Minotaur Arcade Volume 1

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Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 is a single player arcade shooter game. It was developed by Llamasoft Ltd. and was released on December 21, 2018. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Minotaur Arcade brings you arcade-style games with a modern twist, playable in 2D or in VR for that 80s Tron "inside an arcade game" feeling. Vol. 1 consists of two Llamasoft classics - "Gridrunner" as the arcade game that might have been, and "GoatUp" as a light-hearted platformer that will have you baaing...

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Single-Player

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100%

Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Gridrunner offers an intense, fast-paced arcade shooter experience with rich retro influences, exceptional visuals, and satisfying gameplay mechanics that appeal to both old-school and modern players.
Goat Up provides a unique and addictive vertical platformer with quirky humor, nostalgic references to classic games, and challenging gameplay that complements Gridrunner well.
Both games include immersive VR support, especially for Oculus Rift, which enhances the visual effects and gameplay, making it a distinctive and engaging experience.

The VR support is currently limited to Oculus headsets, lacking official compatibility with other VR systems like Vive or Windows Mixed Reality, which limits accessibility for some players.
Some users find Goat Up less appealing or harder to grasp initially compared to Gridrunner, and its simplistic graphics may not attract all platformer enthusiasts.
At times, the intense visual and audio effects in Gridrunner can be overwhelming or confusing, particularly on levels with warped grids or heavy particle effects, requiring players to rely heavily on sound cues and practice.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The gameplay expertly blends classic arcade-inspired mechanics with modern twists, offering both nostalgic charm and fresh depth through strategic elements and engaging challenges. Players praise its addictive, fluid controls, subtle audiovisual cues, and the perfect balance of difficulty that keeps the experience compelling and rewarding. Overall, the gameplay is described as both fast-paced and thoughtful, providing hours of enjoyable, skillful play.
- “Whilst it remains true to its centipede-inspired origins and the original 8-bit game, it introduces enough new modern gameplay elements to make it feel fresh and new - including geographical landscapes that affect some of the game mechanics.”
- “The apparently simplistic gameplay has hidden depths that you'll really need to master if you want to get those high scores.”
- “Gridrunner is a full-on arcade style blaster which has perfect fluid mouse control and gameplay which has that fine balance of enough challenge and that one-more-go factor.”
- “In terms of gameplay, think 8 bit classic nebulous, but with goats!”
- “Goat Up was probably my second favourite of the iOS releases; very simple concept and gameplay that is present in several other games - keep jumping up to higher platforms otherwise you'll die - but with a bunch of typical minter-esque tweaks and quirks to make it stand out from the crowd.”
- “Both games offer pretty frenetic gameplay that actually benefits from calmness and not panicking - easy to say, but not easy to do!”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
The graphics blend retro 8-bit and psychedelic visuals with modern enhancements, offering a colorful and trippy aesthetic that evolves into vibrant, particle-filled scenes in later levels. While not as polished or flashy as some other titles, the visuals maintain a charming, nostalgic feel with high-resolution updates and inventive design elements like varied landscapes and cylindrical playfields. Overall, the style balances simplicity and visual appeal, delivering a satisfying and distinctive audiovisual experience.
- “Graphically unimaginable, fantastically playable.”
- “This mix of new-school and old-school echoes the iOS version, but the new version has been gussied up with all-new stages, new enemy types, power ups, and entirely remade visuals.”
- “The graphics can look a little primitive at first with crude borrowed sprites but when things get a little more busy in the later levels it starts to look pretty glorious with all the particles and colours flying everywhere.”
- “In terms of presentation, these games may feel a little stripped down compared to other Llamasoft games, with none of the slick neon and plasma visuals or techno soundtrack of games like Tempest 4000 or Gridrunner Revolution, which may explain why it's a two-pack at a discount price.”
- “Graphics wise not mind blowing, but the aim is to shoot for points.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The music in Gridrunner complements the psychedelic shooter experience by helping players get into a fun, immersive zone with quirky sound effects and thematic references. However, it lacks the polished techno soundtrack and vibrant visuals found in other Jeff Minter games, giving it a more stripped-down presentation overall. Goat Up serves as a simple bonus with minimal musical impact.
- “Gridrunner is a typical Jeff Minter psychedelic shooter: lots of things going on, music and sound help you get into a zone, providing a lot of fun shooting all kinds of weird objects and earning bovine 'moos' and other bull references.”
- “In terms of presentation, these games may feel a little stripped down compared to other Llamasoft games, with none of the slick neon and plasma visuals or techno soundtrack of games like Tempest 4000 or Gridrunner Revolution, which may explain why it's a two-pack at a discount price.”
- “Goat Up is just a nice filler and a bonus game to fill the B side of the main song Gridrunner.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story in the game is minimal, focusing primarily on arcade shooter elements with high score challenges across three modes and a simple side quest involving object collection. It serves more as a backdrop than a narrative-driven experience.
- “A few achievements are in the game but the main quest is just what it should be in an arcade shooter and that is high scores which are held locally and online for all three game modes.”
- “A side quest is the collection of a number of objects.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability, especially appealing to fans of arcade-style gameplay with its engaging and repeatable content.
- “If you like arcade games with plenty of replay value then this will be right up your street.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 is a arcade shooter game.

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Virtual Reality, Windows and others.

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 was released on December 21, 2018.

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 was developed by Llamasoft Ltd..

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1 is a single player game.

Similar games include Tempest 4000, Titan Attacks!, Jamestown, Nex Machina, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved and others.

Minotaur Arcade Volume 1

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