Developer: JW, Kitty, Jukio, and Dom
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Reviewed on: PC
Code Received.
Minit is a retro inspired 2D action-adventure game with a simple concept: Save the world from an impending menace. The twist is that you only have 60 seconds do it before you die and respawn. Obviously it’s going to take you longer than a minute to save the world, so you have to make as much progress as you can before dying, then pick up where you left off next time. It may seem daunting at first, but beautiful simplicity and an original twist on an old formula make Minit a fun experience from start to finish.
Minit’s simple visual style harkens back to the days of the GameBoy, using a black and white color pallet and very basic geometry. It gets a lot of mileage out of its style by having a large cast of unique looking characters and locations. As the game progresses it does take advantage of modern computing power to expand beyond its self-imposed stylistic limitations, but maintains a cohesive aesthetic nonetheless. Minit’s presentation is definitely one of its strongest elements.
As much as it strictly adheres to its visual stylings, it also holds tightly to its gameplay gimmick. Once you pick up the infamous cursed sword you are forever destined to die every 60 seconds. The only time this restriction changes is when you start a new game plus, then the timer is reduced to 40 seconds. There are moments when the timer can be frustrating, but it never felt unfair. The game strikes a good balance of puzzle solving and speed running. You also get many items along the way that literally speed things up, like running shoes and a teleportation hub. In the end, the game’s underlying loop is a simple adventure formula where you need to find the right items to progress, however, the timer adds an extra layer that helps break up the monotony that can sometimes emerge with this format. There’s also the previously mentioned new game plus. Not only does it reduces the timer and start you off with only one hit point, but it also changes up some of the puzzles and item placement, effectively making it a whole new game.
There’s very to little complain about here. Minit is a game that absolutely accomplishes what it sets out to do. The only complaint that I can levy against it is that I wanted it to keep going. Once I beat the final boss I was sad to see the credits. I got immense satisfaction from solving the puzzles and had several eureka moments that kept driving me forward. It took me about four hours to beat the game with only getting stuck once near the end. And while I did technically beat it, I did so without finding all the items and collectibles. That means you don’t have to see everything to beat Minit, but it also means there’s more to discover even after the credits roll. Minit crams a lot into a tight, simple package and definitely deserves a moment of your time.
