MindSeize

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 267 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
MindSeize Game Cover
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."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 267 reviews
story20 positive mentions
stability52 negative mentions
  • MindSeize offers engaging exploration with a variety of upgrades and weapons, making the gameplay rewarding.
  • The pixel art and atmospheric music contribute to a nostalgic and immersive experience reminiscent of classic Metroid games.
  • The combat system is fun and challenging, with boss fights that require strategic thinking and skill.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
  • Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, making platforming and combat less enjoyable.
  • The map design is confusing, lacking clear indicators for progress and making navigation tedious.
  • story99 mentions

    The story in the game is often regarded as its weakest aspect, featuring a straightforward narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, but lacking depth and originality. While some players appreciate the sci-fi themes and character dynamics, many criticize the dialogue as clunky and the overall plot as clichéd and underdeveloped, with missed opportunities for richer storytelling. Despite these shortcomings, a few players find enjoyment in the traditional narrative style and the atmosphere it creates, though the story tends to thin out as the game progresses.

    • “The highlights for me were its robot body-human mind sci-fi story, the soundtrack, and overall vibe and tone of the game.”
    • “Wonderful metroidvania game, the plot is pretty much about a man who has his daughter's mind taken away from him.”
    • “I appreciated the story for what it was and how it provided a purposeful metanarrative and explained the universe's context.”
    • “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.”
    • “The intro to the story did nothing to entice me into learning more and the whole thing is really abruptly pushed on you.”
  • gameplay98 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the solid mechanics, smooth animations, and engaging combat typical of metroidvania titles, while others criticize it for being clunky, buggy, and awkward, particularly in jumping and melee combat. The introduction of unique mechanics, such as hacking, adds depth but can feel cumbersome during boss fights. Overall, while the game has potential and offers enjoyable moments, many players feel that significant improvements are needed to address its core gameplay issues.

    • “First and foremost, the gameplay is solid, tight, and very satisfying.”
    • “Mindseize is a challenging game; the gameplay is super smooth, and as you get more and more powers.”
    • “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.”
    • “The writing and worldbuilding was given entirely too much focus by the devs compared to the gameplay, and yet what writing there is comes across as rushed and lopsided.”
    • “It ends up being a clusterf*ck of bad design choices with dumb mechanics and frustrating controls which are in themselves the entire difficulty of the game.”
    • “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.”
  • music80 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its atmospheric and engaging qualities, effectively complementing the gameplay and enhancing the overall experience. Many players highlighted specific tracks as standout pieces, with the soundtrack being described as catchy and fitting well with the game's aesthetic. However, some users noted issues with track looping and occasional interruptions, which slightly detracted from the enjoyment.

    • “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.”
    • “Amazing level designs, tasty music, feel-good combat, and the right amount of challenge.”
    • “Feels like a first game developer project in every sense (gameplay, graphics, music, sounds, everything).”
    • “- many bugs, like getting stuck in terrain, invincible enemies, music stopping, etc.”
    • “This is the third time now that I switched screens and the game gets stuck on a black screen with music running.”
  • graphics67 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique pixel art style and atmospheric visuals reminiscent of 16-bit aesthetics. However, some players note technical issues such as graphic glitches and inconsistent performance, which detract from the overall experience. While the art style is generally appreciated, there are calls for improvements in coherence and execution to elevate the game's visual appeal further.

    • “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.”
    • “Very poor font choice, hard to read and clashes with the rest of the game's aesthetics.”
  • stability52 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent glitches and bugs that can significantly disrupt gameplay, such as corrupted save files and inconsistent hit detection. While some users have noted improvements in later versions, others still find the game unpolished and frustratingly buggy, particularly in critical gameplay mechanics. Overall, players should be prepared for a potentially unstable experience, especially in its early access state.

    • “Also buggy, boss defeat glitched and so needed to repeat the entire fight.”
    • “Unfortunately, what really turned me off this game, with its numerous bugs and glitches, was that on day 1 this game was literally unfinishable.”
    • “Why would you release a game that requires precision and has such abhorrent, garbage hitboxes, hit registration, glitches, and inconsistency in its controls? It's beyond me.”
  • grinding12 mentions

    The game is praised for its metroidvania elements, focusing on exploration and upgrades without traditional grinding or leveling systems. However, players note that the repetitive encounters with tedious or unfair enemies can lead to a frustrating experience, especially when revisiting areas multiple times. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable mechanics, the grinding-like feel from enemy encounters can detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “A pretty fun metroidvania that leans more toward the Metroid side of things; no levels, no grinding, just search and get upgrades and beat bosses.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The combat gets a bit tedious after a while, and a fair amount of bugs, both minor and major, can detract from 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.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its lovely graphics, eerie music reminiscent of Metroid soundtracks, and well-executed writing, creating a moody and immersive experience. However, the low visibility environments can hinder navigation, leading to frustration when players must retrace their steps due to forgotten obstacles. Overall, while the atmosphere enhances the gameplay, it also presents challenges that can detract from the experience.

    • “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 story's premise makes sense and the atmosphere is great.”
    • “Atmospheric metroidvania-fun with a good gameplay feel and lots of secrets behind walls :)”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of Super Metroid is largely overshadowed by its frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as clunky controls and punishing enemy encounters, which detract from any potential narrative depth. Players often find themselves more focused on overcoming these challenges than engaging with the game's story, leading to a lack of emotional connection.

  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some players experiencing smooth performance and sharp controls, while others report issues like stuttering and poor screen transitions, even on capable hardware. This disparity suggests that while the game has potential, it suffers from performance problems 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 unexpectedly 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.”
    • “This game... with a smooth performance and sharp controls, you would think this is going to be a great Metroid-like.”
  • humor4 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 mentioned is the developer's decision to significantly raise the game's price after abandoning it, which many find ironic and frustrating.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

69% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
8-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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