Minds Beneath Us | Steam Deck Review
I’m always on the hunt for a great science-fiction game. I want to enter these worlds and put on the shoes of someone in a different universe than the one I’m in. BearBone Studio has crafted an exceptional dystopian world with Minds Beneath Us. I had high hopes for this title, and it far exceeded my expectations. This is a game that you can’t afford to pass by.
The Future’s Better, Right? Right?!
You are an M.B.U., an unknown entity that can possess certain people. You have no control over whose body you take over or the reason why. You’re soon thrust into Jason Dai, a regular guy who’s yearning to land a job at a flop farm called Vision. Everything starts off normally; you talk to your girlfriend (who also works at the corporation), talk to your slightly annoying next-door neighbor, then head to your interview via the subway. Once you arrive at Vision, though, the information you receive is immediately suspicious.
Jason is soon in over his head with the secrets that are buried within the company and its leaders. Revealing any more of the narrative would be spoiling this rich experience, but trust me. It’s absolutely spectacular and worth every single second of game time. Once I became sucked in, I couldn’t stop playing. It took me about nine and a half hours to complete Minds Beneath Us, but your playtime may be longer or shorter depending on your reading speed and the choices you make. Just be aware that this game does address very serious and heavy topics that could be triggering for some players, so I advise researching these topics ahead of time if you think you could be sensitive to anything that is portrayed.
New Tech, More Opportunities
The gameplay mechanics of Minds Beneath Us are simple; you walk around environments, engage in quick-time fights, occasionally investigate areas, and make dialogue choices and decisions that affect your playthrough. I adored the amount of freedom I had in shaping Jason’s life. You can affect relationships, majorly mess up at your job, or be a stand-up employee who is liked by most everyone. Jason’s future is up to you, and the responsibility feels real and weighty. I was heavily invested in his life and the welfare of those around him. The decisions also don’t feel black or white; there’s always a gray area in each selection. You really have to think about the risks and rewards of each option.
Neon-Drenched Secrets
The graphics and sound design are outstanding in Minds Beneath Us. The visual style oozes futuristic dystopian vibes. Neon signs illuminate the night, the streets are grimy, and the Vision building is so clean that it feels a little too sterile. None of the characters have faces, which lends both the quality of being a cog in the machine to the game, and also a sense of uncertainty when it comes to the individuals of this world. I also have to applaud the team for their attention to the smallest of details. Pay close attention to the background of your environments. You’ll see security cameras following your every move, cats curled up on rooftops, and each NPC doing their own unique things.
The sound design is top-notch. Even though there isn’t any voice-acting, you don’t even notice the lack of it. The whooshing of a sliding door opening, the clink of a can being purchased at a vending machine, and the whirring of machinery immerse you in this dystopia thoroughly. It’s evident the team poured their heart and soul into this game, and it’s all the richer for it. My one and only gripe is something that probably won’t bother certain players, but it made me uncomfortable. A modern-day derogatory word is used several times in conversations, and it pulled me out of the game just a tad. A lot of people still use this certain word today, but I’ve had some personal experience with people being hurt by this term and it rubbed me the wrong way. Again, I know most people will probably shrug this off and it’s not a reason to avoid playing this title at all.
The Final Verdict
Minds Beneath Us is a rich, layered dystopian game. Your choices genuinely matter in shaping the game, and your journey will definitely be different from mine. The twist and turns are expertly woven into the narrative, and the attention to the smallest of details with the graphics and sound design is worthy of applause. This was a world I was happy to be sucked into, even the themes can be heavy to process. If you love sci-fi games, you need to pick this one up ASAP. I promise you won’t regret it.
To hear me talk more about Minds Beneath Us, be sure to listen to the August 16, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast.
This review is based on a Steam copy of Minds Beneath Us provided by Jesus Fabre for coverage purposes. As of the time of this writing, it is exclusive to this platform.
Minds Beneath Us
$19.99
Pros
- Rich, Layered Narrative
- Your Choices Genuinely Matter
- Excellent Graphics and Sound Design
- Hard to Stop Playing Once You Get Into It
Cons
- Use of a Modern-Day Derogatory Term
