The iffy controls and sharp difficulty curve make this a tough game to get into, hiding the well-designed puzzles behind a cloud of issues.
But it takes a lot of dedication to become that proficient at this challenging game. Achieving high scores on levels opens up bonus stages, and it is fun to go back to previous levels to perfect your actions. If you can look past Minion Mayhem's issues, there's a good deal of content here. This makes a hard game needlessly more difficult, and it's rather nauseating to boot. Also, certain stages mess with your view, randomly rotating the screen or forcing the camera to gyrate obnoxiously. For instance, tapping the button to make a bridge roll out doesn't always register, and because one mistake can lead to a failed mission, it's troubling when you do everything correctly but still end up on the losing end. However, even after you have everything running like a well-oiled machine, there are still a couple of issues that stand in your path to success. The later levels present serious roadblocks though, and can be maddeningly hard.
Most stages can be completed with careful consideration and lots of patience, so it usually only takes a few attempts before you understand the main problems and figure out a way around them.
There is a feeling of great triumph when everything clicks and you successfully make your way past a level that was giving you fits earlier. If all of this sounds chaotic, then that's because it is, but that doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had. Only a sumo minion can grapple with that baddie.
You only have 90 seconds to pass each level, and it takes a lot of trial and error to make sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. The extreme coordination you need to make sure all of your minions are performing their proper duties is compounded by a pesky clock that makes the whole endeavor even more frantic. Keeping track of all of your bumbling minions is a herculean task, and it can be aggravating when you're trying to deploy a bridge in one part of level but you need to trigger a trampoline to rescue another minion at the same time. But it can also be incredibly frustrating to mistime one of your taps and watch in horror as your minion marches toward a fire trap with no way to save it from its imminent death. It's satisfying to correctly read the layout of the land and guide your minions through these deadly traps. When the minions bump into a wall or each other, they turn around and continue walking straight ahead until they die or reach the exit.īecause you have so little direct control over the actions of your minions, you have to carefully plan your strategy before you set them in motion. Sumo minions automatically dispatch enemies they come in contact with, driller minions burrow through the ground, gravity minions can walk on the ceiling, and other types of minions boast their own specific talents. Each minion has a unique special ability as well. For instance, you may need to trigger a spring that rockets them up in the air or tap a button to extend a drawbridge. You don't have direct control over you minions rather, you tap them to make them start walking and then manipulate the environment to get them to a specific place. The levels in Minion Mayhem are made up of 2D obstacle courses in which you must get past locked doors, spiked pits, and all sorts of other traps to be successful. Because the presentation is serviceable but uninspired, it make it difficult to appreciate the humor or be distracted from the sometimes overbearing difficulty.
The in-game visuals are bright and cheery, but they lack any endearing touches that could have given this game a personality.
In fact, the license isn't very well realized in any part of Minion Mayhem. A still image is displayed on one of the screens and a wall of text on the other, but without any animation or voice acting, there isn't any charm. However, the story is conveyed in such a utilitarian way that it's difficult to enjoy the humorous proceedings. Each world is composed of eight levels, and after you complete a section, you get a cutscene that fills in a few more details of this tongue-in-cheek plot. The story follows the exploits of Gru as he attempts to thwart his archnemesis Vector by using his army of loyal minions.