Publisher Wales Interactive and developer Ant Workshop have locked in the release date for Into the Slimy Mines, a dwarven roguelike tower defense game that mixes digging, deck-style card strategy, and hectic slime-squashing survival.
Into the Slimy Mines launches May 29 for Windows PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. If you want to try it first, a playable demo is already available.
The setup is simple, funny, and immediately relatable for anyone who’s ever had a bad day at work: you’re employed by Ironkilt Intergalactic Industries, your mining vessel crashes on a slime-infested moon, and your entire crew is missing. Now you’ve got to dig them out, protect your rig, and haul your ore-filled cargo back before the Boss decides you’re not worthy of the Stout Hammer and hands it to a “more competent dwarf.”
The gameplay revolves around three core pillars: dig, build, and defend—each one feeding directly into the next.
Digging is how every run begins and how every mistake comes back to haunt you. You’ll rescue your lost crew across 30 dig sites spread through 6 distinct biomes, with 5 increasingly difficult depths per biome. Using Dig cards, you carve tunnels through the mines toward crewmates and resources. The catch is that every tunnel you create can also become the route your enemies use to reach you, turning exploration into a constant risk-reward decision.
To keep runs feeling different, you can choose from three guilds—Anvil, Warhammer, and Pickaxe—each supporting a different approach to combat and survival. You’ll also pick from 6 upgradable Drill Rigs and customize them with up to 30 add-ons, letting you tailor your setup to match your preferred playstyle and the specific hazards of each location. Along the way, story details expand as you recover crew members and collect up to 20 datapads, revealing more about Captain Firebeard, the intergalactic dwarven crew, and the ship’s AI, F.O.R.G.E.
Building is where your digging pays off. Drills can uncover ore that converts into quick bursts of cash, while support tools like lures can distract slimes and generators help keep your operation running as you delve deeper. Progression isn’t only about finding better cards—it’s also about upgrading what you already have. Place matching cards on top of each other to level them up, creating stronger defenses and utilities as you go. With 10 buildings and 26 turrets available, there’s plenty of room to experiment with different layouts and upgrade paths.
Defense is the constant pressure that forces your strategy to evolve. Waves of slimes will test your tunnel planning, your turret coverage, and how well you manage upgrades mid-run. You can fight back with 26 turrets, each featuring 3 upgrade levels, and supplement your firepower with tools like displacers and blockades to slow, reroute, or stop enemies. When things start to fall apart—as they often do in roguelike runs—you can rely on 15 Gadget cards that provide clutch effects such as blasting groups of slimes, slowing them down, or repairing buildings during a wave.
On top of the run-to-run variety, Into the Slimy Mines includes meta progression, giving you long-term upgrades that make future descents more manageable. There are 17 meta upgrades in total, rewarding persistence while still keeping each run dependent on smart choices and good combos.
With its mix of card-driven digging, upgrade-stacking construction, and turret-heavy defense against relentless slime waves, Into the Slimy Mines aims to deliver a fast, replayable roguelike tower defense experience—plus a big dwarven personality that fits the premise of trying to survive one very bad shift on a very cursed moon.
