Gold Miner
Every drop trades against the clock
Free to play, no install step
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What playing this feels like
Gold Miner barely needs explaining. A claw swings above the ground, one press sends it down, and it drags back whatever it happens to touch. The difficulty lives entirely in the limited time each stage allows.
Weight is the mechanic that gives it depth. A big nugget pays handsomely but rises at a crawl — sometimes slowly enough to swallow the time that two or three smaller finds would have taken. Judging whether the remaining clock can afford a particular lump matters far more than precise aim.
The other overlooked thing is order. Shallow finds get taken first because they are quick, but stripping the top layer early leaves the end of the stage full of deep lumps there is no time to raise. Players who finish rich alternate deep and shallow, so that every part of the clock has something worthwhile within reach.