It was mentioned in the comments that the matter manipulator boost, which is obligatory, can't be toggled on and off, and lasts until your first power upgrade, could potentially make the front half of the mid-game easier to the point of being less enjoyable.

Someone (I forget who) suggested that this be replaced with pickaxes. The possible alternative is for me to add a recipe for stackable weak pickaxes to the foraging table, giving the player a choice of whether or not to craft them, and when to stop. Of course, this comes with a fair share of cons, like being less convenient, since it adds the additional crafting step, and inventory clutter.

It would be great to know your thoughts, so feel free to vote on this poll created by Lileats277:

https://strawpoll.com/rkrk83re

And of course, feel free to discuss it below as well.