GM Edge

MINUBEAT, by cactus
      I would call this a minigame. I usually hate minigames, but this one has given me some hope in that category. The thing that stuck out differently about this game compared to most of the other GM made games that I’ve played in the past is the smoothness and innovativeness of MINUBEAT. The game combines the classic scrolling space shooter with Dance Dance Revolution. The funny this is, you only have a minute to play the game.
      Yes, I know these sound like impossible styles to combine, but MINUBEAT does it incredibly. The main point of this game is to press the buttons “Z, X, and/or C” on the beat to the music in the background. The game shows very little documentation but all it takes it a few tries to figure out how to play. You can use the arrow keys to gently move around. “Z” fires three laser bursts on every eighth note (two times a beat) in the direction you’re moving. “X” fires four fast homing mines that attack to the nearest enemy and explode (on a beat) when all of the mines are touching something. “C” as far as I can tell destroys all of the enemy’s projectiles seen on the screen.

      The thing that dragged me into this game wasn’t the short and simple game play, it was the aspect of having to push the keys to a rhythm of a strangely addictive beat playing in the background. Think of a huge machine pounding metal and a grate blowing smoke into the air.

      For all of those who don’t like reading a lot of words, here is just a little synopsis of the good and bad parts of MINUBEAT, in my opinion:
The Good:
-Smooth, matching graphics

-Great sound effects and background sound

-Easy controls

-Not to complicated for a minigame
The Bad:

-Too short

-Lack of enemy differential.

-Having to start over at the beginning when dead is tedious

-Lack of story and depth (not really necessary for a minigame)
     

Basically, I want cactus to make this into a full length game and add more features, maybe add a story and levels. It’s such a good idea for a full length game I think it gets wasted in just a minigame.