Growing up, we all heard the local stories of that house… maybe it had boarded up windows, or was overgrown with so much foliage it was hard to tell where the structure ended and the trees began. Maybe it’s the house where someone lost their marbles and actually killed the resident in such a grisly way, that no one ever set foot inside again. The new rogue-lite action RPG Don’t Die, Minerva! explores this with one major plot twist – the house is actually haunted.
I’ve spent a great deal of time with the Early Access title that is due for a full release early next year, and it has already received a significant number of updates. It’s clear that developer Xaviant is on track to release a well-polished game as it has already addressed many of my major complaints from the initial version I received.
You are placed in the tiny shoes of 11-year-old Minerva, who discovers a mysterious mansion deep within the woods that brings her trusty stuffed animals to life to fight alongside her as companions as she explores the horrors that await her within the manor. As you explore the dilapidated home, you’ll meet a varied cast of friends and foes alike in traditional RPG fashion as you work your way through the randomized floors collecting keys, opening chests, and dispatching foes with your trusty flashlight.
The game nails the presentation at every turn, incorporating tons of spooky items that pack each area to the brim with atmosphere – Jack O’ Lanterns, pools of blood, and creepy candles all wait for you to smash them open to nab the precious materials within. The same can be said for the cast of characters that all look heavily inspired by Rare’s not so classic release Grabbed by the Ghoulies. All in all, the only gripe I have thus far is the three-quarter viewpoint can result in some of the chests being hidden outside of view due to the way the objects in the foreground become transparent depending on Minerva’s placement.
The combat is fast and fluid, although it lands on the harder side, even when playing on the lowest difficulty. The game has a robust amount of difficulty options, but they currently seem to skew towards hard, with easy being more in line with the normal setting on similar games. This is largely due to the bullet-spongy nature of enemy forces and only gets worse as you proceed and they start incorporating area of effect attacks or shields. As it stands, these feel like unneeded additions to a game that is already super difficult for no reason other than to make it even more unforgiving.
How the final version is received will likely depend on how the rogue-lite mechanics pan out, as with the most recent release the randomized aspect is a bit of a letdown. I’ve run into a few loops where on back to back runs I was given the exact same rolls on pickups or entire floors that I had played on the previous runs as if I was stuck in a version of Groundhog Day. The same issue extends to the types of weaponry available, with only different forms of the same two attacks being present as of this writing; the previously mentioned flashlight and a Ghostbusters-esque attack that resembles the proton pack. When you take this issue into account, as well as the fact no progress seems to carry over between runs in terms of the various upgrades and systems you can throw money or other currencies at, it really ruins the longevity the game should and will likely have upon full release.
As it stands, Don’t Die, Minerva! is a decent addition to the rogue-lite genre but still needs some work. I love the visuals and fluid aiming and movement, but the lack of progression and repeated areas/runs are something that will hopefully be resolved before it leaves Early Access. Be sure to check back in early 2020 when the full game goes live for our official review.
Don’t Die, Minerva! is being developed and published by Xaviant. It was released on PC and X1 in Early Access on December 5th, 2019 for $19.99. The game was provided to us for preview on X1. For more on Don’t Die, Minverva!, visit the developer’s site.
Check out OpenCritic for a better idea of how our review stacks against others.