MindSeize Version 1.1.0 review

Science fiction is fascinating realm where we can explore some of the “what-if” scenarios our future may present us as new technology is introduced into society. In MindSeize, advancements have allowed the transfer of a person’s mind, or personality, into a machine. So of course immediately following this discovery factions arise that want to take this opportunity to the extreme. Every action platformer that has an emphasis on boss fights needs to come up with some reason for the violence, and a war of philosophy is a great foundation. Engaging the player with a mystery drives a need to explore, and MindSeize provides above average level design and low hand-holding to truly reward that exploration . While MindSeize nails a great premise and a good Metroidvania experience, for mostly technical reasons it falls a little short of greatness in executing its action.

The premise of its story would not be enough if it were just science fiction philosophers arguing about the nature of what makes us human – MindSeize also makes it personal. A radical organization called “The Ascended” kidnaps the protagonist M.C. Fox’s daughter, being obsessed with minds that combine with machinery more easily. During the kidnapping, Fox is paralyzed from the waist down, ironically having to transfer his own mind to a machine in order to track down the Ascended and rescue his girl. The amount of freedom you feel while controlling your robot MAG is juxtaposed against those moments where you’re back in your flesh body, confined to a wheelchair. Without words the game conveys that the Ascended may have a point. However, the plot is much more straight forward than it could have been, with the lost opportunity of developing characters that aren’t protagonist. Villains are more insane than idealistic, and allies aren’t on camera often enough to develop any strong connection with them. For a video game, there’s enough here to drive the player forward, which is all it really needs, but I can’t help but feel the story could have been a major highlight of the game if it had a few more scenes to drive the emotion home. It does however bring up a lot of interesting points to talk about, and creates a good world for an IP to build on, which makes it above average Sci-fi. At the very least it gives us a believable reason for why everyone is fighting to the death.

Much like the Mega Man games that inspired it, boss fights are a central part of the gameplay loop, and for the most part MindSeize delivers a similar experience. There’s a boss for about every 30 minutes of gameplay, assuming you’re not too meticulously looking for secrets. Bosses follow specific patterns that can be either adapted to or memorized to win the war of decreasing health bars. Enemies telegraph attacks and bullets move slow enough that the player is able to react to them, but the patterns are complex enough that it’s easy to get caught off guard unless you’re observant or persistent. Combat is fast and frenetic, and as you discover new powers M.C. Fox becomes agile and fun to control. Speeding past regular enemies and conquering stronger foes is a power trip, and it’s challenging enough to feel like winning is more than just an illusory accomplishment. You’ll eventually have many weapons you can use to adapt a strategy that fits your playstyle, although every option includes the ability to heal yourself during the fight. This healing comes at the cost of taking a dangerous amount of time to activate your repair nano-machines, as well as costing money you may want to save for other things. It’s up to the player to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to win, and unlike many modern Metroidvania games, death actually does cause you to lose everything since the last time you saved. While the healing system is representative of only one of the mechanics that makes MindSeize different, for those familiar with Mega Man, you’ll likely feel right at home here. At least, when everything is working correctly.

Unfortunately the combat is held back a lot by a lack of technical polish. For instance, one of my favorite melee weapons occasionally caused my character to lock up during the swing animation, being unable to jump, and because this is a game about dodging charging bosses, this usually resulted in my death. Platforming also has a few quirks to it; I was ledge grabbing solid walls, sometimes I wouldn’t jump up the side of a platform I was hanging from like I expected it to, and once in a while I was launched a long distance after colliding with an enemy in an apparently unexpected way. Since, at the time of writing, the developers have been actively responding to and correcting these kinds of issues, it wouldn’t be useful to list all of the technical problems I experienced. It’s just something to be aware of if that kind of thing is a deal breaker for you. Definitely check on forums or chat rooms for more advice on the current state of the game. I personally am pretty forgiving of this kind of thing and I was able to have a great time with MindSeize in spite of the sometimes humorous, sometimes not so funny physics issues – and simply talking about them makes them seem more pervasive than they actually are.

There are some design choices that seem a little less unintentional that kind of stifle the action aspect of the game. In general the graphical and sound design of MindSeize is acceptable at its worst, but especially in the late game bosses start to lean on more “Puzzle” solutions to defeat them rather than only relying on great pattern design. The solution to these “puzzles” however are poorly conveyed, with one boss in particular requiring me to complete a small level every time I had to make an attempt only to be frustrated by having no idea how to actually damage them. What you’re actually supposed to do isn’t answered with enough audio or visual feedback to reinforce that you’re doing something right, so you may even try the solution and completely miss that you were actually doing the correct action. Since the game generally sticks to the tropes and expectations of its inspirations, these sudden lock-and-key style bosses seem out of place, and being some of the final encounters of the game it left me with a bit of a sour taste after what was as a whole an above average set of bosses to enjoy.

It’s worth mentioning briefly that MindSeize does include an easy mode for anyone who is having trouble with its action. It’s selectable in the game’s menu at any time, rather than at the start of the game. I do recommend playing with whatever challenges you the most, since as I mentioned before that the story isn’t exactly a major selling point.

The best aspect of MindSeize however isn’t necessarily the action or the story; but rather the level design. In spite of the game taking place on a few different planets each with their own map, exploration is quite deep. You get leads that tell you that the Ascended are somewhere near where you land, but once you set down, it realistically turns you lose to hunt them down without actually knowing any additional information. Just about every objective has two or more pathways to reach them, and in just about every corner of the map are optional upgrades you can find along the way. Sometimes there are entire sections of the map that are optional, tucking away powerful weapons and upgrades that make them well worth finding.

One of the more interesting design decisions related to finding secrets is that MindSeize sort of lacks a “staple collectable” similar to the missiles in Super Metroid, or heart pieces in many other games. The closest thing are upgrades to your healing nanomachines, but a lot of the collectables are instead interesting minor tweaks to abilities you’ve already found. As an example, your main dodging tool is your slide which also happens to make you move faster, so being the kind of person I am this means I was spamming this slide to get just about everywhere I went. One of the upgrades you can find makes it so simply holding down the slide button puts you in a perpetual slide, providing some tactical advantages as well as removing the need to tap the button when just traveling around. Another upgrade makes your grenades drop napalm when they explode, and another makes you stick to walls instead of sliding down them. Often they’re minor changes, but these items are more interesting than just increasing numbers. You also have a few similar tweak options available at the game’s shop, so collecting money either from enemies or finding it lying around gives you more ways to customize your character. The uniqueness of each collectable enhances already great level design by giving you an meaningful rewards to enjoy every aspect of it.

While some of its technical issues and perhaps slightly disappointing story payoff may be a too much of a detractor for some, there’s a lot to love about MindSeize. It has some very good bosses to fight and for the most part its action is on point. Most of all, it’s got some great levels to explore and upgrades that you’re always looking forward to see what they’ll do. The developer, Kamina Dimension, is only going to make the game better as time progresses, and it’s a game that deserves support. MindSeize isn’t without its problems right now, but it’s still a very good game worth checking out even if nothing changes.