Minishoot’ Adventures

Developer: SoulGame Studio
Publisher: SoulGame Studio, IndieArk
Platforms: PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 3rd April, 2024
Price: 14.99 USD, 21.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Minishoot’ Adventures is a recently released title that triples as a shoot-em-up, Metroidvania, and bullet hell experience. Players control a mini spaceship on a quest to heal the world from corruption and defeat several enemies scattered across different environments. At first glance, the game doesn’t make too many outlandish promises or guarantee a unique experience. However, there are lots of surprises and unexpected components of Minishoot’ Adventures that elevate the game to another level. Could this title make waves and become a contender for one of the most acclaimed games of the year? 

Story

Minishoot’ Adventures keeps its premise short and sweet – occasional onscreen text appears at critical moments to tee up a story. Otherwise, the focus is always on gameplay and exploration. Players are told that Corruption has made its way into the world, and the Unchosen is back. You play as a miniature spaceship and are tasked with finding other spaceships, dubbed ‘Shipling friends’, to regain power and restore balance to the world. 

This was all the story players needed to understand and appreciate the game, and while it would’ve been nice to learn more lore about the world of Minishoot’ Adventures, it’s unnecessary to enjoy this game.

Gameplay

Minishoot’ Adventures combines numerous types of gameplay to craft its experience. The main component is a shoot-em-up combat experience with bullet hell environments and enemies. Players control a mini spaceship that acquires a gun at the beginning of the game to eradicate enemies of varying sizes and health amounts. You can upgrade your gun and other stats, such as movement speed, through a skill tree – you earn points every time you defeat enemies. This was all straightforward and familiar, and the game doesn’t get overly creative with its mechanics, which allows it to do what it does strongly. 

Exploration is also a major part of Minishoot’ Adventures, and its map features multiple environments with differing enemies, interaction points, and mechanics. Progressing through to the end of the game requires fully moving around the map, which makes exploring both necessary and enjoyable. 

Other mechanics and challenges exist in the game: one trial available has your spaceship participate in a race and requires you to win. While different players will likely enjoy certain aspects of the gameplay more than others, there’s certainly something for everyone. All these unique features still felt cohesive and well-thought-out.

Visuals

The game presents as a top-down 2D world, with bright colors and relatively simple objects and enemies. The atmosphere and visuals sometimes felt akin to Zelda, particularly when exploring the more fantastical regions of the map. The camera pans or zooms out when approaching a critical area to feature a more cinematic angle. This was always a fun surprise.

The colorful and bold environment absolutely enhanced the gameplay experience but didn’t distract from it.

Audio

The music in Minishoot’ Adventures is very typical for a video game of its type, in the best way possible. The soundtrack is wondrous, high-energy, and very reactive toward what occurs on the screen. As you transition from one map area to another, the music shifts seamlessly. The same goes for when you enter a boss battle or enemy encounter. 

What I enjoyed most about the audio experience was all the different sound effects in the game, from the bullet noises to the menu buttons. Everything felt extremely satisfying, all the time. Leveling up felt amazing due to the immediate audio feedback you received in-game, and the same can be said for many other moments. This game certainly makes you feel rewarded for progression, and sound is one of the many ways it does so.

Overall

Playing Minishoot’ Adventures was a great time. The game understands what it wants to be and follows in the footsteps of many iconic preceding titles, which isn’t bad in this case. The game’s willingness to stay true to genres made it a solid and enjoyable time. After concluding my playthrough, I wished there was more and thought about playing again.

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