Mindseye was positioned as a bold new step in narrative action games. Early trailers leaned into cinematic cutscenes, flashy tech, and the pedigree of a former GTA producer. It promised a mix of story-driven action, player-created content, and a sprawling city that felt alive. It looked ambitious. Maybe even too ambitious.
After launch, it quickly became clear that the final product wasn’t what many had expected. Technical problems, limited gameplay depth, and a city that feels more decorative than functional all stand in the way of what could have been a memorable experience.
Let’s take a look at how Mindseye plays, how well its ideas hold up, and what parts, if any, are worth checking out. If you’re wondering whether the hype matched the result, the short answer is: not really.
Plot Twists With No Time to Breathe
The story starts with potential. Jacob Diaz is a former soldier dealing with memory loss and a strange implant called the Mindseye. He ends up working for Silva Corp, a major tech company tied to Redrock City’s leadership. From there, he’s pulled into a larger conflict involving corrupt officials, hidden agendas, and personal trauma.
The core themes are familiar: government overreach, AI control, corporate power, and identity. There’s room here for a compelling arc. You get glimpses of that through Jacob’s performance and the political backdrop. But the pacing gets in the way. Major plot points happen too fast. There’s little time to learn about the world or grow attached to the characters in it.
Conversations feel awkward. One minute characters are tossing out sarcastic lines, the next they’re explaining backstory like it’s a totally different scene. The tone shifts too often, and the emotional moments never land the way they’re meant to. Most of the supporting cast falls into predictable roles and not many of them feel important to the plot.
The plot moves quickly but never builds momentum. It ends without resolution, leaving threads hanging and questions unanswered. There’s the outline of a solid sci-fi thriller here, but the delivery is rough. With more time and sharper writing, it could have worked. Instead, it rushes through big moments and ends up feeling hollow.
Familiar Action With Little Surprise
Most of Mindseye’s campaign sticks to a formula: find cover, shoot enemies, repeat. There’s no option for stealth or melee, and enemy behaviour rarely changes. They either charge directly or peek from cover in predictable patterns. It gets old quickly, especially when most missions feel the same.
Gunplay lacks impact. Weapons sound flat, and even the heavier options near the end don’t add anything new. Combat feels disconnected, like your actions have little weight. There’s also no weapon variety or progression system that encourages experimenting.
Driving ends up being one of the more polished parts of Mindseye. It’s smooth, with good feedback and a feel that’s close to GTA V. That said, you’re usually just driving from one point to another. The open world looks big but offers very little to do between missions.
There’s a separate free play mode with short missions made by the developers or the community. These include races, timed combat challenges, and other quick tasks. The creation tools seem flexible, but the content at launch feels limited.
The basics work, but that’s all. Mindseye plays like a third-person shooter from 2010—without the variety or energy those games had.
Pretty on the Surface, Messy Underneath
If you only watched Mindseye’s cutscenes, you might think the game delivers on its promise. Cinematics are sharp, with expressive facial animation, dramatic lighting, and clean camera work. These moments stand out and show where most of the visual effort went.
Redrock City also makes a strong impression at first. The skyline, glowing signs, and desert backdrop make it seem like there’s a lot to explore. But once you’re in it, that feeling fades fast. NPCs feel robotic. Environments lack interaction. The city looks alive, but it doesn’t act that way. Visual issues show up quickly. Pop-in is constant, even at low speeds. Cars and textures often load late, and cutscenes stutter during key moments. The frame rate holds around 30 fps, but dips are common during busier scenes.
Audio’s a mixed bag. Jacob’s voice actor does a good job, but the lines he’s given don’t always land. The rest of the cast is fine, just not memorable. The music barely registers. It’s there, but it doesn’t add much to what’s happening on screen.
Mindseye looks well-produced in screenshots and trailers. Some parts of the game do meet that standard. But once you start playing, the technical flaws and flat audio design start to add up. It’s a reminder that presentation is more than just visual polish. It’s how everything fits together.
Mindseye is a Game With Big Dreams and a Rough Start
It’s easy to see what Mindseye was going for. A story-driven action game set in a tech-heavy world, paired with flashy visuals and some room for creativity. The concept works on paper. There’s potential in the setting, and a few gameplay elements like driving and the mission creator show signs of life. Some of the voice work also helps sell the world, even when the script doesn’t always back it up.
The problem is that nothing holds together for long. Missions feel repetitive. Combat lacks energy. The open world looks big but gives you no reason to explore it. On top of that, the game constantly runs into technical problems that drag everything down.
The user-generated content mode has room to grow, but it doesn’t do much to improve the campaign. It also feels like a separate system rather than something connected to the rest of the game. That might change with time, but right now, it’s not enough to make you stick around.
There are moments where Mindseye starts to show what it could have been. But they’re brief. Once you dig into the full experience, it becomes clear how far it still has to go. It’s not the worst launch I’ve seen, but it’s hard to recommend in its current form. If the team sticks with it, maybe it can become something stronger later. Right now, it plays like a half-finished version of something that could be much better with time.
Mindseye
Summary
Mindseye sets up a big, cinematic experience with flashy cutscenes and a futuristic world, but it doesn’t come together. The action gets repetitive fast, the world feels empty, and technical issues are hard to ignore. There are moments that show potential, especially in the visuals and voice work. But right now, it’s not something you’ll want to stick with for long.
As always, remember to follow us on our social media (e.g., Threads, X (Twitter), Bluesky, YouTube and Facebook) to keep up with the latest news.
