Minoria Review

Witches and the supernatural mystery surrounding the tales are a staple throughout history. The origin of witches reaches as far back as 930 B.C. The most infamous of witch hysteria was during the Salem Witch Trials in 1962. For thousands of years, witchcraft and those that allegedly perform it have captivated the general public.

This fascination has been capitalised throughout media since its inception. In the videogame world, witchcraft has been presented in a myriad of ways, whether it is through phenomenal action role-playing games like Dark Souls, or through more kid-friendly classics like Banjo-Kazooie. The adaptability the witchcraft topic has to appeal to all ages has made it a staple in the gaming world.

Enter Minoria from Bombservice, known best for the Momodora series, which has been played to great acclaim, especially the most recent installment, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight. It is always a great challenge for a developer to build on the success of a very successful installment. Bombservice attempted to up the ante by making a larger game and utilising a different art style. The results speak for themselves, as they are strong.

One of the more impressive aspects of the game is its emphasis on the plot and how thorough a backstory there is. In Minoria, the church in Ramezia is under siege by witches during the Fourth Witch War. The royal capital is being attacked. It is up to two nuns; Semilla and Anna Fran, to terminate the witches’ assault and save the princesses before it is too late.

The gameplay sees us playing as Sister Semilla. She must fight her way through the different levels with the power of her swinging sword, dodging, and utilisation of incenses. The incense helps tremendously in battle when used properly, as they are spells and other passive effects. A balance between attack and defense is necessary to whirl through the levels.

Where I was most challenged was fighting the bosses, which I always evaluate as a true testament to a game’s worth. I failed often in these battles because I tried to just use brute force to win when I needed more finesse. As my understanding of the inner workings and manoeuvres of combat evolved, I fared better. There is no steamrolling through the bosses by just swinging the sword repeatedly like some of the other enemies. It takes precision and a thorough plan of attack that incorporates defense, forcing you to use all the skills and controls available.

As I sit back and rehash all the details, I was impressed by the game. The level designs were great, the combat was challenging, and the enemies were quite tough. Its leveling system felt optional in a way, which I appreciate, as it allowed me the choice to really grind away at leveling up or not. Overall, there is much to like in Minoria.