playing a long round
combination of resource management and puzzle, this thing will really make you think.
verdict: extremely recommended

Oct 16, 2023·68h·2·Verified

Steam User 7947STEAMRecommended

A relaxing yet mentally stimulating strategy and problem-solving game with a heavy focus on optimization.

I haven't played all that much but my initial impressions: I'm a huge fan thus far. The developer has done an excellent job with the vibe and general feel of the game. Relaxing music, good sound effects and a simple aesthetic that's pleasing on the eyes. I would say that the gameplay tickles a similar itch to games like Factorio without requiring the massive time investment.

The main gameplay loop is centered around getting the most out of your outputs from your machines by placing them in optimal patterns to acquire additional bonuses and optimizing your yields for each individual mineshaft and machines by completing the provided optimization puzzles. On top of this, you can level your machines up to add more nodes in the puzzles and increase yields further.

To keep things interesting, landlords spawn in at stages and demand you pay contracts within a certain number of days to continue mining on their property or they will destroy your shafts, hence the reason for the games name, Shafted.

At times you may have multiple contracts outstanding due at different times, requiring different resources, meaning you must be very dynamic and ready to adapt your shafts to meet the requirements of the landlords. In addition, there's also an attack mechanic where sections of the playing grid are marked to be attacked in the next day which will destroy your machines and mineshafts which can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on what your current contracts are.

Overall, highly recommend checking this game out. Thumbs up from me.

Oct 19, 2022·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 4018STEAMRecommended

Fun and punishing puzzle solving game. Recommended

Oct 15, 2022·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 4755STEAMRecommended

It is a nice little puzzle game that is small in scope but still manages to give a satisfying challenge. Games are pretty quick and replayable, and it is easy to pick up but at the harder difficulty still takes some effort and thought to beat.

Oct 13, 2022·3h·4·Verified