Minit On iPhone Is A Near Perfect Mobile Experience – Review (iOS)

By Ben Smith Last updated Jun 26, 2019

Minit is a bite sized game with a big story and lots of exploration. The catch is that you only have one minute to accomplish you goals. After this minute passes, you’ll die and the game will be reset.

Think of Minit a bit like the 1993 film Groundhog Day. In the film, Bill Murray’s character lives the same day over and over again. Throughout his repeated experiences he picks up new and interesting skills and critical information to help him achieve his end goal. Story similarities between Minit and Groundhog Day are nearly nonexistent, but the overall concept of learning from repetition is the same.

In Minit, players will be given one minute to accomplish as much as they can before dying and the timeline being reset. The player will need to accomplish as much as they can in that minute to set themselves up for the next minute, in which they will somewhat retain the skills and progression they achieved in the previous round.

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For instance, at one point a shopkeeper asks you to kill some crabs. You’ll be able to kill the crabs and report back to the shopkeeper during one life. In return, he’ll give you some coffee which unlocks the skill of moving blocks. Chances are you won’t live much longer before your minute expires. However, in the next one minute round, you’ll retain the ability of being able to move rocks with ease. This allows you to enter new areas you couldn’t access previously.

Minit also allows you to unlock a fast travel system which helps you travel to different unlocked parts of the map with ease. This mechanic makes it possible to go further than a few screens away from where your character begins the top-down adventure.

Combat is remarkably simple. Face your character in the direction you want them to attack and tap the screen. The virtual joystick can sometimes be a thorn in the flesh as it isn’t always precise enough for direction based melee combat, but it does the job and is familiar.

Though Minit is short and can be beaten fairly quickly, it’s immensely satisfying (and perhaps a little anxiety inducing) to have a clock ticking down the seconds in which you can accomplish something before a reset comes and forces you to begin your trek anew.

Artwork in Minit is minimal and refined, and it makes an incredible amount of sense. If there were too much more detail to the world it would be very easy to get distracted and waste VERY valuable time. On the flip side, it’s exactly detailed enough to help you find new paths and objectives without too much hunting around. The combination of low resolution and satisfying gameplay are on full display here.

Minit was released by publisher Devolver Digital in 2018, but has now come to Android and iOS as well. The changes from the original game are minimal but the inclusion of a touch sensitive joystick to control your character paired with the one-button touch controls make this the perfect game to play on the run. The joystick, like in nearly any games ported to a phone operating system, can be a bit wonky at times, but it doesn’t detract from the overall experience too much.

The mobile port is the perfect experience for someone who is on the go and, literally, may only have a minute or two to play at a time. While we found Minit to be most satisfying in longer stints, it certainly is a great game to carry around in your pocket. Funky, inprecise touch-based controls threatened to kill the experience for us, but the sense of nostalgia, innovative concept, and satisfying sense of exploration still make minute a must play for anyone who has a minute.

Minit is available today for Android and iOS devices.