miniLAW: Ministry of Law
- August 26, 2016
- Lasso Games
- 24h median play time
MiniLAW: Ministry of Law is a dystopian, cyberpunk adventure game where you play as a prosecutor in a society dominated by surveillance and automation. You'll investigate crimes, gather evidence, and make tough moral choices in a system that values efficiency over justice. With multiple endings, the decisions you make will significantly shape the world and outcome of your cases.
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of Judge Dredd and RoboCop aesthetics, providing an engaging and immersive experience.
- Combat mechanics are satisfying and allow for a variety of approaches, including non-lethal takedowns, which adds depth to gameplay.
- The art direction, sound design, and overall atmosphere are well-executed, enhancing the cyberpunk theme.
- Controls are clunky and can be frustrating, leading to a steep learning curve that may deter some players.
- Gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited mission objectives and enemy types, reducing long-term engagement.
- Technical issues such as crashes, broken achievements, and poor controller support hinder the overall experience.
- gameplay96 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring a satisfying core loop with a variety of mechanics and character customization options that keep it engaging for many players. However, it suffers from repetitive mission objectives, clunky controls, and a lack of variety in level design and enemy types, which can lead to a stale experience over extended play sessions. While some players find the mechanics addictive and enjoyable, others criticize the game for its confusing controls and lack of coherent identity compared to other titles in the genre.
“One of the most enjoyable action-platformer titles I've played - there are many options for you to progressively build the playstyle of your character (and you can largely always re-spec) and there are many options for how one can approach any given map, which keeps the gameplay fresh enough.”
“A unique game with challenging gameplay, a lot of ways to succeed, and really satisfying sound effects.”
“It's got a good gameplay loop right now, and I have had a ton of fun playing it.”
“Clunky controls, repetitive gameplay loop where there are only 5 or so level designs, and on top of that it constantly crashes when killing boss enemies.”
“What a bumbling mess of confused controls, a hodgepodge of stories, weird gameplay mechanics, and zero introduction or reason to care.”
“This game has zero identity of its own, and there are a hundred better pixel platformer-shooters out there with coherent gameplay controls, mechanics, and story.”
- story86 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and features a sense of urgency as players navigate a time-sensitive mission to thwart a terrorist plot, reminiscent of classic cyberpunk narratives like Robocop and Judge Dredd. However, the repetitive mission objectives and lack of variety in gameplay can detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about its execution. While the characters are somewhat fleshed out, the story mode suffers from bugs and unclear instructions, particularly for new players.
“The combat is hard, the story is engaging, and in the two days I've played, all I've thought about when I'm not playing is wondering when I'll get to play again.”
“You fly around the city, responding to crimes in progress, beating, shooting, or intimidating goons into submission while collecting clues to find the city's gang headquarters, in an attempt to save the city from a terrorist bomb plot by locating a nuclear warhead, and the codes required to defuse it, all within twenty-four hours, and with only one life before the game restarts and you start over.”
“It is an amalgamation of Robocop and Judge Dredd in story and tone, drenched in neon 80s cyberpunk.”
“The story is a mixed bag.”
“The game throws you into the story with no warning of what to do or where to go.”
“Story mode is somewhat buggy, broken, or unfinished in areas, as the game is in early access.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their well-executed art direction, fluid animation, and detailed pixel art, creating a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of 80s movies and cyberpunk aesthetics. While many reviewers appreciate the visuals, some note that the retro style can hinder readability and gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, though they may require high system performance to run smoothly.
“The graphics are beyond amazing, and the attention to detail is uncanny.”
“The aesthetic is spot on, with excellently detailed pixel art, and very satisfying sound effects.”
“A great game with top-shelf visuals, design, and story.”
“Graphics tech: low - it is sort-of pixel art, indie game kind.”
“I think if you're trying to make a modern retro style game, maybe not rely on retro graphics; make it in a modern game engine.”
“But it’s still hard to read as a player, and that’s the sort of priority that should come first and then be massaged into the aesthetic.”
- music18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are generally praised for being solid and fitting well with the setting, with many reviewers highlighting the exciting and engaging soundtrack, described as "cyber punky" and a "banger." However, some users noted issues with the sound levels, as there is limited control over individual audio elements, which can lead to an initially overwhelming experience. Overall, the music significantly enhances gameplay, earning a positive reception.
“The soundtrack is a banger.”
“Great vibes, superb music, and without being very familiar with 2D fighting games, I found the gameplay very exciting.”
“The music is equally fitting for the setting.”
“The sound is awful loud initially and you have no ability to change various parts of it individually (talking vs. music vs. gunfire for example) except to raise or lower the master volume.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the semi-randomly generated campaigns and dynamic events that enhance replay value, others criticize the trivial gameplay loop and lack of meaningful content after the initial hours. Overall, it seems that playing on higher difficulties can provide a more engaging experience, but the presence of broken achievements and inconsistent player satisfaction detracts from its long-term appeal.
“The randomly generated terrain allows a fairly large amount of replayability, and the skill system is simple but fun.”
“It's even deeper than those games mentioned because crimes seem to randomly pop up on the map for you to deal with, which gives the game great replayability.”
“All in all, a pretty fun game with decent replay value. I'd suggest playing on the hard difficulties since the game seems to get a little too easy on the noob mode.”
“Steam achievements are permanently broken, no replay value, and a trivial gameplay loop past the first hour of unlocks.”
“The game's overall production quality is brilliant, the development effort is definitely there, yet the game provides little to no player satisfaction, short-lived immersion, and no replayability.”
“The game provides little to no player satisfaction, short-lived immersion, and no replayability.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is described as undeniably buggy, with issues such as repetitive maps, janky melee controls, and occasionally poor enemy AI. While these glitches can be annoying, they are not game-breaking, and the story mode shows signs of being unfinished due to its early access status. Overall, players can expect a range of minor stability issues without severely impacting gameplay.
“It does, however, suffer from repetitive maps, occasionally janky melee controls, enemy AI that is quite dumb in certain situations, and a variety of small (but annoying) glitches.”
“The story mode is somewhat buggy, broken, or unfinished in areas, as the game is in early access.”
“There are a few minor glitches with AI movements spazzing out.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its cool aesthetics and immersive quality, contributing significantly to the overall gameplay experience. Reviewers consistently highlight the strong synergy between the game's visuals and its engaging atmosphere.
“Absolutely really cool aesthetics, and the atmosphere overall is just so cool.”
“Like, really good gameplay and atmosphere.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the opportunity to grind for experience points at their own pace, but some find the difficulty settings and time limits restrictive. The controls are described as somewhat clunky, reminiscent of a robotic character, yet they do not hinder movement or interaction significantly.
“I like taking my time and grinding XP, but I cannot play on hard with a long time limit.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization system allows players to enhance their performance through the collection of various items such as ammo, health, and evidence, which can be found throughout levels. Players earn requisition points based on their performance, enabling them to purchase new weapons and permanent upgrades at headquarters, thus providing a robust framework for improving gameplay efficiency.
“There are items like ammo, health, and evidence to comb levels for, and your performance earns you requisition points to spend on new weapons and permanent upgrades to your capabilities.”
“Loads of items to buy from back at HQ to optimize your performance.”
“There are items like ammo, health, and evidence to comb levels for as well, and your performance earns you requisition points to spend on new weapons and permanent upgrades to your capabilities.”
“- Loads of items to buy from back at HQ to optimize your performance.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a blend of dark humor and witty dialogue, particularly from the player character and during cutscenes, contributing to an overall fun and entertaining experience filled with action.
“The game features some decent dark humor and funny dialogue from the player character and the cutscenes.”
“It's a fun and funny time with loads of action.”