Review: Minit – PS4

Minit on PS4 is an oddity. I remember looking at the gameplay trailer and thinking “this is not for me. No bloody way.” Then the review code came through and everyone else was busy, so it fell on me. I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be the one covering Minit, but that soon changed.
Minit is still and oddity, though, as you’re given a top-down open world game that you can only play in one minute bursts. It’s an odd concept and I was initially sceptical. Once in the game I was able to move around until I found a sword. Ah, but bugger’s luck, it’s cursed. From here on in you’re doomed to die every 60 seconds. In an open world. Can you imagine if GTA tried that? There’d be riots in the streets.

Minit finds a way to keep things going and, I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised once I finally finished the game. Simplicity is at the heart of Minit, and that covers everything from its story, presentation, controls, and goals. Each run starts at your house, and once you leave your dwelling you’ve got 60 seconds to do as much as you can. Thankfully the open world isn’t too big, and along the way you’ll unlock new locations to call home.
Game Info

• Developer: JW, Kitty, Jukio, and Dom
• Release Date:
• Price: $9.99/£7.99/€9.99

Each run had me running around talking to as many NPCs as possible, accepting any and all quests, and generally being a nosey sod for as long as I possibly could. Completing missions from non-player characters rewards you with useful bits of kit, and you’ll need these to get further along. You’ll also come across some stuff by accident.

Those with a decent memory will surely get the most out of Minit, as well as speedrunners looking to trim their times. The open world is separated into different locations. Think how you moved around in OG Zelda back in the day; one screen of action at a time. I’ve not got the best memory, so I ended up – no joke – I ended up drawing a map on a pad of paper to help me keep track of where I’d been, who was where, and so on. It turned out to be really useful, so if you’re a bit of a fish brain like myself, I highly recommend getting a bit of paper together while you play.
There’s some combat in Minit but given the game’s quick nature, it’s not all that deep. You’ll fight a few enemies here and there but it’s hardly the meat of the experience. The main takeaway of Minit is that it’s a quirky little game that’s fun to play in short bursts, but I reckon dedicated players could sit and finish it in one sitting. The total run time for Minit is around 2-3 hours, or at least that’s what my total playtime clocked up to, but it could be longer if you’re a trophy whore, and it could be shorter if you’re a mastermind. I am neither…