If you read the blurb just over a week ago, then you’re here to read a review about Min. If not, well it still looks like you’re here to read the review. Hang on tight, because the world of Min is going to go blast off at super speed. Well technically that is only in relation to the planet Min, because to us Min is only the size of a beach ball. Yet despite that, Min’s people are much like ours. They’ve fought and warred for who knows how long. Still, they’ve managed to come together to use their planet to explore space.
When watching the video on that preview article, it was difficult to figure out exactly how the game is played. Sure it is easy to grasp the it is almost an on rails game, with movement allowed inside the rails. Though instead of rails, I suppose it is more like a track to race through. That idea is certainly a solid one because speed is the name of the game. Well, the name of the game is Min, but speed certainly plays a role. Since the single player competes against a global leaderboard for the fastest times, the playing field needs to be leveled, literally. So the player will control Min and help it traverse the tunnel of whatever space debris it is exploring avoiding anything that would slow down the planet. Crashing is an option, but one that will reset you from the nearest invisible checkpoint and add time onto your total.
Controlling Min is another story all together. At first glance, I was hoping that the game was utilizing the motion control found in the iOS devices. I was surprised to find out that instead of holding an iPad in front of me and maneuvering it like a wheel, that I would actually be using my fingers. The left hand/thumb is used to control the acceleration and braking. If you continue to hold down the gas pedal, Min will eventually gain speed. If you upgrade Min, the planet will gain more speed and faster. This is the challenge as you control the planet’s movement with your finger, sliding it to avoid dangers. To me, this actually ends up harder than I think it would be guiding Min with the whole tablet. Usually by the time I flick my finger to get the planet out of one danger, I immediately put it in danger of something else. This game is not easy and gets harder the more you play it. This is mostly due to the fact that to make Min faster to get a better score, you upgrade the planet or craft extra boosters. A vicious cycle forms from the need for speed.
While you are playing Min, you might notice how spectacular the visuals are. This was even more readily apparent on our iPad 2. The game is running on the Unreal Development Kit and games that use it never disappoint me in this area. I was surprised though at just how beautiful the game looks for both being on a mobile device and for being free. If you did catch it during the news blurb or in the last sentence, the game is free. “How?”, you might ask. The answer lies in micro-purchases. You see, those nifty points you can earn to craft items for Min or to unlock higher levels, can also be purchased instead of earned. Now don’t worry about somebody being able to gain an advantage by buying it. Simply put, even if you can get a new level or make Min go faster, you will have to have quick fingers to get Min to the finish line. Though it was surprising to see that only the first three levels are playable unless you earn your way higher, it only makes me want to perfect my game and earn my way in.
Title: Min
Platform: iOS (iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad 3)
Developer: Cwerki Studios
Price: FREE
Release Date: 6/18/2012
Why not watch a trailer?
Matt is a writer that has been around the block. Currently he can be found running the video game section of Geek-Republic.com. He also writes at NerdVice and 20SidesofNerd in his spare time. Yeah, Pretty much a writing whore...
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