Minute Of Islands
A slow-paced minute
Time to take out the ol’ squid boat and use the magic allen key to fix the engine that sustains the world and stops the poisonous spores in the air from killing everything. Minute Of Islands is confident enough in its setup that it manages to make that frankly ridiculous concept feel almost mundane. As it should, because this is just the way things are for you, as the game’s protagonist and anointed mechanic Mo.
Carrying out her repairs comes in the form of puzzle platforming across a series of islands and caves, while Mo struggles with the physical and mental effects of her role as the Bearer Of The Omni Switch. The environments are creative and pleasantly detailed, often mixing biology and tech in a tantalisingly macabre way.1 Clambering around cliffsides, crumbled buildings, and lifts made out of boat parts is enjoyable, though can be a little buggy, but the levels themselves are more on the tedious side of simplistic. Even so, the core mechanics are sound and the Omni Switch is an interesting device.2
Along the way, you can collect some of Mo’s memories. While mostly easy enough to collect as you go, there’s not much incentive to try to gather all of them, as the brief lines they provide do little to flesh out Mo or her life before the events of the game. This lack of detail is the game’s main flaw, as its fascinating world and ideas are somewhat betrayed by the weak story and lacklustre characterisation. Unfortunately, the attempt to touch on darker themes is also rather ham-fisted, but the concept of exploring the mental effects of being the chosen hero and pressures such a role entails is really intriguing. All in all,
Minute Of Islands is promising but a bit muddled.