One of the top reasons I love video games is because developers can push an artistic vision in such a styled way that it can feel like nothing else out there. Miniatures is one such game comprising four short stories that play similar to a point-and-click adventure. They aren’t related in story but they are in tone and feel. Miniatures pulls at the chord of existential dread through unusual imagery and it’s one of the most memorable gaming experiences I’ve had in 2024.
The four stories have slightly different art styles and feature beautifully dark and unusual designs ranging from indie cartoons to Aminita Design-like insect and stick worlds. ‘Familiar’ follows a family about to throw down in anger and frustration as they attempt to build some flatpack furniture. ‘The House of the Moon’ turns death into a mystical fable as your mum visits the moon after a long, quiet sleep. ‘The Paludarium’ follows a boy whose parents are never home, leaving him disquieted by nature starting to invade the house and break it. ‘The Last Sand Castle’ follows various creatures putting on a musical show on top of a sand castle. None are directly related but they all bring the same vibe – existential dread.
The dread comes in different forms. The family lets darkness as a fuzzy orb escape and then it seeps into every interaction. The girl searching for her mother is scared she’ll never see her again. The boy alone at home takes comfort in numbing isolation with his pet turtle. The creatures on the sand castle appear to be on borrowed time before their demise. They are abstract and stylised views of things like death, losing your home and being isolated and uncared for. The stories aren’t spelt out for you – they are mood pieces that you need to soak in and feel – and that won’t be for everyone. It certainly clicked with me though, and each story has lingered with me long after playing. Its ambiguity and openness to interpretation is one of its strengths.
Part of what makes Miniatures so well honed is the synergy between its throbbing, uneasy animation and the numbing shroud of its ethereal-with-a-sinister-edge ambient soundtrack. The player rarely has to solve puzzles or do much to proceed. Miniatures removes most barriers by clearly showing with the cursor what is interactive and what isn’t. Clicking on everything will always let you continue. If you fall into the “where’s my gameplay” camp, you’ll be scratching around a bit, but I’d imagine you were never the intended audience for this anyway. This game is for the slower, thoughtful gamer. That doesn’t mean “better” gamer, it is simply a different audience. So if you like to chew on concepts and ideas without being led directly to a single conclusion, Miniatures will be great for you.
Miniatures took me around 45 minutes to play. It is short and whilst there’s little replayability value, I can see myself coming back to the game repeatedly to experience it again like a favourite film. This is one of the games that is more than the sum of its parts because it has been so thoughtfully designed. Miniatures is one of the most memorable game experiences I’ve had in 2024. If you enjoy the artsy side of gaming – get it.
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