Boneraiser Minions

About

Boneraiser Minions is a single player casual role playing game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by caiys and was released on March 9, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Amass an army of deamonic undead to fight endless waves of heroes intent to end your boneraising ways! In this gothic-horror auto-battle roguelite, use the bones of slain heroes to raise your minions, collect powerful relics and spells, and unlock meta upgrades, all to survive King Gigald's crusade!

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,316 reviews

gameplay228 positive mentions

grinding30 negative mentions

Unique twist on the vampire survivors formula with the player summoning and upgrading minions to fight for them.
Extensive content including multiple classes, minions, relics, spells, maps, game modes, and meta progression.
Addictive gameplay loop with satisfying build variety and constant meaningful progression.

The pixel art style and color palette can cause visual clutter and make it difficult to distinguish characters, minions, and projectiles.
The old English style writing, innuendos, and humor can feel crass or overwhelming for some players.
Some mechanics and upgrade effects are poorly explained or confusing, requiring trial and error or external guides.

gameplay
533 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The gameplay offers a fresh take on the vampire survivors formula by centering on summoning and evolving minions to fight for the player, blending bullet-hell action with strategic positioning and active dodging. It delivers a highly addictive loop enriched by diverse classes, deep upgrade paths, varied modes, and engaging meta progression, though some find its mechanics initially overwhelming or poorly explained. Overall, it's praised for its satisfying, dynamic, and mechanically rich gameplay that balances accessibility with strategic depth, making it a standout in the genre.
- “However, it quickly reveals a mechanical depth that puts its peers to shame.”
- “Boneraiser minions is a phenomenal survivors-like game with enough content, unique identity and gameplay to where it has quickly and reliably become my go-to game for when I have 30 minutes of time to spare; I think it beats many other survivor-like games and vampire survivors clones—from the music, the twist of being reliant on your summons to do damage for you, to the charming retro-esque graphics and the humor. It is hella fun to play, lighthearted, and just a wonderful all-around experience!”
- “The gameplay is standard for the genre except for the fact that you have a horde of minions who attack for you rather than attacking for yourself; however, for all intents and purposes, the core gameplay loop is mostly the same regardless of who is doing the attacking but it does add a new facet to the strategy of the game as you have to be more aware of your positioning relative to your minions as getting too far away from them can lead to an early grave.”
- “Atrociously unclear mechanics, items, enemies, summons, class upgrades and spells, all very much due to the language of the text.”
- “I tried to remember the names and mechanics, but everything felt chaotic and overwhelming, and I simply couldn’t keep track of it all.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are poorly explained, so most of my choices had little to no strategy, so I didn't have much fun.”
graphics
423 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The game's graphics feature a distinctive, nostalgic 8-bit pixel art style with a dark, atmospheric palette that some players find charming and others find cluttered or hard to read. While many praise the unique aesthetic, retro vibe, and customizable visual settings that improve clarity, others criticize the low resolution and busy visuals for making it difficult to discern characters and projectiles, especially in hectic moments. Overall, the graphics contribute strongly to the game's personality but may require adjustment or patience for optimal enjoyment.
- “The sheer density of content suggests a level of care and architectural polish that belies its simple 8-bit aesthetic.”
- “The aesthetic is chef’s kiss: dark, spooky, and dripping with atmosphere—yet somehow playful enough that you can’t help but grin while skeletons dance across the battlefield.”
- “A glut of visual accessibility settings also let you tune the visuals in ways more games really should adopt for customizable gameplay clarity – such as transparency to fade-out minor pickups or common minions, or outline-highlighting enemy projectiles or special powerups – with particularly granular preferences available.”
- “But the graphics are so bad, like truly bottom drawer stuff, you can't see anything clearly, the screen is just an endless wall of nonsense and it's indecipherable once you get into the guts of a run.”
- “I grew up in the 90s and I can attest that not even Commodore 64 had graphics this splodgy and unclear.”
- “The visuals are muddy and hard to differentiate between characters, even with the visual options available.”
music
405 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The game's music is widely praised for its excellent chiptune and 8-bit soundtrack, which effectively complements the retro pixel art style and enhances the overall atmosphere. Many players find the soundtrack catchy, dynamic, and nostalgic, contributing significantly to the game's charm and replayability. While a few note that some tracks can feel repetitive or occasionally mismatched with the game's themes, the majority agree that the music is a standout feature and integral to the enjoyable experience.
- “Absolutely exceptional soundtrack together with a unique twist on the vampire survivors genre makes this game a masterpiece.”
- “On par with the best classic (8-bit) video game music ever produced, the soundtrack makes Boneraiser Minions a vibe all its own.”
- “The soundtrack is masterful, the visuals are charming, the ideas are delightful and the motif makes it more palatable than a lot of similar games.”
- “The soundtrack is made up of generic and forgettable 8-bit chiptune songs which don't fit the aesthetic of a (presumably evil) necromancer who raises the dead; however, they do fit the cutesy style of the game and its campy and jokey theme.”
- “Music is a little too peppy for a game about raising the dead.”
- “The music is really annoying.”
humor
256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The game's humor is characterized by a playful mix of dark, juvenile, and often crude boner-related puns and wordplay, delivered through witty writing, "ye olde" English, and tongue-in-cheek flavor text. This quirky, irreverent style adds charm and light-heartedness to the grim necromancy theme, making it a distinctive and entertaining aspect that appeals to fans who appreciate silly, macabre humor. While some find the humor immature or cringey, many praise its consistency, creativity, and ability to enrich the gameplay experience with ongoing laughs.
- “Gothic pixel art that slaps, and a dark humor that runs through every corner of the game.”
- “Despite the gore and grotesquery, everything is tinged with silliness: exaggerated animations, playful enemy names, and tongue-in-cheek text that leans fully into macabre humor.”
- “The game is full of character, lots of boney jokes and the use of "ye olde" language compliments them well: it's light, honest humor, through and through.”
- “There is a kind of 'old English' on by default that is not even correctly used, and they tend to use jokes and vocabulary that could be funny for a teenager but is quite cringey.”
- “It's written in corny millennial-speak and the jokes are just terribly unfunny.”
- “I know this seems like a personal gripe but I witnessed an entire room of people get legitimately annoyed with how unfunny the text was.”
replayability
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
49%
3%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, driven by a wide variety of distinct classes, minions, upgrades, and multiple game modes that keep gameplay fresh and engaging. Its balance of accessible mechanics with meaningful buildcraft and frequent updates from a dedicated developer further enhance its lasting appeal. Despite some minor criticisms, most players find the depth, content, and competitive features more than justify the game's value and encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “The replay value is quite high due to the 18 unique classes that you can choose from, each of which has their own distinct playstyle, the wide variety of minions and spells at your disposal, the pseudo base-building aspect of the game which allows you to customize the multitude of arenas by erecting structures that give you various boons, online and local leaderboards which promote competition for high scores, and the five different game modes.”
- “It embraces chaos while rewarding thoughtful buildcraft, offers robust replayability without overwhelming complexity, and delivers its necromantic theme with both style and absurdity.”
- “Actually a really good "vampire survivors" style game with a heck of a lot of replayability, tons of different minions combinations and classes, and it's all-round a very nice game made by a dev who clearly cares and is still updating it regularly!”
- “It's by far the easiest one of the bunch that I've played, and unfortunately falls a bit short on replayability compared to others as a result.”
- “There is somewhat limited replayability since even endless mode lasts at most 15 or so minutes before it becomes impossible, but I probably played this more than 90% of games I spent 10x as much on.”
- “There are high scores to try and beat, but I'm not the competitive type so the replayability is low, but hell I can't complain in the least for the price.”
grinding
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
5%
86%
Grinding in this game is generally seen as manageable and often enjoyable, with progression feeling natural rather than tedious, especially during early play. While some achievements and meta progression can be grindy, it's typically not overwhelming, and players appreciate substantial upgrades and varied content that reduce grind fatigue. Overall, the game balances grind elements well, offering fun and rewarding progression without excessive repetition.
- “Progression (meta + each run) is not tedious and is easy to pick up; although there are many things you'll want to make a mental cheat sheet for builds, everything is clear amidst the chaos of 'omg so many things happening'.”
- “I can honestly say that this is the first 100% trophy that I felt like I wasn't grinding to get.”
- “The only one in the genre that requires no grinding within your runs, and your progression is infinitely faster and less grindy than the rest in the genre.”
- “Though after 10 hours, all the rest of the 'content' is basically just grinding the same thing for 100 more hours... yuck.”
- “The achievements feel too grindy, as you have to play multiple modes with every single character (and there is quite the selection).”
- “Metaprogression is impactful, though a little on the grindy side.”
story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The story in the game is minimal and largely serves as a lighthearted backdrop involving necromancers seeking vengeance, with much of the narrative delivered upfront and through thematic humor rather than deep plot development. While some find the story intriguing and charming due to its contrast of dark themes and juvenile humor, others view it as simplistic or merely flavor text supporting gameplay. Overall, the story complements the addictive gameplay but is not a primary focus.
- “The story is as follows: you're one of more than a dozen different necromancers that have been sealed away in your mausoleum after a mild disagreement with the locals of the surrounding lands as to the proper treatment of corpses and the philosophical nature of the afterlife.”
- “Risen again, our mission is to build an army, reclaim our power, resurrect our brothers, and take our vengeance on the crusade of king gigald.”
- “The storyline is intriguing, and the game is addictive and entertaining.”
- “There is not much by way of story; the story is basically non-existent but the necromancer theme juxtaposed with juvenile and potty humor gives the game a light-hearted charm.”
- “The story is practically non-existent and is fully explained in the introductory scenes leading up to the title screen; however, the contrast between the dark necromancer theme and the light-hearted, joke-filled atmosphere makes for a surprisingly fun experience.”
- “After reading the opening text when booting the game and after beating King Gigald, I thought there might have been some story elements here, but overall the story is minimal.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
44%
13%
The game features a distinct dark, spooky, and retro 8-bit atmosphere that blends eerie and playful elements, creating a charmingly immersive experience. Its art style, music, and quirky humor foster a relaxed yet engaging vibe, often likened to a Halloween-themed ambiance. While generally praised for its unique and fun tone, some find the crowded or irreverent humor detracts from immersion.
- “The aesthetic is chef’s kiss: dark, spooky, and dripping with atmosphere—yet somehow playful enough that you can’t help but grin while skeletons dance across the battlefield.”
- “The game's art style and sound design also contribute to the overall immersion, creating a dark and atmospheric world that's easy to get lost in.”
- “It has a unique dark retro look to it, the music is exquisite and helps a lot to create its atmosphere.”
- “Worst version of Vampire Survivors available imo, anything from the bad art style to the unfun crowded atmosphere.”
- “It definitely isn't used for atmosphere or immersion, because the game is constantly making boner jokes and puns.”
- “Most are very light hearted or chill, and don't really fit the gritty atmosphere and action-packed pace that the game sets.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game is generally well optimized, running smoothly even with many units and effects on screen, and performs well on low-end machines. However, occasional brief freezes and poor optimization in endless mode have been noted, slightly impacting the experience.
- “I would like to point out that the game appears to be pretty well optimized.”
- “It's prettier, more fun, better optimized, more interesting, more engaging, and has really good music.”
- “Graphics are stylish and psychedelic and the action runs smoothly with tons of units, spells, and relics at play flawlessly; when you mess up it's on you!”
- “Performance issues: the game will sometimes freeze for a second or two at a time.”
- “Edit: horribly optimized for endless mode.”
- “My main problem with the game is that you're constantly being interrupted to choose minions, relics, and spells, and this can get a little invasive, especially since it doesn't always feel like the choice you're making is going to change your performance much.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The game runs smoothly on various platforms, including the Steam Deck, maintaining high frame rates even on lower-end PCs. While generally stable and visually appealing, some users report occasional freezes and minor bugs or glitches. Overall, stability is solid but not flawless.
- “It also runs great, and even though my PC isn't particularly good, I never noticed the FPS going below 60.”
- “Runs great on Steam Deck, so highly recommended if you like this type of game.”
- “It looks great, runs great and even works on Steam Deck.”
- “And I'm pretty sure it's a bit buggy in areas.”
- “Great game but it freezes sometimes :/”
- “The game offers some nice graphics and environments, although some ugly glitches here and there.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional experience, drawing comparisons to a tragic arthouse film with strong themes of struggle and oppression. Players feel a strong emotional impact, though some find aspects of the gameplay oddly addictive and intense.
- “A tragic, emotional arthouse film written and directed by Ryan Gosling, set in 1960s California, depicting the terrible oppression endured by brave sufferers of the debilitating disease, boneitis.”
- “I played the game long enough to unlock and try out every character, but I'm not touching the achievements monument.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game’s monetization is praised for avoiding typical cash-grab tactics, offering no microtransactions and delivering frequent updates. Players appreciate the value and fun provided without additional costs.
- “Weekly (or more frequent) updates, no microtransactions, and packed with fun in a tiny package.”

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8h Median play time

15h Average play time

5-30h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 24 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Boneraiser Minions is a casual role playing game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes.

Boneraiser Minions is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 15 hours playing Boneraiser Minions.

Boneraiser Minions was released on March 9, 2023.

Boneraiser Minions was developed by caiys.

Boneraiser Minions has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Boneraiser Minions for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Boneraiser Minions is a single player game.

Similar games include Halls of Torment, Rogue: Genesia, Voids Vigil, Soulstone Survivors, 20 Minutes Till Dawn and others.

Boneraiser Minions

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