Have You Played... Minit?

This year's E3 may have been dubbed "the year of the time-loop game", but I'd argue there's nothing as tight or as satisfying in this emerging subgenre as the 60-second sojourns you'll face in monochrome puzzler Minit. You play a small, nameless duck-faced fellow who has the terrible misfortune to happen upon a cursed sword that locks him into a minute-long time-loop, and - oh, wait a minute, the timer's about to run out. See you in a sec--

Right, where were we? Ah, yes, Minit! 60 seconds might not sound like a lot of time to get stuff done, of course, but (like the excellent Outer Wilds) Minit brilliantly executes its central idea. Everything you need to complete a task is always within reach. You can emerge from your death loop in different places around the map by taking a micro-nap in the various beds dotted about the place, and you quickly discover all manner of shortcuts to help get you where you need to be and complete your current task. It's got a great soundtrack, too, and - damn it, here we go agai--

Right, where were we? Ah, yes, Minit! It's not that long, either. I think I finished it in a couple of hours, which is just about enough time to get to grips with it, without feeling like the whole time-loop thing has outstayed its welcome. That said, there were still plenty of puzzles I didn't get round to solving, like the looping haunted house, or the poor squid lad missing eight of his tentacles, nor did I find all of its shiny coins. In this sense, it's a great game for dipping in and out, and it lends itself very well to speed-running and achievement-hunting. But - sorry, back in a minute.

Right, where were we? Ah, yes, Minit! Like I was saying, it can get a teensy bit frustrating when you're not quite sure where you're meant to go next or how to solve a particular puzzle, but at least it has a handy, if slightly morbid, 'instant death' button so you don't have to sit around waiting for the clock to tick down - which is something Outer Wilds probably could have benefited from, too [Outer Wilds does secretly have one of these! - Time Loop Ed]. Still, I found it often didn't take too many retries to make the necessary breakthrough, so if you fancy giving it a go yourself, you can currently pick it up on Steam or Itch. There! I did it! I finished a paragraph! Take tha... oh, gosh darn i--