Gear Up And Stop Zenos
Miniforce World is based on a hit Korean animated series developed by Samg animation. It made its way to the mobile gaming platform through Anipen Inc. A charming mix of different genres, Miniforce World on android gives players a chance to play an intense vertical-scrolling shooter like Shoot’em All or a high-octane platformer.
The story is simple enough as it centers on Miniforce trying to save the planet Earth from Zenos. Naturally, the Miniforce must assemble and fight off these intergalactic cretins to reclaim peace and restore order. At first glance, there doesn’t seem much to sink your teeth into. However, if players take their time and poke around the various game modes, there’s a lot to discover.
Dressing For The Event
When the game first launches, players will be tasked with building their own avatar. There’s quite an elaborate customization system to play with, though some of the optional changes can be more subtle. I tried changing my avatars neck length and body type, but I barely saw much of a difference. However, there’s a slew of eye types, clothes, and hair styles that can make your avatar pop with more originality.
Players then go to a menu that has three basic options: Miniforce Shooting, Miniforce Run, and My Room. The core of this game is the ‘My Room’ game mode which is essentially a giant explorable hub. There are areas to explore that are peppered with secrets, collectibles, and other online players. Plus, there are interactive activities to play around with like fishing and swinging. The sole purpose of this is to find other players to play co-op with the other game modes. Communicating comes in standard direct messages between players and by a myriad of emotes. They’re actually fun to play around with since I managed to fire up a small dance party with a few players.
There are vendors and merchants to find in ‘My Room’. They sell other customization scrolls and boosters which isn’t cheap. It took me many rounds of playing the other game modes to save up enough to buy one item. The xp and bonus reward after each round is bit stingy and I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. The controls in ‘My Room’ can also be a bit clunky, as I struggled to exit a room sometimes. Also, the environments, although varied, can feel empty when players are not online. The button configuration is rudimentary enough to figure out in one short play session.
Booster Up!
Luckily, the game does start off with a generous number of coins that players can utilize. However, they can go quick if players don’t budget themselves. This can be especially true with the Miniforce Shooting and Miniforce Run game modes. Before each round, players can select between the four distinct Miniforce team members: Lucy, Max, Sammy, and Volt. Depending on the game type, they each come with their own perks. Lucy, for example, comes with homing missiles during the shooting mode. The Miniforce Shooting game mode is a vertical-scrolling shooter reminiscent of games like Strikers 1945. This mode is no joke, since there are projectiles coming at every angle. Playing this game on ‘easy’ is no walk in the park. Thankfully, the controls are tight and responsive enough. The character models are detailed, and the firing effects of the weapons are quite spectacular. Plus, the jazzy music and impactful shooting sounds are also quite satisfying. There are boosters to equip, like auto-shooting, before each round and they do help a bit. But they don’t really offer anything game changing.
The Miniforce Run game mode is about as bare bones as a game can get. There are two different moves, jump and slide. Players pick a Miniforce character and run through a side-scrolling level, collecting as many coins as possible before the timer runs out. It can be fun for a few rounds, but after that players will quickly become hungry for something else.
Miniforce World offers many hours of diverse gameplay. Since it’s free-to-play, there’s really no reason for fans of the show to avoid this. With rich content, fast-paced gameplay, and many unlockables, this game has a little bit of everything. So, activate your X-Suit and go save the day!
Is It Hardcore?
Mostly.
Miniforce World offers old-fashioned arcade fun in the palm of your hand.