Minimalism

About

"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 Play through the game's story or campaign solo

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 816 reviews

music33 positive mentions

gameplay21 negative mentions

The game features a minimalist design that is visually appealing and has a calming soundtrack.
It offers a challenging experience that can be satisfying for players who enjoy precision platformers.
The achievement system is extensive, providing motivation for players to complete the game and collect letters.

The controls are often unresponsive and feel slippery, making precise movements frustrating.
Hitboxes for spikes are larger than they appear, leading to unfair deaths and increased difficulty.
The level design can be punishing, with some levels requiring pixel-perfect jumps and lacking checkpoints.

music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
43%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its calming and pleasant qualities, though it is often described as repetitive and potentially annoying after extended play. While some find the soundtrack to be a highlight that enhances the overall experience, others feel it becomes tedious, especially in longer sessions. Overall, the music is seen as a redeeming feature amidst criticisms of gameplay mechanics and controls.
- “Pleasant music: the soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay experience, adding an immersive touch that makes each session more enjoyable.”
- “This game is honestly a banger and has an incredible soundtrack.”
- “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.”
- “The music is bland and the character is slow.”
- “The music is repetitive, but good for the first 20 minutes.”
- “The music is getting boring and repetitive really fast.”
gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
49%
31%
The gameplay has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players citing clunky controls, frustrating movement mechanics, and poor level design as major issues. While some appreciate the challenge and unique atmosphere, the lack of precision, awkward wall-jumping mechanics, and inconsistent hitboxes detract significantly from the overall experience. Despite its simple graphics and potential for fun, the gameplay often feels chaotic and unrefined, leading to a disappointing experience for many players.
- “Its simple graphics hide an intricate gameplay model which has rigorously tested my vocabulary.”
- “Pleasant music: the soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay experience, adding an immersive touch that makes each session more enjoyable.”
- “I thought this was just gonna be a simple achievement spam game, but it actually had some pretty challenging platformer gameplay.”
- “The controls are bad and make for bad gameplay.”
- “The movement doesn’t sync with the space bar or the A and D keys, which makes basic gameplay feel clunky and frustrating.”
- “The game mechanics are terrible and extremely broken.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their minimalist and aesthetically pleasing design, with some players appreciating the calming black-and-white art style. However, there are mixed opinions regarding the execution, with some critics describing the visuals as simplistic to the point of feeling lazy or unprofessional. Overall, while the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, they are overshadowed by complaints about clunky controls and hitbox issues.
- “The visuals for this game are nice, and the music isn't bad either.”
- “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!”
- “The graphics are so simple that I sometimes forget I'm playing.”
- “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
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that it feels non-existent or minimal, akin to a simple jump quest. The narrative elements present are deemed unsatisfying and fail to enhance the overall experience, leading to comparisons with more compelling platformers.
- “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.”
- “Actually, if you played MapleStory, I would describe it as a jump quest but in a snowy village.”
- “Story: ★☆☆☆☆”
- “☑ no story”
- “☑️ this game has no story”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional response to the game, experiencing a mix of frustration and inspiration. The challenging mechanics lead to feelings of anger and sadness, with some even reporting tears after prolonged play. Despite its minimalistic design, the game's difficulty evokes strong emotional reactions, highlighting the impact of gameplay on players' feelings.
- “The game didn't give me an HP bar, but I still sustained emotional damage.”
- “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.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized due to slippery physics, buggy hitboxes, and inconsistent controls, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences such as erratic jumping and a lack of responsiveness. Overall, these issues significantly detract from the overall enjoyment and challenge of the game.
- “It has slippery physics and buggy hitboxes, so it's getting a bugged grade.”
- “Controls are buggy; sometimes I didn't jump, sometimes I did long weird jumps, and sometimes it felt like I was 'running' on a soapy floor or in the air.”
- “This is difficult because of those weird buggy controls and hitboxes; the levels are not that difficult.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the game offers some performance control for high-refresh-rate monitors, there are notable optimization issues, particularly with hitboxes and sprite counts, which can lead to performance dips.
- “The hitboxes seem poorly optimized.”
- “There is a slight optimization issue when sprite count is high.”
- “This would provide better performance control, especially for players using high-refresh-rate monitors.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted as a highlight, with players finding certain traps amusing and the overall comedic elements enjoyable. However, the frustration stemming from gameplay mechanics and level design can overshadow the humor, leading to mixed feelings about the experience.
- “Funny but hard”
- “Very funny game didn't rage.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game suffers from poor level design and mechanics, leading to a lack of replayability and substance. Many players feel that the experience does not warrant repeated playthroughs, with some only engaging 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.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's simple yet effective design fosters a unique atmosphere that enhances gameplay by minimizing distractions, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
- “The simple yet effective design creates a unique atmosphere that allows you to focus on the gameplay without unnecessary distractions.”
- “The haunting soundtrack and beautifully crafted environments immerse you in a world that feels alive and full of mystery.”
- “Every detail, from the lighting to the ambient sounds, contributes to an atmosphere that is both captivating and immersive.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment, suggesting that a second life or extra effort may be necessary to progress effectively.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization aspect of games made with GameMaker Studio is frequently criticized for resulting in shovelware and lazy cash grabs, indicating a tendency for developers to prioritize profit over quality.
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
- “I find the in-game purchases to be overpriced and unnecessary, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending a fortune.”
- “The constant push for microtransactions ruins the immersion and makes it feel like a money grab rather than a genuine gaming experience.”