Minimalism

About

Minimalism is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by PixelMouse and was released on February 8, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Minimalism" is a single-player action game with a minimalist design and a cube protagonist. The game features 30 levels of increasing complexity and requires collecting keys to open doors and progress. With its ingenious music, players can expect to complete the game in about 2 hours.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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61%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,039 reviews

music38 positive mentions

gameplay29 negative mentions

The game offers a satisfying challenge, especially for those who enjoy precision platformers.
The minimalist design and ambient soundtrack create a calming atmosphere despite the game's difficulty.
Collecting achievements, especially the unique Japanese characters, adds an interesting layer to the gameplay.

Controls are often unresponsive and slippery, making precise movements frustrating.
Hitboxes for spikes are larger than they appear, leading to unfair deaths.
The level design can be inconsistent, with some levels feeling unnecessarily difficult compared to others.

gameplay
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
49%
29%
The gameplay of the game is highly polarizing, with many players criticizing its clunky controls, inconsistent hitboxes, and frustrating mechanics, particularly regarding wall-jumping and movement. While some appreciate the minimalist design and find enjoyment in the challenge it presents, others feel that the execution is poor, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. Despite its simplicity, the game struggles with balance, resulting in a mix of easy and overly difficult sections that can leave players feeling unsatisfied.
- “Minimalism by pixelmouse is a platformer that lives up to its name by stripping away any superfluous elements and focusing purely on tight, precise gameplay.”
- “It may not dazzle with complex narratives or elaborate graphics, but it delivers a polished, focused platforming experience that challenges and rewards players through its clever level design and pure gameplay mechanics.”
- “The minimalistic design allows players to focus on the problem-solving aspect without being overwhelmed by cluttered visuals or complex mechanics.”
- “The gameplay concept itself doesn't seem too bad, but it's very poorly executed.”
- “The game mechanics are terrible and extremely broken.”
- “The level design is poor, the hitboxes on the obstacles are larger than they physically appear, there is no replayability, terrible mechanics, etc. I got this for the achievements and it's not even worth it.”
music
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
48%
8%
The music in the game is generally praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the immersive experience, especially in the early stages. However, many players find the soundtrack repetitive and annoying after prolonged play, with some even comparing it unfavorably to other games' music. Overall, while the soundtrack is a highlight for some, it can become a source of frustration due to its looping nature and the game's challenging mechanics.
- “The soundtrack is subtle, featuring ambient tones that never overpower the action but help build an immersive atmosphere.”
- “The game’s soundtrack, which is soft and ambient, further enhances the calming atmosphere, creating a truly immersive environment for puzzle lovers.”
- “I am giving the game an upvote for the nice minimalistic art style and the wonderful music loop that calms you down in even the most annoying level; truly a beautiful piece and the best part about the game.”
- “With awful controls, mechanics, and don't get me started on the knock-off Minecraft music that sounds like nails on a chalkboard after more than ten minutes of play time.”
- “The music is repetitive, but good for the first 20 minutes.”
- “The controls are complete shit and the soundtrack makes you really aggressive.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The game's graphics are characterized by a minimalistic and geometric aesthetic that aligns well with its gameplay focus, allowing players to concentrate on challenges without distractions. While some players appreciate the clean and calming visuals, others find them too simplistic or lacking in detail, leading to mixed opinions on the overall art style. Despite the aesthetic appeal, issues with controls and hitboxes detract from the experience, highlighting that while graphics are not the game's main draw, they still play a role in player satisfaction.
- “Visually, minimalism embraces a stark, geometric aesthetic that perfectly aligns with its gameplay philosophy.”
- “The clean, uncomplicated art style perfectly complements the meditative pace of the gameplay, offering an experience that is both relaxing and intellectually stimulating.”
- “This platformer features a sleek aesthetic design along a crisp black, serotonin-inducing rough-textured background, and offers a stimulating challenge for long-time 2D platformer enthusiasts who love the retro classics as well as modern takes such as Celeste and Shovel Knight!”
- “While the art style might be too bare-bones for players who enjoy rich, detailed environments, it works incredibly well for what the game sets out to achieve: pure gameplay enjoyment without distractions.”
- “As a GameMaker Studio construction kit 'game' (aka, copy + paste of a platformer project from the YoYoGames store), this 2D retro line art still comes across as lazy, instead of professionally done, contemporary PC graphics.”
- “Even though the graphics are simple, the game only runs at 43 fps.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
68%
19%
The game lacks a significant story, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics and skill mastery. Players note that the narrative is minimal or non-existent, with some comparing it to other platformers that offer richer storytelling experiences. Overall, the emphasis is on gameplay rather than a compelling narrative.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Pretty much as it is shown in the story page preview video and screenshots.”
- “From the moment you start, it’s clear that this game is about honing your skills and mastering each level rather than being distracted by flashy graphics or complex storylines.”
- “☑ no story”
- “☑️ this game has no story”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a profound emotional response to the game, experiencing feelings of dread, frustration, and motivation despite its challenging mechanics. The combination of unfair deaths and intricate design evokes a mix of despair and inspiration, leading some to tears while others feel compelled to create their own games. Overall, the emotional impact is significant, highlighting the game's ability to provoke strong reactions through its gameplay and design.
- “Dark Souls 2, with its intricate world-building, complex lore, and emotionally charged gameplay, is a masterpiece of design that demands patience, mastery, and persistence.”
- “After one hour of playing, I started to cry; no game has made me feel so frustrated.”
- “This game was a strange mix of easy and hard at the same time that made me feel like throwing my PC out the window and crying myself to sleep.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally positive, running smoothly on Windows, Mac, and Linux without requiring high-end hardware. However, some users report issues such as jittery performance, poorly optimized hitboxes, and slight performance drops with high sprite counts, indicating that further optimization could enhance the experience, especially for players with high-refresh-rate monitors.
- “It runs smoothly across Windows, Mac, and Linux, and its lightweight nature means it doesn’t require high-end hardware.”
- “This would provide better performance control, especially for players using high-refresh-rate monitors.”
- “- slight optimization issue when sprite count is high”
- “I genuinely cannot tell if the slidey-ness is due to the jittery performance or intentional.”
- “I know there is a 'difficult' tag, but I expect it from the levels, not the game performance issues.”
- “The hitboxes seem poorly optimized.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized due to numerous bugs, particularly with hitboxes and controls, which lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. Players report issues such as erratic jumping, slippery physics, and inconsistent character movement, making it difficult to complete levels without repeated failures. Overall, while the game has potential, it requires significant updates to address these stability concerns.
- “Hitboxes are different from shown and buggy as well.”
- “Pretty good game for achievement hunters, but still needs a lot of updates and a lot of glitches should be fixed.”
- “It has slippery physics and buggy hitboxes, so it's getting a bugged grade.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, with some describing it as a necessary but boring chore that detracts from the overall experience. While there are mixed feelings about the enjoyment derived from the game, the consensus is that the grinding can feel excessive and time-consuming.
- “It's tedious, anger-inducing, and boring all at once.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “If the controls were responsive, it wouldn't have been just a sloppy achievement farming game.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it amusing due to its ironic take on minimalism through an abundance of achievements, while others appreciate the comedic elements in the level design and traps. However, the humor is often overshadowed by frustrating gameplay mechanics and imprecise controls, leading to a challenging experience that can detract from the fun. Overall, while there are moments of humor, they are inconsistent and can be lost amidst the game's difficulties.
- “I love this game; it's in between hard and funny.”
- “Funny but hard.”
- “Very funny game; didn't rage.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a subtle, ambient soundtrack that complements the action without overwhelming it, creating a calming and immersive environment ideal for platforming and puzzle-solving. The simple yet effective design further contributes to this unique atmosphere, allowing players to concentrate on gameplay without distractions.
- “The soundtrack is subtle, featuring ambient tones that never overpower the action but help build an immersive atmosphere.”
- “The game’s soundtrack, which is soft and ambient, further enhances the calming atmosphere, creating a truly immersive environment for puzzle lovers.”
- “The simple yet effective design creates a unique atmosphere that allows you to focus on the gameplay without unnecessary distractions.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game suffers from a lack of replayability due to poor level design, frustrating mechanics, and minimal substance, leading many players to feel that it is not worth revisiting even for achievements.
- “The level design is poor, the hitboxes on the obstacles are larger than they physically appear, there is no replayability, terrible mechanics, etc. I got this for the achievements and it's not even worth it.”
- “There isn't a ton of substance or replay value.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of games developed with GameMaker Studio is frequently criticized for resulting in shovelware and lazy cash grabs, indicating a tendency for developers to prioritize profit over quality.
- “Very often, game maker studios are used to create shovelware and lazy cash grabs.”