MindsEye review: Destined for the bargain bin

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The narrative surrounding MindsEye is more captivating than the tale about MindsEye. Initially, it appeared to be a typically bold GTA-like action game, conceived by a studio led by a former Rockstar executive. However, things took an unexpected turn. The manner in which MindsEye was portrayed in press releases, for instance, had an unsettling quality that was difficult to define. It felt as if I were reading promotional content for a fictitious game within the context of an episode of Law and Order.

As a passionate gamer, my experience with the enigmatic title, MindsEye, has been nothing short of puzzling. The cryptic communications clashed with an apparent unwillingness to demonstrate the game to the media, followed by strange remarks from a high-ranking official in a Discord forum hinting at some sort of plot to sabotage it.

Upon release, the game was plagued with bugs and garnered low ratings from the select few outlets that got their hands on it. Moreover, the ownership has added fuel to the conspiracy theories. Frankly, I’m still skeptical about whether MindsEye is a genuine video game, given my personal playthrough of it!

As a fan, I’ve got to admit that the whole MindsEye situation is peculiar, with an influencer becoming viral due to a lack of politeness during a sponsored stream. But here’s the thing – despite the oddities surrounding it, the game itself isn’t a total catastrophe.

There were some attempts in the media to ridicule this game, much like they did with other high-profile flops such as Mass Effect Andromeda. However, truth be told, MindsEye is just plain dull – it’s boring, even by PS2 standards where games like these would have quietly gathered dust in bargain bins. It’s a strikeout, without the bombastic craziness or unintentional humor that makes you chuckle. Frankly, it’s no match for Crime Boss, let me tell you that much.

Anyway, here’s what MindsEye is about

In MindsEye, we follow Jacob Diaz, an ex-military man, who once piloted a drone during a mission exploring a mysterious buried ziggurat. An unknown force caused the drone to malfunction and assault his squad, leaving Diaz with unanswered questions for years. His pursuit of truth leads him to Redrock City, a futuristic Las Vegas-like setting envisioned under Tesla’s control. There, he attempts to infiltrate the Silva corporation in hopes of finding answers about the ziggurat incident. The information he seeks comes at the cost of tasks reminiscent of video games from the early 2000s – mainly driving and shooting. Mostly it involves driving to locations for shooting purposes, returning to the initial spot to receive directions for heading to another location to engage in more shooting.

Here’s what you do in MindsEye

In the game MindsEye, the activities you engage in – controlling a drone and shooting – are neither captivating, innovative, nor exceptional. Operating the drone for special moves on cooldown is about as exciting as it gets, but these actions barely stand out from each other. The shooting mechanic is very fundamental, with only a cover button available; there are no additional movements aside from aiming and firing. You can’t even hip fire! Driving feels like navigating elevators to disguise loading screens. You aren’t permitted to deviate from mission objectives while driving, can’t use vehicles other than the designated one (in most instances), and are frequently urged by characters via your ear piece to reach the objective more quickly than seems feasible. You’re also restricted from checking the map beyond the mini-map, which is useful when it’s hard to discern exactly where you should go.

The narrative appears to revolve around an assortment of seemingly unrelated elements – AI problems, eccentric tech moguls, Burning Man festival (which seems overly present in this game), corrupt officials, militaristic antagonists reminiscent of Disney villains, and other oddities. However, these components don’t seem to contribute significantly to the story or offer any meaningful commentary. Instead, they seem to act as mere props moving the protagonist, Jacob, along until the climax, at which point aliens are introduced almost as a diversion from the fact that the game has led you on a ten-hour journey without much substance.

MindsEye, one of the video games of all time

As an enthusiast, I’ve come across another intriguing feature that somewhat resembles a level editor, but with added complexity. This seems to align with the developer Build a Rocket Boy’s focus on “democratizing game development,” as hinted in those press releases. However, the idea of tinkering with a level editor for something that reminds me of being marketed a shady video game design course doesn’t quite appeal to me. It feels like dabbling with MindsEye could potentially lead me into an embarrassing scenario, akin to getting sucked into the most humiliating “isekai” situation imaginable if a storm were to strike. I prefer to steer clear of such risks, it seems.

Mind’s Eye isn’t a “so-bad-it’s-good” kind of game; instead, it’s just average and unremarkable. The concept is underdeveloped, the writing lacks depth, the gameplay is forgettable, and everything else about it is bland. Even the bugs aren’t amusing enough to stand out. However, the suggestion of sabotage hinted at by Build a Rocket Boy’s leadership is intriguing. Will we ever find out who tampered with what aspects of this mediocre video game, preventing it from reaching its full potential? Or was it just desperate executives spinning the Accountability Wheel? The truth may never be revealed, as Mind’s Eye might already be destined to be forgotten by the time any answers surface. After all, we no longer have bargain bins for games like this.

Currently, MindsEye can be played on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S consoles. For this review, Shacknews acquired an Xbox version of the game.

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2025-07-08 16:57