Progress is one of the most appealing aspects of video games. While it can come in complex forms such as narrative progression or new abilities, it can also come from the slow completion of an overarching task. The upcoming game, 10 Million Pixels, by Battle Lab has infused this idea with a unique style of mining game that uses bouncing physics to slowly clear away obstacles. To coincide with the game’s announcement, the team put out a trailer showing off the base idea behind the game along with some of the various upgrades that players can obtain.

The Steam page for 10 Million Pixels summarizes the experience by asking players to “Shoot balls to mine pixels.” The opening to the trailer exemplifies this with just a few balls bouncing between layers of pixels and quickly growing into a vast network. As the balls mine through pixels, players will gain money that they can spend to launch more balls from new angles.

As more and more pixels get cleared out, the spaces between them will grow and different kinds of pixels will present themselves, such as a resilient orange and purple pixels that expand when hit. To combat the growing challenge, players will also be able to upgrade and unlock new balls with abilities like poison, which erodes pixels over time, and electricity, which zaps pixels in an area. Buried within the pixels will be handcrafted designs for players to find amidst the procedurally generated layout, making each playthrough distinct. The Steam page also reassures players that the game is able to handle thousands of balls at once, allowing the scale of the excavation to expand to whatever size is wanted.

Pixels are among the simplest of gaming features, with the Pong physics of 10 Million Pixels’ engine granting a familiar way of clearing them. The game is coming soon to PC.