This Tuesday, June 10th, MindsEye, a single-player action-adventure thriller by Leslie Benzies, former boss of Rockstar North and one of the main producers of Grand Theft Auto, was finally released. MindsEye is undeniably a GTA-like, with Benzies attempting to recreate the success of GTA, but with his own license. And if the feedback from MindsEye is anything to go by, it's a failure.
MindsEye, the GTA-like that only succeeded in disappointing everyone
Announced with great fanfare, MindsEye was released late Tuesday, June 10. Many action game lovers jumped on it, excitement followed by disappointment. On Steam, the reviews are harsh. MindsEye is being pilloried, with an average of 42% positive ratings for 802 reviews, at the time of writing. Although the story is one of the game's good points, MindsEye is overwhelmed by flaws.
From voice acting to NPC AI, mind-boggling technical issues, an empty and disappointing open world, and above all gameplay that will put off even the most curious, MindsEye is a walking disappointment priced at €59.99 in its classic version, and €79.99 in its Deluxe version. Players have also encountered countless bugs, making, For many, their experience was pure ordeal.
But as some Steam reviews point out, the simple fact that MindsEye dodged sending test versions to the press and content creators already suggested something fishy. Yet, MindsEye was sold as a revolution. "With MindsEye, we wanted to create something original, something that pushes the boundaries, that feels familiar, and that is genuinely fun to play and rewarding to create," explained Leslie Benzies. "Nearly a decade of collaboration was required between the design, tech, narrative, and art teams. This world wasn't just built for players, it was built with the idea that they would eventually take it further."
An ambitious game whose content could grow tenfold over the years, Benzies has already said it plans to expand the MindsEye universe over ten years. Given the feedback, it's possible that these ideas may never see the light of day. However, its studio has already announced that "MindsEye will offer a constantly evolving experience, with new missions, races, and challenges added every month on all platforms, thanks to the power of the Game Creation System developed by BARB."
However, a bad launch doesn't necessarily mean a bad fate. It's hard not to mention the impressive evolution of No Man's Sky, released in 2016 to criticism and ridicule, and whose content has continued to improve and improve via free and constant updates since 2016. No Man's Sky has managed to make up for it, to the point that its rating on Steam went to very positive last year, failing to receive a negative or even average rating at its launch.
MindsEye is not a hopeless case, but remains a real disappointment as it stands. The game has been promoting itself as a revolution for months, a damp squib that now needs to restore its image. But will Build A Rocket Boy and IO Interactive Partners A/S even decide to allocate resources to this effort? Unless the studio is waiting for players to "take it further."
0 Comments