Minishoot' Adventures is an absolute treat of a game, and one that hooked me even more than I thought it would. It’s a beautiful and charming game with a very good soundtrack, and it’s priced fairly. It can be relatively challenging at times, but it’s always fair. I never found myself really struggling with any areas, however, and the difficulty in general allows you to cruise casually through the game without getting frustrated.

I found a lot to love in this game, and I had a great time playing it on my OLED Steam Deck. The only issue I had was that there were some pretty big FPS drops during the more intense scenes. That’s fine, as I know the Steam Deck is a relatively low-powered device, but keep it in mind if you plan on playing it there. I finished the game on the Steam Deck, clearing the whole map and (as of now) getting all but 3 achievements, and it was absolutely playable. I started with a locked 90 FPS and a 90 Hz refresh rate, but soon had to lower the refresh rate to 60 Hz and lock the FPS there. It stayed solid for most of the game, but towards the end I had a couple of areas dropping into the low 40s.

I don’t want to finish this short review on a negative note, so I’ll say again how much fun I had playing it. There’s a demo, so there’s really nothing stopping you from at least giving it a go.

I’m not sure where to even start with this one. I try not to throw this term around, but Hollow Knight is a masterpiece and a real triumph of video game design. While this type of game isn’t for everyone, it’s exactly what I’m looking for in a single-player experience. I was never bored in this world, never so hopelessly lost that I was close to giving up, and never too frustrated. There was always that idea of something to go back to, something to try, and while quite difficult at times, it was extremely fair and not punishing for the sake of being punishing. Even during backtracking I was enjoying myself, poking around, pushing what initially looked to be possible. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to design a game that flows this well. Combine that with stunning visuals, a beautiful soundtrack, and great controls, and you can see why so many people love it.

Just give it a go. Get lost in the world, soak up the atmosphere, listen to the comments and thoughts of your fellow creatures, and enjoy one of the best gaming experiences out there.