While you hear {that a} former lead of Rockstar Video games and the GTA franchise, Leslie Benzies, is behind a brand new cinematic, story-driven shooter, your expectations naturally undergo the roof. That was me heading into MindsEye—hopeful, excited, and totally equipped for a futuristic thrill trip. However what I received… was one thing else completely.
Let’s make one factor clear—MindsEye isn’t with out advantage. The truth is, at occasions it flirts with greatness. The idea is formidable, the visuals typically gorgeous, and the presentation screams high-budget. However ambition with out polish is sort of a shiny automobile with no engine—spectacular from the skin, irritating the second you attempt to drive it.
Welcome to Redrock Metropolis
You play as Jacob Diaz, a struggle veteran implanted with a tool often known as the “MindsEye,” permitting him to faucet into reminiscences, affect know-how, and uncover hidden truths. Set within the dystopian metropolis of Redrock, the story leans arduous into themes of management, corruption, and id. Suppose Deus Ex meets Watch Canine, however with a wholesome sprinkle of Whole Recall.
Truthfully, the narrative pulled me in early. Redrock is superbly imagined—glossy skyscrapers, desert outposts, neon-lit highways—and it nails that dystopian, corporatized tech-future aesthetic. The setup had all of the makings of a gripping sci-fi thriller. However the deeper I performed, the extra the cracks started to indicate.
So Cinematic It Hurts
Let’s discuss visuals. MindsEye seems unbelievable at occasions. On PS5, ray-traced reflections, sharp texture work, and cinematic lighting give Redrock Metropolis actual ambiance. Cutscenes are lovingly crafted and the facial animation throughout key story moments stands out. It genuinely appears like a Hollywood-level manufacturing.
However whereas it seems good, it doesn’t play as effectively. Missions are sometimes linear and repetitive—drive right here, hack that, shoot these guys, repeat. The world feels alive visually, however useless interactively. You possibly can’t discover Redrock freely. It’s all corridors dressed like a metropolis.
And the AI? Let’s simply say it makes early PS3-era shooters look intelligent. Enemies wander aimlessly, stand nonetheless mid-fight, or clip into cowl like they’re on autopilot. At one level, I threw a grenade and watched three guards simply stare at it. Tactical genius.
Weapons, Drones, and Glitches
Fight is… serviceable. You’ve received your typical third-person gunplay—rifles, pistols, SMGs—with a gadget-based twist because of your MindsEye interface. Hacking cameras, scanning the atmosphere, tagging enemies—all of it sounds nice, nevertheless it lacks actual depth. The drones you deploy are underwhelming, and the so-called “tactical choices” really feel superficial.
To make issues worse, the sport launched with bugs. Loads of them. Efficiency hiccups, sound syncing points, and several other mission-breaking glitches made their unwelcome look. Whereas some patches have improved stability, I nonetheless encountered stuttering throughout driving sections and some arduous crashes.
And let’s discuss motion. Jacob handles like he’s carrying concrete boots. Operating feels sluggish, and even in high-stakes moments, the sport lacks the kinetic power you’d count on from a contemporary motion title. It’s cinematic, sure—however not enjoyable to regulate.
Storytelling: Coronary heart Meets Confusion
Jacob’s private arc—piecing collectively damaged reminiscences and uncovering his previous—is intriguing. There are genuinely emotional moments, particularly involving his companion, Silva. The sport tries to say one thing significant about reminiscence, belief, and what it means to be human in a world of machines. That narrative ambition is evident and admirable.
However the supply? Messy. Pacing is off, some characters come and go with out objective, and exposition is commonly dumped slightly than delivered naturally. By the ultimate act, I used to be extra confused than invested. The world-building is wealthy however lacks readability, like studying a sci-fi novel with each third web page lacking.
DualSense and Audio
One brilliant spot is the superb use of the DualSense controller. Adaptive triggers give every weapon a singular really feel, and haptic suggestions throughout reminiscence dives or drone deployments provides immersion. The audio combine is punchy too—gunfire echoes throughout rooftops, music swells at key beats, and ambient sound paints Redrock with a dwelling, respiration soundscape.
Mindseye Is Not a Unhealthy Recreation… However It’s Not a Nice One Both
MindsEye had all of the potential to be a groundbreaking narrative-driven sci-fi expertise from an business legend, nevertheless it falls flat in execution. Its gorgeous visuals and cinematic moments can’t put it aside from clunky gameplay, irritating bugs, and a scarcity of significant participant engagement.
In case you’re a hardcore Leslie Benzies or Rockstar fan curious in regards to the venture, it’s price a glance on a deep sale with expectations tempered. For everybody else, this one’s higher skipped till important updates deliver the gameplay and stability as much as scratch.
It’s a type of uncommon titles that appears AAA, feels formidable, and has the resume to again it up… but one way or the other falters the place it counts most: gameplay and cohesion. This might’ve been GTA meets Cyberpunk with coronary heart. As a substitute, it’s a flashy tech demo for a extra thrilling future that by no means arrives.
Would I like to recommend MindsEye at full value? Not proper now. In case you’re curious and affected person, perhaps look ahead to extra patches or a steep low cost. It’s a captivating venture, and I respect what the crew tried to construct—however as a gamer, I can’t ignore how a lot it let me down.
MindEye Launch Trailer
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Recreation was bought to evaluation.
I reviewed it, after which it was edited by my companion.
