Mini Healer
- April 24, 2020
- Sad Doge
- 8h median play time
In "Mini Healer," players take on the role of a diminutive hero on a mission to heal a world plagued by darkness. Navigate through treacherous environments, using unique abilities to restore life and energy to the landscape. Engaging pixel art and strategic gameplay make for a charming and challenging experience.
Reviews
- The game captures the essence of being a healer in an MMO, providing a fun and engaging experience without the stress of dealing with other players.
- There is a surprising depth of customization with various talent trees, skills, and items, allowing for diverse builds and playstyles.
- The boss mechanics are unique and challenging, requiring players to adapt their strategies and skills to succeed.
- The game has been abandoned by the developer, with no updates for an extended period, leading to concerns about its future.
- Some players find the endgame grindy and repetitive, with difficulty spikes that can be frustrating.
- The lack of a clear story or narrative can make the game feel empty for some players.
- gameplay260 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is highly praised for its engaging mechanics and depth, particularly appealing to fans of MMO healing roles. Players enjoy the variety of unique boss mechanics, extensive customization options, and the challenge of managing healing while navigating complex encounters. However, some critiques mention a lack of long-term gameplay and repetitive elements, with certain mechanics feeling punishing or frustrating, particularly for those less experienced with the genre. Overall, it offers a satisfying blend of strategy, skill, and RPG elements, making it a compelling choice for those who appreciate healing gameplay in a single-player format.
“The gameplay is really interesting and I'm waiting for achievements to be in the game before experiencing it further!”
“The game has an absurd amount of customization for your gameplay, allowing me to do some far too specialized builds that I may have failed because of, but that's part of the fun.”
“The gameplay has a lot of depth to it and there is definitely a lot of replay value for min/maxing your builds.”
“The gameplay loop is enjoyable, though there are several bosses with mechanics that are entirely counter-intuitive to the process of the game (punishing the player for healing).”
“This is a really stupid design decision, especially considering that some of the boss fights take 10 to 15 minutes to finish, and if you fail to dodge any of the one-shot mechanics during that entire 10-minute battle, then you fail and you have to start over.”
“The only speed bumps are when the game throws mechanics at you that punish you for healing specific targets, which means you can wind up making life harder for yourself if you specialized in multi-target healing.”
- grinding73 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is described as both enjoyable and repetitive, with players finding nostalgia in farming for specific loot akin to classic MMOs. While some appreciate the variety and replay value offered through different modes and builds, others note that the grind can become tedious, especially in the late game where boss fights may feel overly repetitive. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary part of the experience, appealing to those who enjoy min-maxing and loot collection, but it may deter players seeking a more streamlined gameplay experience.
“After about 4-5 hours in, you'll be running the same rotation mindlessly while grinding the same boss or two over and over to get gear improvements so you can up your DPS and tackle a harder (often more annoying) boss fight.”
“From then on, healing takes a backseat to farming items to increase your damage, and by end-game, the game becomes an idle grinder, making the fun MMO healer gameplay you bought the game for irrelevant as you just watch your party kill the same boss over and over with your only input being the occasional button press to boost DPS.”
“I have seen a few streamers pick it up and hate it immediately because there are at least 2-3 hours of grinding before you actually get access to the interesting content of the game, and that's if you recognize which builds are way better than the others and make fast progress.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by charming pixel art that resonates well with its whimsical tone, though some users noted issues with legibility and occasional glitches. While the retro aesthetic is appreciated by many, there are calls for sharper visuals and better UI clarity. Overall, the graphics are seen as effective and endearing, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite some minor flaws.
“The art style is charming and fits the game's overall tone and atmosphere.”
“It combines charming pixel-art graphics, pleasant music, and deep strategic gameplay into a package that offers great value for its price.”
“The graphics are effective and downright endearing, especially the animations that need to telegraph what's about to happen so you can shuffle about before exploding.”
“I'd prefer maybe the text to be a bit more legible and not pixelated, but overall, the graphics work.”
“The graphics of mini healers are pixelated, reminiscent of classic RPGs.”
“My only niggling complaints are a) that I'd like better audio and visual cues for bosses buffing themselves for the sake of my poor neck, since it's hard to see when they're casting on themselves and b) a sharper graphics mode for the UI and text perhaps as this particular style can be straining on the eyes.”
- music25 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its charm and how it complements the whimsical tone and pixel-art graphics. While the hub and ambient tracks are praised for their pleasantness, some players note that the boss music can become repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the gaming experience, though a desire for more variety is expressed by some reviewers.
“The music in mini healers is pleasant and fits the game's fantasy setting.”
“The art style and music are both delightful and perfectly complement the game's whimsical tone.”
“It's very cute, it has a lot of customization to sink your teeth into, it has a good depth of content, and it has a nice, relaxing soundtrack.”
“The thing that bothered me the most while playing was probably the music.”
“The music can get a bit repetitive but it's really not that big of a problem to me.”
“You may end up streaming your own music while playing the game.”
- story21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that there is no real narrative to engage with. While the gameplay offers a variety of modes and content, including an endless postgame and roguelike elements, the absence of a compelling story detracts from the overall experience. Some players express a desire for more lore and narrative development to enhance the game's RPG potential.
“The story mode has a good amount of variety with an endless mode after beating it for grinding and min-maxing gear.”
“It took approximately 10 hours to complete the main story of this game, and I think they did a good job with the core loop.”
“The amount of content you get, for the price, especially considering the two extra game modes that unlock after finishing the story, is impressive.”
“Narrative: no real story.”
“There is also no story; you just pick bosses to fight from a menu.”
“The gameplay is pretty interesting, but the main problem I have with it is the near complete lack of story.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through diverse skill trees, customizable playstyles, and random dungeon generation, allowing players to experiment with various builds and strategies. However, some users noted that the end-game content lacks depth, leading to a potential ceiling on playtime. Overall, while many players find the replay value high, particularly for those who enjoy min/maxing and exploring different character builds, there are concerns about the longevity of the experience beyond the initial hours.
“The game also has a high replay value due to its random generation of dungeons and loot.”
“It also has a loot and upgrade system, along with meta progress from achievements to further your builds and provide more replayability.”
“Deep strategy and replayability, lots of items and combinations to try, definitely worth it!”
“The end-game content is also really mediocre with very little replayability (thus the 10-hour playtime ceiling).”
“If the game had replayability and wasn't essentially limited to level 100, then I could have overlooked the other shortcomings and could have recommended the game, but like I said, I just can't recommend a game that just drops dead like an elephant corpse after 10 hours.”
“Honestly; this is basically just a massive rant at various quality of life issues; bits I love about the game; but when it comes down to it; this game is absolutely fantastic; if you liked anything about games like Diablo/Torchlight/Chronicon/Dragon Cliff/early WoW/RPGs - you will love love love this game; it has an amazing depth to it and is an absolutely fantastically developed game; one of the few times an early access game literally gives hundreds of hours of playability/replayability in its initial conception.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally well-received, particularly on desktop PCs, where it runs flawlessly. Players appreciate the detailed customization options for character builds and performance, making it a standout choice for those who enjoy RPG healing and gear optimization. Overall, it offers a solid balance of graphics quality and performance, earning a score of 7/10.
“My favorite skill builder and optimization game, with a charming MMORPG healer theme.”
“Diablo-esque ARPG scaling and customization that goes down to the small details, allowing you to min-max your performance as much as you'd like.”
“If you like RPG healing and gear optimization, this game is most definitely worth a try.”
“My favorite skill builder/optimization game, with a charming MMORPG healer theme.”
- stability5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, where it runs smoothly with minimal bugs reported. While some users noted minor visual glitches, these were infrequent and easily resolved, contributing to a generally pleasant gaming experience.
“Runs great on the Steam Deck, although I did need to tweak the controls a bit to get things feeling really good.”
“Also, this game is surprisingly not buggy at all from my experience. I've only run into one single bug in my playthroughs, and it was a very small visual bug that I fixed by restarting.”
“Even in early access, the game seems stable and bug-free.”
“The game has a lot of potential, but frequent crashes make it nearly unplayable.”
“I love the concept, but the constant lag and bugs ruin the experience.”
“While the visuals are impressive, the game suffers from severe stability issues that detract from the overall enjoyment.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its self-referential jabs, particularly when developers shift blame to the community for their design choices. Players find amusement in the exaggerated difficulty spikes and the absurdity of one-hit-kill mechanics, which evoke a comedic yet frustrating experience reminiscent of being a healer in an MMO. However, some reviewers mention that the humor can become slightly repetitive over time.
“It's kind of funny and kind of amazing how this game condenses the feeling of being a healer in an MMO group down so well.”
“Funny but slightly repetitive.”
“Even more hilarious is when developers blame the community for the choices they themselves made!”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's charming art style effectively complements its overall tone, creating an engaging atmosphere. Despite having only a few soundtracks, they successfully enhance the ambiance, with one track being particularly noteworthy.
“The art style is charming and fits the game's overall tone and atmosphere.”
“Even though the game has only 3-4 soundtracks, they properly convey the atmosphere, and the main track is really good.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on gameplay mechanics and strategies for boss encounters. Therefore, no specific insights on monetization can be derived from this description.
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its depth, allowing for extensive theory crafting and skill-based gameplay, complemented by a variety of uniquely challenging encounters.
“A mix between deep character development, theory crafting, and skill-based gameplay with dozens of uniquely challenging encounters.”