Rise and Shiny recap: Minions of Mirth

You know, I am all for "old-school" MMO gaming. In fact, I will be writing up my very own Soapbox about old-school travel, mainly because I enjoy it very much but think that developers can do so much more to satisfy those of us who enjoy playing the slow, simple way. So when I first started playing Minions of Mirth again (I took a short look at it last year), I fully expected to be down with whatever old-school challenges it threw at me.

I was surprised in a few ways and annoyed in others. It's hard to describe the feeling of playing a game that reminds you of other games in so many ways yet does a good enough job in combining those reminders that you feel like you might be in some alien hybrid world.

Let me tell you all about it. Join me after the cut, will you?

Let's start with the good. Minions of Mirth is a fun trip through the games of our past, but it also throws in a nod or two to games from more recent times. Let me be specific: Minions of Mirth reminds me of games from the past, if they met with games from more modern times. See, even as I type that, it doesn't exactly feel right. Perhaps Minions of Mirth works exactly how games should -- they can remind us of something or make us feel as though we might be visiting a long-lost place. Of course, Minions of Mirth has been around for quite a while, so they very well might have helped invent many of the things that I think they are borrowing.

Either way, the game does quite a few neat things. Imagine taking Ultima Online's skill-based or use-based skill system and combining it with an EverQuest look. In case you have been gaming under a rock for the past dozen years, allow me to clarify: Ultima Online lets players use an item or skill -- say, a two-handed sword -- and gain skill in that particular skill. If you want to learn certain types of magic, you use them. There are no classes and restrictions that younger or newer gamers might be used to.

I ran out of arrows while running around in Minions of Mirth, so I just used my sword instead. Soon enough, I was more skilled at the sword than at my bow and arrows. I switched to unarmed combat and became a little better at punching things. In other words, older games let you do what you want a lot of the time. Minions of Mirth, like Ultima Online, still does.

Newer games like Darkfall try to put on an older game's skill-based skin, but they also require newer graphics cards and newer PCs. Minions can be played on a piece of tinfoil, I imagine. While some might sneer at the look of the game, I found it good enough and even lovely after I got used to it. When you play as many oddball games as I do, the last thing you do is stick your nose up at graphics. Even so, the game does a good job with the tools it has. And to be honest, at least Minions has the guts to include actual rainstorms... beautiful, loud rainstorms. I'm searching my gaming memory for any recent "AAA" MMOs that even feature such weather patterns -- and I'm drawing a blank.

Combat is pretty fun -- perhaps even a little dull. Like a lot of "target the monster, press 1,2,3" games, MoM proves it's not so much the combat actions that are thrilling but the competition between the two health bars. Which one will reach zero first? The animations are all right, sometimes good, but if the sound would just sync up to the combat, it would feel much better. Half the time there is no combat sound at all. Also, many combat animations are poorly done or missing altogether. Archery, for example, has no animation. That's right -- the only way to know that you are shooting something is to watch your stack of arrows drop in number.

Despite the issues, combat is fun. Again, once you get used to the sights and (lack of) sound, it feels like almost any other modern game. Yes, I know that RIFT or Age of Conan feature much more realistic combat animations and spell effects, but I can assure you that in the heat of a true battle, no one notices. Most players are staring at little boxes or a series of dots, and I imagine that in Minions of Mirth it is no different. Let's face it: Gamers have not changed so much in this last decade or so. Most of them are into the numbers game and would probably grind out a game set in a blank white world if the loot were good enough. Minions graphics are fine.

After my hours of playing and week inside the world, I can say that a week is truly not long enough to get an idea about the game. This is often the case with many games, but let's just say that some are more obvious than others in much less time. For example, I was logging in today to take some last-minute screenshots and to get some notes for this column when some player messaged me. It turns out he had added me to his friends list.

After he decided to help me complete some quests, he wanted to take me back to town to get some goods. He cast a spell on me and I flew through the air and toward the town. I was reminded of the first time I flew in Vanguard and the awe I felt at the sight of the city of Khal appearing out of the rain.

"Do they also have flying mounts in this game?" I asked.

"Mounts???" he said.

That's right. He did not know what a mount was. Yet here he was in this strange, older-style game, explaining to me how this particular world worked -- the world without mounts. That interaction with him perfectly summed up my experience in Minions of Mirth. It was confusing, fun, frustrating, nostalgic and sometimes beautiful. It felt trapped in time. Here's hoping that the developers (where or who they are, the members of the community do not seem to know, and no one has heard from them in ages) save this game or at least sell it to someone who wants to see it grow. It might look old and play strangely, and the game might not have any mounts, but it's definitely worth a look.

Next week I am continuing down the old-school road by visiting The Realm Online. Join me in game... my character's name is BeauHind.

Now, go log in!

Each week, Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play, indie or unusual game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. I welcome any suggestions for games -- drop me a note in the comments or email! You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Raptr!