Minishoot’ Adventures review 

“I woke up one day wanting to make a Shmup Zelda”. Well, SoulGame Studio, you succeeded: take classic 2D Zelda’s exploration, dungeons, and item-based progression and throw in some bullet hell twin-stick shoot-’em-up (“shmup”), and you get Minishoot’ Adventures. (And anyone who wants to suggest “smash two good things together” isn’t a valid creative approach needs some Currizza or Shaun of the Dead or blackened surf rock in their lives.)

Part of what makes Minishoot’ Adventures work is the simplicity and familiarity of its concept. A brief opening sets the scene–a strange, demonic horde has emerged from the underworld and you, a cute lil’ spaceship, need to rescue your cute lil’ spaceship friends and save the world—and then you’re right into the action. Fly (well, hover) around a beautiful, handcrafted alien world in search of secrets, upgrades, friends to rescue, and whatever else. When you can’t go any further in one direction, go somewhere else; eventually you’ll find the power-up that lets you shoot through the damaged wall that was blocking your way, or the boost that lets you dash over short rifts in the ground, and gradually piece together the intricacies of this interconnected map. It’s the classic Zelda concept, so timeless and so influential that it’ll feel intuitive and familiar even if you’ve never played Minishoot’ Adventures’ direct inspirations. 

The difference is that, instead of whacking moblins with a sword, you’re shooting alien spaceships and dodging all the bright, colourful energy balls they throw at you. It’s trademark bullet hell stuff: visually impressive geometric attack patterns where survival is as much about positional strategy and pattern recognition as twitch reactions. Environmental obstacles add another wrinkle, while exhilarating boss and mini-boss fights regularly turn up the heat. Difficulty settings and various optional assists mean the bullet hell can be as intense or as relaxed as you want it to be, and a steady stream of upgrades regularly gives you new tools to play with. 

Those two sides of the “Shmup Zelda” coin each work well on their own, even if—when considered in isolation—they don’t push their respective genre boundaries. Where Minishoot’ Adventures stands out, though, is in how the pieces fit together. Shoot-’em-up bullet dodging is a key part of most of the game’s puzzles and navigational challenges. Enemy spawns are always designed with the surrounding terrain in mind, so that the map becomes an important factor of combat—so you’re not just dodging and shooting, but using obstacles to your advantage to create safe spots and trying to avoid getting yourself cornered. This is especially apparent in boss fights and other scripted encounters that confine you to an enclosed arena of sorts, for a shmup battle specifically designed around that particular slice of the map. 

Upgrades merge the two sources of influence, too, designed as they are to aid both navigation and combat. A dash move is extremely useful both as a way of solving exploration puzzles and for avoiding enemy fire; a powered-up super shot is just as good at crumbling damaged walls as it is for dishing out some hurt on your enemies. And, again, Minishoot’ Adventures will often find ways to blend those use cases together—for example, for example, set pieces that see you dashing across a series of jumps while also dodging a hail of bullets.

It won’t be a game for everyone. If you’re just here for the Zelda but not the shmup, Minishoot’ Adventures probably isn’t going to change your mind, and vice versa. It’s a modest game in scope, which has clear benefits in terms of focus—do a couple of things well, rather than lots of things badly—but does also mean a lack of variety. But for the folks who like a good shmup and like a good classic Zelda, and want to play both at the same time? Yeah, Minishoot’ Adventures hits the spot.