Ancient Mind

About

Ancient Mind is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by HexagonNico and was released on November 20, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Explore a region of mystery and danger in Ancient Mind, a modern take on the classic top-down puzzle-action adventure. Explore dungeons, fight monsters, solve puzzles, and discover the truth about ancient legends. This game will put your spacial awareness to the test with a sequence of environmental puzzles, levels characterized by a non-linear structure made of keys and locks, dungeons full of…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The pixel graphics are crisp and inviting, contributing to a charming aesthetic.
The dynamic lighting system and the innovative hint system called 'yellow paint' enhance gameplay and exploration.
The game offers a substantial number of dungeons with interesting puzzles and secrets to discover, appealing to fans of the genre.

Combat mechanics are janky and frustrating, with poor hit detection and awkward enemy interactions that detract from the experience.
Progress resets upon re-entering dungeons, leading to tedious backtracking and a lack of satisfying progression.
Technical issues, including softlocks and broken achievements, significantly hinder gameplay and enjoyment.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of charm and frustration; while the game features enjoyable puzzles and a fun loop reminiscent of classic dungeon-crawlers, it suffers from outdated mechanics, quality-of-life issues, and significant bugs that hinder progression and achievement completion. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a blend of nostalgic design with both appealing and problematic elements.
- “Charming art style and fun gameplay loop!”
- “Loving the puzzles and enemy mechanics.”
- “It has trivial puzzles, terrible quality of life, unfair and bugged movement and combat mechanics, and will invite you to potentially screw up your actual PC in order to get all achievements - and after you've done that, you will still not get all of them because the hardest achievement is bugged and crashes the game instead of awarding.”
- “This game is actually pretty decent... but gameplay is from 1997.”
- “It's like if you took the Zelda-like dungeon-crawling gameplay, removed all the fluff around it, and treated the dungeons more like individual levels in a platformer.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's story is criticized for being vague and unengaging, with cutscenes that fail to add depth, leading to a sense of disconnection from the narrative. However, some players appreciate the intriguing elements that encourage exploration and self-discovery, though they express a desire for a richer story with more characters and settings. Overall, the focus on dungeon gameplay overshadows the narrative aspect.
- “The story is also interesting, and it invites you to figure things out yourself; I've only cleared the game any% and haven't seen everything yet, but I'm really liking how it's turning out so far.”
- “One more thing: this game focuses mainly on the dungeon aspect of Zelda, so if there is one critique I have, it's that I wished it had more of a story, more characters, cities, etc. However, you will get a lot more dungeons than any Zelda game to make up for this!”
- “The game's story is a giant nothing sandwich, often bothering you with cutscenes that basically say nothing.”
- “You really lose the story after a while.”
- “I wish it had more of a story, more characters, cities, etc.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their crisp and inviting pixel art, which is considered its biggest strength. The charming art style and solid overall aesthetic contribute to an enjoyable gaming experience.
- “The pixel graphics were crisp and inviting, the game's biggest strength for certain.”
- “The graphics and overall aesthetic are solid.”
- “Charming art style and fun gameplay loop!”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users noting that the stock tracks are enjoyable and occasionally memorable, complemented by a lovely art style. The medieval soundtrack enhances the overall experience, adding to the fun of the level design and puzzles.
- “The art is lovely, the music is great, and the level design and puzzles are super fun.”
- “Stock music was fine, and at times even memorable.”
- “+ wither-level medieval soundtrack”
- “The music feels like a generic medieval soundtrack that lacks originality.”
- “The soundtrack is uninspired and fails to enhance the gaming experience.”
- “The music is repetitive and doesn't add any excitement to the gameplay.”