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Previously on the “Ghost 1.0” review, we talked about how awesome a game about two nerds and a ghost agent infiltrating a space station was. Now we have the prequel inspired by Unepic Fran’s love for his first computer: The MSX.

“Mini Ghost” is a mini MSX Metroidvania game where the objective is to stop the rogue computer, a scam devised by Viktor (Ghost’s boss), and get the Dallas Space Station under control by gaining access to sectors, defeat bosses, and collect items. The bosses have a very retro-like difficulty as the game gives you a pattern to follow in-order to win the boss fights. Other than that, you’ll have plenty of equipment to pick up between items (such as the mandatory Multitasking Upgrade that lets you shoot and run) and one use secondary weapons you can stack up to three (one type at a time). A few of these items are found in shops with the rest hidden, but you simply have to find the crates they’re stored in, with the only cryptic method of getting two of them is just finding the secret entrances.

The bosses are big and deadly in “Mini Ghost”, just like they are in “Ghost 1.0”.

For times, you feel that the game needs to be more aggravating you can troll your Twitch friends while they stream. During their stream, you can add more obstacles and enemies in the room. You can also change their character sprite into something embarrassing. To help with your trolling you can use the editing tools in the game to design custom characters (to make up for the lack of Ghost Form) as well as tile sets and maps. If you’re proud of your creations, then you can put them up on Steam’s Workshop for people to subscribe for their playthroughs.

As an MSX inspired game “Mini Ghost” has 8-bit glory put into maps that requires some puzzle solving, classy 8-bit tile sets, and Mini Ghost herself. In overall, the MSX graphics has that retro feel that could give you some nostalgia. The intro and ending of “Mini Ghost” has some adorable comics of Viktor starting the plot on the Dallas Space Station and sending Ghost (being extra adorable) to “disconnect” the computer. I doubt MSX games had high-quality comics as seen in “Mini Ghost” but if you like cute satires like “RWBY Chibi” and “The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya” then I think Unepic Fran gets a free pass here.

Don’t let the cute style fool you. She’s just as destructive, and she can run around as Doomguy.

On the audio side of the “Mini Ghost”’s presentation, the sound effects have all the 8-bit bleeps and boops you’d expect. As for the music, Unepic Fran took a few songs from “Ghost 1.0”’s soundtrack and turned them into classy chiptune tracks, which is awesome since these include “Flying Robotic Artificial Nanobots” and “Jet Out The Amazing” (actual track titles).

You can spend a lot of time just making sprites. In my case, I did that for about two hours.

While the game falls under Metroidvania Ghost controls more like “Mega Man” (Rockman), though you need to get the Multitask Upgrade to run and shoot like the Blue Bomber. You can use either the keyboard or controller to play, and just like in “Ghost 1.0” you can customize both of them to fit your own play style. However, you have to move your mouse cursor off the screen since that’s only used for the editing tools.

Pros:
+ Retro style based on the developer’s love of the MSX
+ Fun prequel with cute comic intro and ending
+ Troll friends while they stream on Twitch
+ Customizable sprites, tile sets, and maps that can be upload to Workshop

Cons:
– Basics like moving and shooting are an upgrade

Gameplay: 4.5/5
Graphics: 5/5
Sound/Music: 4/5
Controls: 4.5/5
Replay value: 5/5

tgg grade 5 out of 5

Verdict: 5/5
@unepic_fran’s “Mini Ghost” is a fun little Metroidvania game with a classic MSX presentation and gameplay with plenty of stuff to customize (you can also share your creativity in-game design and online debauchery). So for a game that’s only $1.99, it’s most definitely worth a buy for yourself and your friends (if you enjoy messing with them in games). Sure, it’s not exactly a gateway to the Ghost series, but this cute adventure might at least get you to be a little interested in “Ghost 1.0” if my lengthy review of it didn’t.

Title: Mini Ghost
Developer: @unepic_fran
Format: PC
Genre: Metroidvania
Resolution: 1680 x 1050
Release date: 2017-04-28
Difficulty: Normal, difficulty changes based on zones
Spent time: 7+ hours
Average grade internationally: N/A as of writing. Gamerankings.com
PEGI/ESRB age rating: PEGI7/Everyone+
Price: $1.99