Minicology

About

Minicology is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Isaac Denner and was released on April 25, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Note: Demo progress and settings transfer over to the main game automatically! Locked recipes and settings will become available as soon as you load your demo save. Survive, Craft, Battle, Automate and Explore. Minicology lets you take to the stars and travel through a procedurally-generated universe of tiny planets! Build bases, defend against invasions, terraform worlds, and engineer factories t…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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74%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

graphics2 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging experience reminiscent of Terraria and Starbound, with unique mechanics like planet exploration and automation.
Combat is fair and enjoyable, with varied enemy patterns and distinct weapon mechanics that encourage strategic thinking.
The developer is responsive and actively addresses issues, contributing to a positive community experience.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and crafting cumbersome and frustrating.
The crafting system lacks organization, requiring players to scan items repeatedly without retaining learned recipes, which can be tedious.
Movement and controls feel unfinished, with awkward climbing and jumping mechanics that detract from the overall gameplay experience.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The gameplay is often compared to Terraria, with some users noting that while the base mechanics feel lacking, they don't significantly detract from the overall experience. The game is described as mechanically solid but clunky in various aspects, leaving players uncertain about its long-term potential.
- “It's very close to Terraria in gameplay.”
- “Not sure if this can even be one of those 'I see promise and maybe one day this will be good' because the base mechanics just feel bad.”
- “Mechanically, a very solid game, though a bit clunky in a huge number of ways.”
- “I don't think it makes the gameplay better, but it doesn't detract from it much either.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's initial release was plagued by bugs, and while the developer is actively working to resolve these issues, players still report stability problems, including freezing after extended playtime.
- “The first release was buggy and there's still bugs to sort out, but the dev is doing his level best to iron things out.”
- “Freezes after 3 hours”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics are described as punchy and fun, contributing to a unique and engaging experience. The cute art style, combined with innovative automation and planet systems, enhances the overall visual appeal of the game.
- “The graphics are punchy, fun, and before I knew it, I lost a couple of hours of my life!”
- “The art style is cute, and the automation plus the planet system are all really unique.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of depth, as players often complete quests on various planets and have little incentive to return, leading to a sense of disconnection from the narrative.
- “The story feels disjointed, with little motivation to revisit planets after completing quests.”
- “The narrative lacks depth, making it easy to forget about the planets once the quests are done.”
- “There’s a sense of emptiness in the story; once you finish a quest, the planets feel irrelevant.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, describing it as both "grindy" and "boring."
- “The game feels excessively grindy and ultimately boring.”
- “The grinding aspect makes the gameplay tedious and unengaging.”
- “I found the grinding to be repetitive and lacking in excitement.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The music in the game is described as a surprisingly relaxing soundtrack that contrasts with the frantic and chaotic gameplay, reminiscent of Terraria but with a cutesy aesthetic. This unique combination enhances the overall experience, providing a soothing backdrop to the action.
- “It's Terraria, except cutesy, but frantic-paced, with a weirdly relaxing soundtrack despite how everything is exploding around you all the time.”
- “The music feels out of place, often clashing with the frantic pace of the gameplay.”
- “While the soundtrack is meant to be relaxing, it often fails to match the chaotic atmosphere of the game.”
- “The audio design lacks variety, making the music feel repetitive and uninspired over time.”