The Cursed Vein - A Roguelite Twist on Match-3 Where You Rebuild an Old Mining Town

 

Announced during The MIX Fall showcase, the Steam page is now live. Wishlist now before someone else mines your vein!

 

29 AUGUST 2025 - Gold fever junkies, roguelite diggers, vein-chasers, and match-3 misfits: Basalt: The Cursed Vein by Norwegian studio Rubarb is the gritty mining-town roguelite where every match drags you deeper, and every upgrade feeds your obsession to dig again.

 

The trailer, which premiered at The Mix Fall Showcase, gives a glimpse of match-3 like you’ve never seen before, and didn’t know you needed in your life. The Steam page is now live, so you can watch it on loop while plotting your first descent. Just remember, in the back of your mind, there’s that one warning: Don’t dig too deep!

 

Basalt: The Cursed Vein Announcement Trailer:

Basalt: The Cursed Vein is a gritty roguelite match-3 where every run feeds your obsession to dig deeper. Mine ores and rare materials to rebuild a ruined town, unlocking new bombs, tools, and upgrades. Those upgrades let you push further into the shaft, where richer veins and nastier monsters await.

 

“I’ve always loved match-3, but not the free-to-play grind,” says designer Jack Kristoffersen. “Basalt turns it into a strategic roguelite loop where every dig feels rewarding.”

 

With every new run, the challenges change: enemy types, bomb effects, and available upgrades are randomized, forcing you to adapt your strategy. The key is finding upgrades and items that work together, creating powerful synergies that push you deeper. The further you go, the better the loot, the stronger your town, but in the back of your mind, there’s always that warning: Don’t dig too deep!

 

“I wanted the pixel art to feel as rough as the town you’re rebuilding,” says artist Simon Nyhus. “It’s dark and gritty, the kind of place where every shadow hides something, and every character knows more than they’re telling you.”

Key Features

 

• Roguelite Match-3 Loop - Mine ores, rare minerals, and lost artifacts to rebuild a ruined mining town. Each upgrade unlocks new tools, bombs, and perks that let you dig deeper into the shafts for even more valuable resources. Still, every trip uses a limited number of moves that are persistent across the levels, so efficiency is key.
• Synergy-Driven Progression - Collect upgrades, lab-made bombs, and forgeable items that interact in unexpected ways. Build devastating combos that wipe the board, disable enemies, or chain resource extraction, turning every run into a unique strategic puzzle with different optimal builds.
• Randomized Runs - Enemy types, bomb effects, forge recipes, and available upgrades change each run. Even the extraordinary powers of the mine itself vary, forcing you to adapt your tactics and experiment with new playstyles every time.
• Gritty Pixel Art Atmosphere - Explore a dark, cold mining settlement rendered in moody, detailed pixel art. Between runs, meet eccentric and slightly unsettling townsfolk whose shady deals, odd requests, and tragic backstories add mystery to your journey.
• Monsters in the Deep - Battle strange and dangerous creatures as you descend, from horrifying shape-shifting spiders to blind, mineral-hungry tentacles that grow in length.