MindSeize

Mindseize has great combat and weapon variety, but the uninspired movement abilities and a plethora of bugs make it hard to recommend among its peers

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"MindSeize is a single-player Metroidvania shooter game with stunning 16-bit pixel graphics, set in a sci-fi universe where you play as a crippled private investigator seeking to rescue your daughter's mind from a dangerous criminal organization. Experience smooth and fast-paced action with a phenomenal soundtrack while exploring four unique planets filled with dangers and secrets. However, be aware of bugs that can affect the gameplay experience."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 130 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability26 negative mentions

MindSeize offers a rich exploration experience with a variety of upgrades and abilities that enhance gameplay.
The pixel art and atmospheric music create an engaging environment that pays homage to classic metroidvanias.
The combat system is enjoyable, with a mix of melee and ranged attacks that require strategic thinking against different enemy types.

The game is plagued with bugs and glitches that can lead to frustrating experiences, including game-breaking issues and unresponsive controls.
The map design is often confusing, with unclear indicators for progress and a lack of helpful markers, making navigation tedious.
Some boss fights feel unfair due to their high damage output and the clunky healing system, which can lead to a frustrating difficulty spike.

story
49 mentions
20 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it weak and clichéd, while others appreciate its straightforward narrative and engaging themes. Critics note that while the plot has potential, it often falls short due to awkward dialogue and underdeveloped characters. Overall, the story is seen as a secondary element that does not detract significantly from the gameplay experience, though it could have been more compelling.
- “The highlights for me were its robot body-human mind sci-fi story, the soundtrack, and overall vibe and tone of the game.”
- “I appreciated the story for what it was and how it provided a purposeful metanarrative and explained the universe's context.”
- “It has a simple sci-fi story about a private investigator whose daughter's mind has been seized (hence the title) by the evil robot organization called the Ascended.”
- “Most of the dialogue is written in a stilted, awkward way, and the story is pretty cliché overall without much unique or novel to offer.”
- “Now for the shortcomings: the story is a bit lackluster, told mostly through somewhat clunky and derivative dialogue.”
- “There is no sense of storytelling and world-building before you are introduced to a host of characters, all of which seem, on the surface at least, extremely stereotypical and dull.”
gameplay
48 mentions
29 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the solid mechanics, engaging combat, and enjoyable exploration typical of metroidvania titles. However, many have criticized the game for its awkward controls, buggy performance, and clunky mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals and art direction are praised, the core gameplay suffers from design flaws that hinder its potential, leading to a divided opinion among players.
- “Definitely some Mega Man Zero feel in the movement and gameplay.”
- “First and foremost, the gameplay is solid, tight, and very satisfying.”
- “The game starts you off slow, introducing you to the mechanics, and then almost immediately it opens you up to multiple paths, giving you a surprising number of places to explore right off the bat.”
- “Feels like a first game developer project in every sense (gameplay, graphics, music, sounds, everything).”
- “It ends up being a clusterf*ck of bad design choices with dumb mechanics and frustrating controls which are in itself the entire difficulty of the game.”
- “The game has vision, and certainly good aspects, I am not trying to deny that, they are just too little, too few, and too inconsequential to offset the huge, steaming pile of horsesh*t the core gameplay is.”
music
40 mentions
57 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and engaging qualities, enhancing the overall experience with catchy and fitting soundtracks that complement the gameplay. Many players recommend purchasing the original soundtrack, highlighting specific tracks as standout pieces. While some critiques mention issues with looping and occasional bugs, the general consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “Fun metroidvania, it has interesting exploration, upgrades and the soundtrack fits the game very well.”
- “The highlights for me were its robot body-human mind sci-fi story, the soundtrack, and overall vibe and tone of the game.”
- “The soundtrack is excellent, and really helps drive the action.”
- “Feels like a first game developer project in every sense (gameplay, graphics, music, sounds, everything).”
- “This is the third time now that I switched screens and the game gets stuck on a black screen with music running.”
- “I can not do anything now, just hear music, and when you try to do anything at all, you can only hear what is happening.”
graphics
33 mentions
48 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the unique art style and pixel art aesthetics reminiscent of 16-bit games. However, there are notable criticisms regarding technical issues such as graphic glitches and inconsistent performance, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as lovely and atmospheric, some players feel that the execution lacks polish, indicating room for improvement.
- “I do have to give credit where credit is due; the graphics are lovely, the music is atmospheric and eerie as a Metroid soundtrack, and the writing and presentation of said writing are well done.”
- “The graphics are pretty good, I really enjoyed the pixel art style and the scenic backgrounds.”
- “Awesome graphics, lots to explore, getting new abilities to reach previously unreachable areas.”
- “Feels like a first game developer project in every sense (gameplay, graphics, music, sounds, everything).”
- “Graphic glitches, a death loop where fps keeps tanking to sub 20 fps levels for no reason (while the hardware of my PC registered no high demand from the game or any other software), etc. just to top off an experience that could easily be pretty good.”
- “Getting glue-stuck to enemies, taking randomly double damage, hits not registering although your enemy is clearly within your melee animation graphic, your drone glitching out and getting stuck, mid boss fight, etc. if you collect really unnecessary and infuriating/game-breaking glitches, this, however, is for you.”
stability
26 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent glitches and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, such as corrupted save files and inconsistent hit detection. While some users have noted improvements in stability over time, others still find the game to be a "buggy and glitchy mess," affecting their overall experience. Despite these issues, a few players have managed to enjoy the game without significant problems, suggesting that stability may vary depending on the version and platform used.
- “Also buggy, boss defeat glitched and so needed to repeat entire fight.”
- “I really enjoyed the first 30 minutes of this game, but at a certain point I cannot continue because my save file was corrupted. I feel like the game is a little bit buggy as well, and the gameplay doesn't feel fluid enough, especially with jumping mechanics.”
- “Until the core gameplay changes drastically in terms of cleanliness, accuracy, and the majority of the glitches and bugs are sorted out, I can't and won't recommend this game to anyone, even for half price off.”
grinding
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-17 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mixed experience with grinding in this metroidvania game. While some players appreciate the lack of traditional level-grinding and enjoy the strategic approach to combat, others find the repetitive encounters with tedious enemies and the need to revisit areas can lead to a frustrating grind. Overall, the game offers a blend of enjoyable exploration and combat, but the repetitive nature of enemy encounters may detract from the experience for some players.
- “Grinding can be a rewarding experience, as it allows you to fully explore the game's mechanics and unlock powerful upgrades.”
- “The grind in this game feels purposeful, as each session brings you closer to mastering your character and the challenges ahead.”
- “While grinding can be time-consuming, it offers a sense of achievement and progression that enhances the overall gameplay experience.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The combat gets a bit tedious after a while, and there are a fair amount of bugs, both minor and major, which can disrupt the experience.”
- “Running into these sets of enemies over and over when trying to advance the storyline or find progressive items can feel tedious at times.”
atmosphere
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its beautiful graphics, eerie music reminiscent of Metroid, and strong narrative presentation, creating an engaging and moody environment. However, some players find the low visibility and navigation challenges frustrating, particularly when combined with the need to backtrack due to hidden elements. Overall, it successfully captures the essence of an atmospheric metroidvania while balancing gameplay and exploration.
- “The graphics are lovely, the music is atmospheric and eerie like a Metroid soundtrack, and the writing and presentation of said writing are well done.”
- “The story's premise makes sense and the atmosphere is great.”
- “Atmospheric metroidvania fun with a good gameplay feel and lots of secrets behind walls :)”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that "Super Metroid" lacks a deep emotional narrative, with players instead focusing on frustrations related to clunky controls and punishing gameplay mechanics. The emotional experience is overshadowed by the game's difficulty, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
optimization
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is inconsistent; while it features smooth performance and sharp controls, some players experience stuttering and poor screen transitions, even on capable hardware. This disparity suggests that despite its sprite-based 2D design, there are underlying performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “This game features smooth performance and sharp controls, making it feel like a great Metroid-like experience.”
- “I thought I could have some fun getting the boss rush achievement, but it randomly rewarded me when I was practicing the bosses one by one using time-efficient optimization strategies.”
- “It's a sprite-based 2D game, and yet there are performance problems with stuttering, and the screen just doesn't transition smoothly. This is running on an i7, 16GB RAM, GTX 1070.”
- “I thought I could have some fun getting the boss rush achievement at least, until it randomly rewarded me the achievement when I was practicing the bosses one by one using time-efficient optimization strategies.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely absent, with players noting a lack of comedic elements such as jokes or funny sounds. Instead, the only source of humor seems to stem from the developer's decision to significantly raise the game's price after abandoning it, which many find ironic and frustrating. Overall, the game's humor is deemed insufficient to warrant a recommendation.
- “A final issue is that the dev abandoned the game and only came back to do one thing: increase the price of the game by 57%, which is just utterly hilarious and this alone makes a recommendation impossible now.”