Mastering All Achievements in A Game About Digging

A Game About Digging A Hole presents players with a unique indie experience that combines simple mechanics with challenging objectives. The game features a total of ten achievements that serve as the ultimate measure of completion for dedicated players. Understanding the prerequisites and strategies for each achievement is essential for anyone seeking to achieve 100% completion in this engaging title.

The Critical First Step: Unlocking Achievement Mode

One of the most important aspects of achievement hunting in this game involves a fundamental requirement that many players overlook initially. Before attempting to earn any achievements whatsoever, you must first complete the entire game at least once from start to finish. This initial playthrough serves as a gateway that enables all achievement functionality within the game.

The reason for this design choice relates to how the game structures its progression system. When you begin your first playthrough, the achievement tracking system remains inactive regardless of how well you perform or what objectives you complete. Progress toward specific achievements during this initial run will not be recorded or counted.

Once you reach the treasure at the bottom of the mine and complete your first full playthrough, you unlock what the game calls Achievement Mode. From this point forward, when you start a new game through the main menu, you’ll have access to full achievement tracking and rewards. Your previous save file will be erased when starting this new game, but this erasure is necessary to enable achievement functionality.

The game includes a helpful feature that retroactively credits any achievements you met during your first playthrough. If you accomplished specific objectives before earning Achievement Mode, those accomplishments will be automatically registered once you begin your achievement-enabled run. Additionally, progress toward achievements accumulates across multiple playthroughs, meaning you don’t need to complete all requirements during a single session.

Understanding the Complete Achievement Roster

The achievement system in this game contains exactly ten distinct achievements, each with varying difficulty levels. Some achievements can be unlocked relatively quickly through natural gameplay progression, while others demand focused effort, practice, or strategic approaches. Here’s a breakdown of what awaits you:

Foundational Achievements: Getting Started

The first set of achievements includes objectives that naturally occur during standard gameplay. The TREASURE achievement represents your initial goal, requiring you to descend 100 meters into the mine and retrieve the treasure chest at the bottom. This serves as both the game’s primary objective and your first achievement.

The Stonemason achievement focuses on collecting stone ores, which are the earliest mineral types you’ll encounter while digging. These white-colored ores appear frequently throughout your descent, and you’ll likely accumulate enough through normal exploration to satisfy this requirement. If you haven’t collected all 100 by the time you reach the treasure, simply continue mining during subsequent playthroughs until you reach the target.

The Wasted achievement has an unusual requirement that relates to inventory management mechanics. Your carrying capacity becomes full at a certain point, and when you attempt to pick up additional ores beyond this limit, they are destroyed. You must intentionally waste 50 ores by allowing them to be destroyed through this overflow mechanism. This achievement can be completed by simply ignoring inventory management temporarily and letting your full inventory destroy incoming ore drops.

Intermediate Challenges: Building Your Skills

Moving beyond basic achievements, you’ll encounter objectives requiring more deliberate focus and resource management. The I AM SHOVEL! achievement demands 4,000 shovel strikes. This is a cumulative achievement across multiple runs, so you can work toward it gradually without pressure to complete it in a single session. Simply continue mining and digging across your playthroughs, and you’ll naturally accumulate these shovel strikes over time.

The BOOOOM! achievement requires using 100 dynamites throughout your gameplay. Dynamites are purchasable items that can be bought using currency earned from selling mined ores. After upgrading your tools and equipment, dynamites represent one of the few remaining money sinks available. To accumulate 100 dynamite uses, you’ll need to generate sufficient funds through mining and selling resources, then purchase and deploy these explosives. Like the shovel achievement, progress accumulates across multiple runs.

The Long Fall achievement presents an interesting mechanical challenge. You must experience a continuous fall lasting at least 4 seconds. This requires excavating a large vertical section of the mine to create a substantial drop, then positioning yourself to fall through this gap. The achievement tracks continuous fall time, so you need to ensure you’re falling without interruption for the full duration.

The Old Crate achievement involves finding two specific keys hidden within the mine and using them to open a chest in your garage. These keys are typically discovered within the first 30 meters of your descent. You must locate both keys during the same playthrough to successfully open the chest and earn the achievement. Once opened, the chest provides additional upgrades and unlocks the corresponding achievement.

Advanced Objectives: Pursuing Maximum Completion

The final tier of achievements represents the most demanding challenges in the game. The Moneymaker achievement requires accumulating $20,000 in total earnings. This is accomplished by mining valuable ores and selling them through the game’s merchant system. Rainbow ores are particularly valuable and pursuing them will likely unlock this achievement as a natural consequence. The cumulative nature of this achievement means you can work toward it gradually across multiple sessions.

The Rainbow achievement stands as one of the most challenging objectives in the entire game. Rainbow ores are exceptionally rare mineral types found sporadically throughout the mine. Collecting 5 rainbow ores requires extensive exploration and considerable luck. You’ll need to thoroughly excavate various areas and continue digging through multiple playthroughs to locate enough rainbow ores. Many players find that pursuing this achievement while grinding for the Moneymaker achievement yields both rewards simultaneously.

The The Fastest achievement represents the speedrun challenge, requiring you to complete the entire game within 30 minutes. This demands intimate knowledge of the mine’s layout, efficient pathfinding, and consistent execution without major mistakes. The speedrun achievement is unpredictable in its requirements because you cannot follow a completely predetermined path through the randomly-structured mine. Success requires multiple attempts, practice, and adaptation to different mine configurations. Many players find this to be among the most time-consuming achievements despite its short in-game completion window.

Strategic Approaches to Achievement Hunting

Developing an effective strategy for achievement completion involves understanding which objectives can be pursued simultaneously. Several achievements can progress in parallel during a single playthrough, allowing efficient use of your time. For example, while descending to retrieve the treasure, you’re naturally collecting stones, using your shovel, and potentially encountering rare ores.

Currency accumulation ties directly to multiple achievements, suggesting a focus on profitable mining during early achievement runs. Prioritizing rare and valuable ores accelerates progress toward both the Moneymaker and Rainbow achievements. Once you’ve accumulated sufficient funds, purchasing and deploying 100 dynamites becomes feasible.

The speedrun achievement benefits from dedicated practice runs separate from your general achievement progression. Attempting this achievement while simultaneously pursuing other objectives creates unnecessary pressure and typically results in failure. Reserve specific playthroughs for speedrun practice once you’ve completed most other achievements.

Tracking Your Progress and Viewing Achievements

Your achievements appear in multiple locations throughout the game. Beyond standard Steam achievement tracking on your profile, the game displays completed and in-progress achievements on a shelf located inside your garage next to your computer. This in-game display provides immediate visual feedback on your completion status. Checking this shelf regularly helps you identify which objectives still require attention and track overall progress toward 100% completion.

Frequently Asked Questions About Achievements

Q: Can I earn achievements on my first playthrough?
A: Not on your profile, though progress counts toward achievements unlocked on subsequent playthroughs. You must complete the game once first to enable Achievement Mode.

Q: How long does it take to unlock all achievements?
A: Approximately 4-5 hours of total gameplay is required to unlock all ten achievements, though this varies based on skill level and efficiency.

Q: Do achievements carry over between playthroughs?
A: Yes, all progress is cumulative across multiple runs. You don’t need to complete achievements in a single playthrough.

Q: What’s the most difficult achievement to obtain?
A: The Rainbow achievement is generally considered the hardest due to the extreme rarity of rainbow ores requiring extensive searching across multiple playthroughs.

Q: Can I fail an achievement attempt?
A: Yes, particularly the speedrun achievement. However, most achievements can be worked toward gradually without fear of permanent failure.

Conclusion: Your Path to 100% Completion

Achieving 100% completion in A Game About Digging A Hole requires understanding the prerequisite unlock system, systematically working through each achievement tier, and employing strategic approaches to challenging objectives. The game’s design allows flexible progression with cumulative tracking across multiple playthroughs, making complete achievement collection accessible to dedicated players willing to invest time in the endeavor. By following these guidelines and understanding each achievement’s specific requirements, you’ll be well-equipped to unlock the entire roster and maximize your gaming experience.