You’re a weird duck-billed (looks like a Tamagotchi) character in a black and white world.  One day you pick up a cursed sword which will make you keep dying every 60 seconds and return to your home for another 60 seconds until you die again.  So now you’re on a quest to destroy the cursed sword factory with only a minute to complete it.  And just HOW are you going to do that?  You’ll just have to read this review to find out!  Minit is available to download on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

You play the game in top down fashion similar to a classic Zelda title.  The black and white visuals have a little bit of an Untertale overtone to them, and it also reminds me of games folks in the UK might’ve played on their ZX Spectrums back in the day.  The time limit gimmick reminds me of one of my favorite PSP games as well called Half-Minute Hero.  And strangely enough, the game also makes me think of the Atari 2600 game Adventure.

Anyway, you can run around with the control stick and thrust your sword out in front of you with the button.  You have 60 seconds to complete your quest, but luckily every time you pick up a key item, it’ll save that when you die.  So the game is an exercise on figuring out where to go and what to do in 60 seconds, and finding the best way to get to where you need to go.  Luckily there are some things that can help you on your way.  You can find four different houses to set up camp in, so you can die and start back closer to where you need to be.  Much of the game’s puzzles involve making paths so your trips around the overworld will be made shorter, which can be things like teleporters or bridges or whatnot.  There is another button that can make your character die before the 60 seconds are up, just in case you don’t want to have to wait or if you want a fresh start.

There are only two main problems I had with the game.  The first is that some of the goals and objectives were not very clear.  The second is the game was just too short.  I know it’s one of those games where you play it over and over again, trying to get a faster clear time and find all the items.  But on my first try it only took me a little over an hour to beat, so it’s still too short.  But it’s still pretty fun and creative, and did hold my interest the entire hour or so, so I guess it’s not too bad.

Kid Factor:

Minit is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  You can hit crabs and other monsters with your sword, but they just disappear when defeated.  When you die, your just fall over with a coughing sound.  The rudimentary visuals keep things from looking too graphic anyway.  Reading skill is helpful for the text.

Tags: Game Reviews