Guide
Nugget Hook: level goals, critters that guard gold, and which upgrade to buy first
A swinging hook, a ticking clock and a cash goal that grows every level. The real numbers behind each find, why moles and crabs block your gold, and how to spend in the Shop.
Nugget Hook is a claw-and-hook mining game: the hook swings back and forth under your rig, you tap to send it down, and whatever it grabs is reeled back as cash. You can also play it in your browser.
How a level works
- Tap anywhere (or press Space) to launch the hook. It shoots out along its current angle, grabs the first thing it touches, and pulls it back up. If it misses, it comes back empty.
- Each level has a goal shown at the top: $200 at level 1, then $180 more every level ($380, $560, $740…).
- The clock starts at 45 seconds. Reach the goal and the level ends at once with Next Level. If time runs out first, you replay the same level with a new layout.
What everything is worth
| Find | Value | Weight | |---|---|---| | Small gold | $55 | very light | | Big gold | $220 | heavy | | Diamond | $420 | light | | Rock | $12 | heaviest |
Heavy things come up slowly, and the clock keeps running while you reel. A rock is the worst grab in the game: almost nothing for a long, slow pull. A diamond is the best: worth the most and still quick. The two bottom corners always hold a find, so a long diagonal shot is never wasted.
Moles, crabs and worms
Little critters crawl sideways underground. While one is close to a piece of gold or a diamond, that treasure cannot be hooked: the hook passes through it. Hooking the critter itself pays only $3–12 and is a slow pull. But a caught critter goes back down and stays scared for about two seconds, so the gold it was guarding is open. Use that window for an immediate second shot.
The Shop
The Shop button sits top left. Three upgrades, each with a price that rises about 55% per level:
- Faster Reel (from 80): the hook shoots out and returns empty faster.
- Stronger Pull (from 95): heavy loads come up faster. This is the one that turns big gold from a trap into a prize.
- Extra Time (from 70, up to 4 levels): +8 seconds per level, so 69 s at the maximum.
Upgrades and your best level are saved on the device. Cash is not: every session starts with at least $50, so spend before you close the game.
Quick tips
- Wait for the swing to line up with a diamond or big gold rather than firing at the first thing in view.
- Skip rocks unless the goal is only a few dollars away and nothing else is in reach.
- If you fail a level, buy Extra Time or Stronger Pull before trying again.
More on the Nugget Hook page, or play now.
