More than the bare minimum.
Minimum is quite unlike anything I’ve played before.
Sure, I’ve played a laundry list of MOBAs and Arena Shooters over the years, but this one felt unique in a way that I could only describe as “refreshing”.
However, a myriad of bugs and the less than inspiring horde and death match modes hold this title back from true greatness.
Rock em Sock em Titans!
MSRP: $9.99
Platforms: PC
Demo Availability: N/A
Length: Multiplayer focused game so it’ll last as long as you enjoy playing it.
From a visual standpoint, “Minimum” takes its title quite literally.
All the characters and geometry is made up of simple blocks, and devoid of complex colors.
What seemed at first like a silly gimmick turned out to be a charming aesthetic that looked much better in motion than I originally anticipated.
While the visuals are simple, the game play was quite the opposite, with complex mechanics adding a new twist to the conventional MOBA formula.
The main appeal lies in the Titan mode, where two teams are tasked with gathering resources to build a strong Titan and supporting it in battle while it takes down the opposing team’s Titan and, eventually, destroying the main core.
The players are able to upgrade their armor, which has positive and negative effects like the ability to take more damage but become encumbered and move slower.
Weapons are upgraded by killing other players, but unlike the armor parts, they do not persist after death, which encouraged players to pick their fights wisely.
It’s an epic war of attrition, and balancing between targeting other players and the AI Titan felt crucial to success.
There was also a myriad of weapons to craft between the typical assault rifles and shotguns to giant katana swords suited for taking down Titans.
Using guns and swords both have their perks and I found myself switching back and forth between them often.
Unfortunately, while the Titan mode is an absolute blast to play, the Horde and Death match modes felt generic and uninteresting.
Depleting a certain stock number of lives or firing away at an endless stream of bullet spongy enemies- it all felt like an afterthought in the shadows of the mighty Titan mode.
There were also a number of instances of crashes while exiting the game and during the game, which left a bad taste in my mouth, especially when I was in the middle of a close game.
Also, when I had the X360 controller connected to my PC the game couldn’t decide between the two control schemes, and began not accepting my mouse clicks at all, forcing me to disconnect the controller to make it work properly.
At the end of the day Minimum is a great beginning for a new blend of MOBA/Arena Shooter, and while its rough spots hold it back from true greatness, I’m looking forward to seeing where it can go from here.
Fun Tidbit – The game requires the creation of another account outside of the basic steam one to play the game.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
