MindsEye Game Breakdown: What Worked, What Didn't, and Is It Worth Buying?

Leslie Benzies, who is an ex-Rockstar behind the GTA & Red Dead Redemption launches, launches MindsEye (stylized MINDSEYƎ) on June 10, 2025, with the expectation that it would rise sky-high. But did this sci-fi shooter live up to the hype? We dug deep, going through various critical reviews, Reddit, X, forums, and player feedback to give you a no-nonsense breakdown of this game.

Overview

Mindseye is a third-person, cover-based action shooter set in a futuristic open-world environment that is inspired by a Las Vegas-style city called Redrock City. This game follows the story of Jacob Diaz, who is a former soldier who wakes up with no memory and a mysterious neural implant that is known as "MindsEye."

As players unravel his past, they also gain access to unique gameplay abilities that are directly tied to his implant. One of the key features of this game is its combination with the "Everywhere" platform, which is a user-driven creation hub that allows players to design and share the routine levels, adding a new creative layer to the traditional shooting game experience.

MindsEye was launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S at a standard AAA price of $60/£55, setting high expectations among fans and critics alike.

PROs

1. Striking Visuals & Atmosphere

The widely praised aspect of MindsEye is its visual design. It is set in a near-future version of Redrock City; the game features stretching neon-lit deserts, sleek electric vehicles, and towering billboard-covered megastructures that feel both stylish and immersive. Players and reviewers alike admired the game's visual looks, with many YouTubers highlighting how "amazing" the environments and the cutscenes looked. The aesthetic effort clearly aimed to deliver a cinematic, futuristic vibe, and in that area the game succeeded.

2. Strong Presentation

The cinematic feel of the game is supported by high-quality cutscenes, a haunting and ambient soundtrack by Rival Consoles, and generally solid voice acting. These elements, when combined together, gave MindsEye an audio-visual identity that stands out. While the gameplay has its own problems, the presentation often keeps players engaged, at least on the surface level.

3. Simple Shooter Feel

MindsEye does not try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to gunplay, but its straightforward mechanics work just fine. The shooting is very responsive, which includes aim, shoot, and enemies die. Critics at Digital Trends described it as accessible and satisfying in short periods. Jacob's drone adds a touch of variety, allowing players to hack the systems and disrupt enemies, offering some fun moments within an otherwise basic combat system.

CONS

1. Dull, Outdated Gameplay

Regardless of its futuristic setting, the core gameplay of this game is felt to be too old. Critics from The Guardian and others described MindsEye as something that "plays like it is from 2012." The experience is complicated by excessive driving between missions and frustrating mission design where players are given a penalty for minor missteps. As compared to modern action games, it lacks the refinement and pacing that today's players expect.

2. Lack of Variety & Engagement

The types of enemies you meet and the mission structures are overly repetitive. Players quickly noticed that most missions boiled down to the same simple loop, which is to take cover, shoot your enemies, move to the next checkpoint, and repeat. Weapons also felt uninspired, and the AI lacked depth. GameSpot even went as far as calling it "relentlessly dull," pointing out the absence of memorable combat sequences or engaging level design.

3. Technical Issues

Doesn't it feel too interrupting when something is loading for a long time, or when it glitches while you're watching something with too much interest? We hate that, don't we? That is exactly one of the biggest complaints about this game. The technical performance is too poor. From floating NPCs and awkward animations to screen-tearing, pop-in, and full-on crashes, the game felt unfinished at launch.

Even on powerful hardware like high-end PCs and the PS5 Pro, MindsEye struggled to maintain consistent frame rates. These bugs frequently pulled players out of the experience and led to a stream of negative reviews.

4. Overpriced & Underwhelming

This game is priced at $60/£55. MindsEye was launched with set expectations of a premium AAA experience. Unfortunately, many players felt the final product did not justify the cost it was sold for. With minimum gameplay depth, bugs that are present at every step, and a lack of content, several reviews labeled it a "broken, boring mess." Most recommendations suggest buying it only during heavy discounts.

Fan & Community Reactions

The online reaction to MindsEye has been largely negative, with Reddit, X, and Steam platforms filled with frustrated players. One Reddit user called it "a breathtakingly bad game" with "no enemy variety" and a "cringeworthy" storyline. Another gave it a 7/10 rating, praising the graphics of the game but also considering the game's flaws. The most common sentiment was that the game had potential but failed in execution. Jim Sterling from The Jimquisition described it as "a clumsy action game fumbling around in a sandbox that's all box and no sand." Others speculated that the game was rushed due to budget issues, saying, "Nobody thought it was ready for launch… they just ran out of money."

Hit or Miss? By the Numbers

The statistics of this MindsEye paint a clear picture. MindsEye quickly became the lowest-rated game of 2025 on Metacritic, with a score of around 38/100 for PC. On Steam, the game received "Mostly Negative" reviews, with about 60-67% of players leaving a critical ranking. Despite a small increase in sales with 250,000 players in the first two weeks, the momentum decreased rapidly.

Overall, MindsEye is a disappointment. But, if you are into sci-fi aesthetics and action games with stunning visuals, you can have some fun with MindsEye.