Year: 2018
Rating: E
Time Played: 3+ hours
I love it when simple games take common aspects of gaming and explore them as a key gameplay mechanic. For most games, a timer doesn’t necessarily force me to play in a certain way. Sure, I might not spend a ton of time exploring if I know there’s a time limit to get through the level. But what if you’re only given one minute before your character dies? How much can you do in that time? That’s the premise behind Minit.
With a gameplay loop that resets every minute, you start to realize just how much you can do in 60 seconds. The strategy in a game like Minit is finding ways to move faster or using the knowledge you gained in one life to get through a section in less time. Like a time loop (or micro-roguelike). Of course, this limitation also makes exploration difficult when you get stuck. If you only have a minute to look around an area, the walk-back from your save point can become annoying if you have to do it too many times in a row without knowing if you’re making progress or not.
The simple black-and-white pixel art aesthetic is charming and ideal for a game of this complexity. The music and sound effects feel right at home in an 8-bit era. And while the entire game isn’t terribly long, there are definitely a lot of puzzles to solve to get to the final credits. I’ll admit that I had to put this game down at one point because I was stuck, only to pick it up months later and finish it in a sitting once I gave myself the opportunity to explore.
A great gameplay idea that has its minor downsides, I give Minit 4.0 stars out of 5.
