Welcome to my Gold Miner Mania app review.
I have come across a lot of apps during my time of writing reviews. Granted, I have only started writing reviews a month or so ago. But it feels like I have been doing these reviews for a long time. It’s actually a lot of fun to just pour my thoughts onto a post like this.
There is a certain amount of research that goes into these reviews. I do tend to check out reviews made by other people. It’s not bad to see what other people think about a certain app. That’s how you make an informed decision.
With so many people using a smartphone nowadays, it is not surprising that there are new apps being released regularly. Competition is a great way for developers to do better. If a certain gameplay mechanic is what people like about a certain game, then other developers will build on that for their own games and apps.
So when I came across this game on the app store, I was sort of skeptical. If you look at the app’s profile page, all of their official screenshots feature people holding up a bunch of bills. One of those screenshots also features a bunch of other prizes. Smartphones, laptops, a gaming console and even a watch.
You can kind of see a bit of what the game looks like in those screenshots. But it seems like they really gave a lot more focus on the stock photos than the actual gameplay. I actually laughed when I saw one of the screenshots say “100% Legit.” Sure. That is exactly what a legitimate app would say. It does not sound suspicious at all.
Still, I had to see if this is game is actually “100% legit.” I would not be writing this review if I was actually sure about that claim. Now, let’s get started.
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Gold Miner Mania App Review
Here are some quick details about the app
- Full Name: Gold Miner Mania
- Developer: Super Star Game Studio
- Availability: Worldwide (Early Access)
- User Reviews: Not available
What Is Gold Miner Mania?
Gold Miner Mania is a game where you tap on your screen to throw a claw on different items. In order to finish the level, you must collect all of the items needed by your miner. Finishing the level will earn you rewards. You can supposedly win PayPal credits and other prizes like a new laptop or smartphone.
The app has amassed 5 million downloads on the Google Play Store. It is currently the only game that Super Star Game Studio has listed on the platform.
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How Gold Miner Mania Works
The Gold Miner Mania app is currently available as an Early Access release on the Google Play Store for Android users.
If you are new to this website and have no idea what an Early Access release is, allow me to explain.
Early Access releases are basically a way to help developers get feedback on app or game before it is fully released. It sort of functions similarly to a beta program. In the case of apps and games on the Play Store, a beta program only applies to an app that has already been released on the platform. Sometimes, developers will pull out Early Access releases from a platform if the development for that specific game gets scrapped. This happens if a game has not received any funding to further the development.
A lot of apps I have reviewed over the course of the past few months were actually Early Access releases. Though most of the time, those games felt like they were already completely formed. Apps like Lucky Chip Spin or Mood to Merge gave off that kind of feeling. It did not seem that there was a lot more they could have done with those games.
I think the lack of any front-facing reviews is one of the reasons a lot of developers considered doing Early Access releases. You can review any games that are available for Early Access. Unlike fully released apps and games, only the developers can see the reviews you make for Early Access releases. This only applies for games released on the Google Play Store. Other platforms like Steam will show reviews for Early Access releases.
Some parts of the gameplay during a game’s Early Access release phase might differ wildly from its official release. The developers can remove or add features and gameplay during development. That is a normal part of the development process.
Playing the Game
The gameplay mechanics for Gold Miner Mania is pretty simple to understand. The game will immediately lead you into the first level. You have to tap on your screen in order to throw your claw to an item you want to catch. In this screenshot below, you have to catch the puzzle piece featuring the PayPal logo in order to complete the level.
I just noticed that the gameplay for this app is similar to this game I played in an arcade before. It was actually a fishing game. The gameplay for it is pretty much the same. You have to time your throws perfectly to catch the fish. It was extremely frustrating when I couldn’t catch a fish.
The claw in the Gold Miner Mania app will swing from left to right. I highly recommend that you time it just before the claw points directly at the item you are going to catch. It worked for me. Though it’s still your choice on how you want to play it.
In order to finish the level, you have to grab all of the items that the level requires. The first two levels of the game will give you a bit of leeway into completing the level. You will be given an infinite amount of throws. In the later levels, however, you only have a few tries to catch all of the required items. That’s why you have to think about it before you throw the claw.
There are a lot of things you can catch per level. The main thing you to catch are the puzzle pieces with a blue letter P. The bigger the size of the piece, the easier it is to catch. There are two types of rocks that you can catch. A gray stone and a gold nugget. A gray stone can reward you with about 2 to 10 coins, depending on its size. A gold nugget can reward you with 50 to 100 coins.
The first few levels will give you some pretty substantial amounts of virtual currency once you complete a level. You can immediately get your reward in the first two levels. But after that, the app will begin to include pop-ups where you can multiply your earnings up to one and a half times the original amount. You just have to watch an ad first.
Getting That Sweet, Sweet Ad Revenue
Ah, yes. Ads. One of the ways free-to-play games earn money from its users. The other one way is through in-app purchases. And that one costs real money.
It is no surprise that the Gold Miner Mania app has some gameplay aspects that require you to watch ads in exchange for something. I do not mind if games have some ads in them. I’ll gladly watch an ad every now and then. How long will it take? 30 seconds to a minute? That’s fine.
Like I have mentioned previously, there are parts of the gameplay that will reward you with something for watching an ad. In the screenshot above, there is gift box with a parachute that will move around the screen. In order to open the box, you have to watch an ad first. The rewards from that box will be random. It can be coins, virtual cash or even power-ups.
Yes, power-ups. I didn’t really play much with those power-ups in the game. So I don’t really know exactly what to call them. Though it seems easy enough to understand. One of them is stick of dynamite. I guess if you choose that power-up, the rocks will blow up and give you coins? The second one is a claw with “+3” next to it. You will probably get three more claws added to your total number of attempts. The next one is a stack of coins with a “x2” next to it. That obviously will double the amount of coins you’ll receive from picking up the rocks. The last one is a golden claw. It will probably make it easier for you to catch an item.
Anyway, back to the ads.
You will also need to watch an ad in order to claim the virtual cash reward from completing the level. Since you have to reach the game’s minimum withdrawal threshold, you kind of feel obligated to watch the ad. That will happen a lot. And the ads you will be watching are for other games that will supposedly reward you with money. That’s kind of insane. But also really funny in a way.
Talking About Ads Some More
The ads they make to promote games for smartphones vary wildly. Some are well-produced videos featuring characters from the game in the most random situations. While others are just random people they managed to rope into making a video for them. The ones for these kinds of apps usually fall on latter side.
Imagine this. The video starts off with a lady ordering at a restaurant. Everything is going great until she has to pay for the meal. She looks at her wallet and sees she doesn’t have any money. You know what she does? She plays the game being advertised for a few minutes. Somehow, she has earned a few hundred dollars from playing. She withdraws her earnings through PayPal. She immediately receives the money. And then she pays for her meal, just like that.
I truly can not wrap my head around that. It’s an effective ad, I guess? But it’s not even in the realm of possibility. There’s no way that can happen in real life. But ads don’t have to be real life. It just has to work.
There are so many insane ads out there. Another one is just a simulation of somebody playing the game and somehow notifications from PayPal keep popping up. Usually it’s saying that the money they just earned from playing the game is already in their account. My mind is blown away.
Is Gold Miner Mania Legit? Does It Pay?
There aren’t a lot of rewards you can get, supposedly, from playing Gold Miner Mania. It’s mainly just PayPal credits. Though, if you remember from early in this review, one of the screenshots featured photos of a laptop, a smartphone and a gaming console. I’m not really sure if those were actual prizes you would’ve supposedly one. Or they are just items you can buy from the money you’ll supposedly get from playing this game.
As you can see in the screenshot, the minimum withdrawal amount is $200 worth of PayPal credits. It’s sort of pretty easy to earn that kind of amount when you play the game. You can probably reach that amount within an hour or so of playing. Though in later levels, the prizes you might get aren’t as huge as earlier ones.
There are some other ways to earn virtual cash in this game. One of them is by spinning the Lucky Spin wheel. A lot of games like including this system. I’m not really sure. Of course, you have to watch an ad in order to spin the wheel.
I haven’t seen a lot of other reviews mentioning that they’ve received the money they’ve earned. The process of withdrawing in the game is time consuming. Though they’re not the only ones to do that. Once you’ve chosen the amount you want to withdraw, the game will begin the process of verifying your earnings. It will take about three days for them to finish processing your order. You will also need to watch a certain number of ads in order to complete your order. Seems like a weird thing to include.
I have seen some reviews saying that once the three days are up, they were put on a waiting list because a lot of people have been claiming this amount. Doesn’t seem great to be waiting again.
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Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Easy to understand gameplay
- Decent graphics
Cons:
- Levels get repetitive
- May not be able to get your rewards
Conclusion
Well, it doesn’t seem like this game is “100% legit” as advertised. There isn’t much else you can do in the game besides catch all of the items in your mines. And it’s not really reflective on how actual mines work. Especially gold mines. But you can suspend your sense of belief for games like this. They’re not really aiming for authenticity.
Still, I can’t really recommend this game to you because you might get bored by it. But if you still want to try it out for yourself, go for it. Just don’t expect to get any money out of it.
I hope you enjoyed my review of the Gold Miner Mania app. If you did, please share it to your friends and family.
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