Minutes Reviews
'Minutes' might be a minimalist game, but it's not a simple one, and while Red Phantom Games' latest can be beaten in an hour, it'll last most gamers much longer.
Minutes does exactly what it says on the tin and it does it beautifully, which is quite a feat considering developer Red Phantom Games is actually just one person, Richard Ogden. An essential title for on-the-go gaming on PS Vita, and a damn fine puzzler on PS4.
There is a lot to like about Minutes and its most egregious flaw is that it ends so soon. Thankfully, due to daily challenges and multiple goals in each level, Minutes has a lot of replay value that helps the game justify its price-point. Red Phantom Games has managed to put an interesting spin on a genre that has fallen in popularity. While it may not be the title to bring bullet hell shooters back to prominence, it has delivered enough interesting ideas to be worth the time to anyone looking for a pick-up and play title.
Simple like a classic Swatch watch, it's Minutes' exceptional mechanics that make this indie worth your time. Clean, colourful, and effortlessly cool, this is a reminder that you don't need a million dollars to make something special.
Minutes surprised me with its challenging yet fun gameplay. After a few rounds of gameplay I was hooked and now whenever I need to take a short break I find myself reaching for my Vita to give this game a few Minu... err, rounds.
Red Phantom Games has made an interesting – and highly playable – game with Minutes, a title that's too short for its own good, but makes up for it in spades with gameplay that easily welcomes you back for multiple rounds, and a presentation that doesn't go overboard with flash, instead simply letting soak in more game time. These Minutes may go by fast, but it's hardly time wasted.
While not incredibly complex on the surface, Minutes offers up a challenging style of gameplay that requires you to constantly think on the fly, while having a blast. It might be closer to a causal gaming experience than a console experience, but it's nonetheless fun at the end of the day.
Minutes is very challenging, and a successful navigation through the madness of the later stages is incredibly satisfying. Sadly the amount of babying and learning through failure results in an experience that gives you something to achieve – but won't actually let you properly do that for far too long.
It is often the case that a great little game will spring up out of nowhere, and that's definitely the situation here with Red Phantom Games' Minutes. Simple to play but very addictive, and challenging but rarely frustrating, Minutes delivers quick-burst, hectic puzzle-action gameplay with enough to come back to on a daily basis. It is well worth the money, and it will be good to see just what else the studio comes out with in the future after this great first independent project.
Even though there are a lot of heavy hitters coming out in the next few weeks may sure to keep an eye on the wonderful Minutes; it maybe short, but it is certainly sweet.
Minutes is an innovative experience that manages to capture your heart through the clever premise. However, it's way too challenging for its own good and becomes downright punishing as you progress through the levels. Still, if you're interested in something refreshing and aren't afraid of constantly retrying levels, you'll have a great time with this title on the PS4 or on the PS Vita, as it's cross-buy enabled.
So in the end Minutes is a simple, minimalist, but high-action arcade game. It's an impressive, creative and enjoyable indie game, though it lacks the brilliant high thinking and narrative that went into likeminded arthouse games like Hohokum and Entwined. But if you've got a couple of dollars sitting on your PlayStation Network account, you're not really going to go wrong with purchasing this.
Minutes is an interesting high score chaser with easy to learn gameplay.
A clever, abstract take on a bullet hell shooter that breaks the action up into very short bursts. It's challenging, fun to play and very addictive. A great indie game to play between AAA titles.