Minds Beneath Us Review | PC

I have this hobby of working or sleeping to the soothing voices of certain YouTubers, narrating as they play story-driven indie games – especially if the theme is horror. Honestly, the more bone-chilling, the better. If it is not listening in to those gameplays, certainly playing them myself also fills me with glee.

Upon coming across Minds Beneath Us, I just looked at the art, then my Steam library, which led me to add it to my list, as tradition, art is all it takes for me to fall. Science fiction is not necessarily my thing, but the just really art looked great, so, eh. Honestly, I was putting it off for a bit upon getting it.

Well now, I had the game, and it has been sitting in my library for a while. I did not want to let it get to a point where it would be one of the many other titles I neglected as I have been trying to rear that habit to a close recently. With a sigh and smacks against my face cheeks to get it together, I launched Minds Beneath Us.

You start Minds Beneath Us by playing as this old geezer, banging on a door that is seemingly locked, in this hospital room with a beautiful nightscape of the city. This already set the tone of the science-fiction theme I have been dreading, but with how stunning it looked, I did not mind it at all, surprisingly.

Walking towards the other end of the room after the failed attempt at making it out, I happened upon a screen of data on three people; one of them was an elderly person, me. One of the other three is named dead, and the last remaining is relaxed on one of the beds. Albert is his name and awake, he is.

With absolutely no introduction, he just asks my character a question, as if I am supposed to know where the heck I am and why I am here. Minds Beneath Us is clearly aware of my confusion, so from here begins the array of dialogue options. I can either play along or keep asking questions and… risk being betrayed?

See, I have an unimaginable amount of distrust in my body, regardless of what it is I am faced with. In this case, it is a character in a video game. A random character in a game that cannot do any harm to me in my real day-to-day life, yes. My severe trust issues made me play along, because there was no way I was going to let this science-fiction piece of media get an ‘AHA!’ on me first thing.
 

Me worrying about being on the receiving end of that ‘AHA!’ moment was a valid concern, because I was right. The anxiety slowly seeped into my body with the revelation of the entire scenario being fabricated by a simulation, with the intention of getting information out of Albert. The distortions and glitches from the scene raise the question of Why? Why do I have to do it? What is my role?

I am a being, a tech perhaps, that infiltrates the minds of existing bodies. I am an M.B.U., as stated by the large dark figure on the other side of the glass which was formerly the nightscape I was praising. I am then taken out of this old man’s body and put into another individual, a former military man named Jason Dai. Before I knew it, my prejudices against science fiction left my mind completely.

BearBone Studio’s Minds Beneath Us is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of a story and surpasses the expectations of the ordinary visual novel-esque games, though it is not officially described as one—which is a shame. I do not think I would have been so averse to the idea of actually sitting down to play the game as I was initially if I knew how the game unravels. After all, my favorite genre of games is visual novels.

The narrative depicts people who are fighting for survival in a dirty, cruel, and unfair environment while attempting to maintain their moral compass and sanity. This is not the game for you if you are hoping for a tidy, conclusive tale. Things tend not to be black and white and that represents the message Minds Beneath Us tries to convey.

Imperfections, compromises, and hazy boundaries prevail throughout the world. There is no ‘end’ to real life, unlike in movies. Everything you do has repercussions, and you are going to live with those repercussions forever. On the other hand, it is possible that they are only preparing for a potential sequel down the road.
 

The thematic investigation is Minds Beneath Us' strong suit. The struggle to find harmony between ideals and the complexity of life plays a major role. Any cynical grownup can tell you that good intentions can lead to bad outcomes and that nice people seldom come out on top. Making sensible choices is rarely a picnic.

Minds Beneath Us is a game that is reminiscent of those made by Quantic Dream. There are essentially three components to the gameplay: exploration, decision-making, and Quick Time Events. As part of your research, you are free to look about, notice things, and record specifics.

Notice the notes on the floor, the images on individuals' desks, and the food stolen from the break room? Those are the minor narrative aspects that are revealed in Minds Beneath Us. Some of these details are helpful to have, as they could provide conversation options down the road. This game sometimes promotes curiosity, so be sure to keep an eye out.

This is emphasized by the game's choice system, which makes your selections feel weighty. Without coming off as hopeless or gloomy, it brilliantly communicates its message and viewpoint. You get decent payback from your decisions. Though, it may not be typically satisfying if your actions cause someone's death.

When we say that your decisions have a gratifying effect, we mean that you can see how they affect the conversation and the relationships you are in. It is not like, say, Persona's dialogue choices, where you have a few possible conversational routes that both lead to the same place—things like 'yeah' or 'uh-huh'. Be cautious, since there is no game over the screen, your actions will have repercussions.
 

I recall feeling a certain type of way when I was introduced to the screening process. You are tasked to interview four potential workers from poverty-ridden areas, and they tend to be desperate. With that information in mind, you can just tell how difficult it is going to be to pick between all of them. What is more is that this is a test for your higher-up to see if you are fit for the company.

Each interviewee has their own determination to get the job. Four very heavy reasonings and erratic behaviors. I opted for the dialogue choices that were more considerate and understanding – basically, I let them ramble about their issues because I thought that would make it easier. But just saying that sounds wrong, does it not? Like, am I supposed to discriminate on who has it worst in their life?

It really put me in a state of thought and that whole section took me longer than it was supposed to if I had just gone down the path of strictly business and what they can offer. The process also made me question myself and my values, something I was really not expecting.

I saw that I had biases when I was leaning toward the anxious student rather than the person I ended up selecting to pass my test. I think an excellent commentary is done, somewhere out there, on the topic where you will feel more for the person you see a lot of yourself in, or at least to an extent.

Lastly, we have the QTE sequences. Some action sequences call for lightning reflexes—or, more specifically, the ability to tap the screen at the touch of a button. Shame there is no way to ‘press X for Shawn'. Kidding, sorry, I had to throw in a Heavy Rain reference in here somewhere.
 

The Quick Time Events come in two ways, again as dialogue options, and for combat. The ones for dialogue are the obvious ‘say something quick or risk the consequences’ type. However, the only combat you will find in Minds Beneath Us is through the Quick Time Events.

The thought of a game, with science fiction elements present, not having combat the way you would expect, may sound jarring to the ordinary gaming fan. But, I would like to argue that not having those mechanics does not make it disinteresting. If anything, it is around those times I had to actually properly sit up and time the buttons perfectly.

Combat in Minds Beneath Us feels a lot more like how it would feel if you were faced with the probabilities of violence in the natural world – tension-packed and unexpected. Out of seemingly nowhere, a peer could barge into the room and scream that someone is going around, stabbing people. Then, upon meeting the knife-wielding slasher, and seeing your friend on the other side grabbing onto his stomach wound, it is your self-imposed duty to take care of this mess.

Time the space bar to dodge and the E key to neutralize man properly, and you may not have to die. It is very simple, but it fires up the player enough adrenaline to make it actually fun. Not to mention that not being able to hit the buttons at the perfect times would be embarrassing, definitely not speaking from experience. 

Although there is a lack of facial features, each individual in Minds Beneath Us is easily identifiable, and memorable. The characters here carried the game and did not leave me dreading interactions with them. This might be an unpopular opinion, but the elevator conversations with the characters are something I actually look forward to. For whatever reason, whenever someone gets stuck in an elevator with me, they feel the need to expose their thoughts and vulnerabilities.
 

Minds Beneath Us looks breathtaking with the mixture of the 2D drawn characters and the 3d backgrounds. It looks even more spectacular with the cityscapes of the Asian metropolis, which is obviously based on Taiwan. Even some of the more comfortable scenes when you are out of reach from the stinging neon lights, your girlfriend Frances’ apartment, or the rooftop of the farm’s building in the quiet of night, make you feel safe considering how much privacy is risk everywhere else.

That being said, the combination of the dreary gray walls and the surveillance equipment that track your every step creates the unsettling sensation that someone is always watching you. Considering the terrifying prologue that makes you question everything you see, this is especially valid.

I was surprised by how outstanding the sound effects were, especially given how light the action game is. Playing strong music is typically done while making major choices. Pulsating, fast-paced music accompanies combat, while upbeat, carefree tunes complement more light-hearted moments. The score in Minds Beneath Us is adequate.

To reiterate, this is not a game to forget about the real world. At times, you will have to take a step back from the game and realize that, wow, this is all genuine. I think Minds Beneath Us did an exceptional job at making me feel vulnerable during the times I was engaged in deep conversations with Frances. Such a good job in fact, that even I understood why Jason fell in love with her.

The game, Minds Beneath Us, offers decent value for the money as you may return to explore all the paths and options you have not explored before. In around twelve hours, you may complete the game—or longer if you are as picky as I am and prefer to explore every inch. I am definitely putting this as one of my favourite indie games of all time, and I will keep an open mind for other projects that are of genres I usually do not invest in.
 

Jennifer
Editor, NoobFeed