Minit (2018) is a simple adventure game, framed much like a top-down Zelda, where there are only sixty seconds until death. It's very similar to Half-Minute hero (2009) in that sense, except that there is twice the amount of time, and time never stops under any circumstance (except when pausing). After picking up a cursed sword, it's up to the main character to rid themselves of the minute curse. The game features a simplistic monochromatic look, utilising only black and white pixel art, and it's used to great effect. It's very reminiscent of Downwell (2015), which precedes it by about three years.

Unfortunately, the game is half-baked in every way. There's nothing wrong with the game's short duration (two to three hours), but nothing particularly interesting occurs. There's a sword, but combat is mostly an afterthought, and with the exception of a few enemies scattered about, the sword's slow attack is mostly used to interact with objects in the world in order to find items or solve puzzles. The latter being another weak component, since anything resembling a puzzle is fairly basic, and usually only involves finding an item in order to explore more of the map. One case of a more "traditional" puzzle is something akin to a teleporter maze from a Pokémon gym, which isn't exactly compelling, and these types of rooms are few and far between.

In that sense, despite the resemblance to something like Zelda, the game lacks both combat and puzzle solving, so it effectively becomes a game about traversal. Every time death occurs, the player further familiarises themselves with the world, and can chart a course more effectively when they revive. It's interesting that the game is so tied to the concept of death, with one of the two buttons being a dedicated "die" button. Effectively, there's an attack button and a button that resets. As a way to ward off monotony, it's possible to come across different "homes" (places that serve as restart points) farther from the starting area, so that it becomes possible to explore further reaches more easily.

In the end, the gameplay being about "running around" isn't particularly fun. The fact that the game has very little action, but culminates with a final boss, complete with elaborate (albeit easy) bullet patterns is pretty silly, and emphasises the lack of direction. The game should have focused more on puzzles, specifically ones that play with the concept of dying and reviving. Perhaps something like leaving, or placing things down, and having things happen during the interim, or even things in the world changing every time death occurs. This game is the epitome of a "concept game", lacking both focus and depth.

Rating: 5.5/10

Very fun, quick little game. Uses its core gimmick well and doesn't overstay its welcome.