Image credit: AN Productions/Armor Games Studios
Signy & Mino: Against All Gods is very fun. Don’t let me or anyone else tell you otherwise. However, when it comes to evaluating the quality of a game, is sheer entertainment enough to warrant a recommendation? Honestly, it’s hard to say.
This game’s polish is undeniable, and the ideas behind both its gameplay and design are fantastic. But there are issues, and I would be doing the game a disservice by not addressing them. For these issues, but more importantly, why the game is still worth playing, here is Kyusai’s spoiler-free review of Signy & Mino: Against All Gods.
Dance, do a little dance
I found Signy & Mino: Against All Gods initially while researching for a recent YouTube video; it’s a colorful title developed by AN Productions and published by Armor Games Studios. The indie title is described as a “tag-team battle RPG” so as you might expect, combat is a highlight.
Signy & Mino: Against All Gods uses a turn-based system, and the game integrates in-the-moment, timing-focused button inputs to create combos. The variety of moves available makes every sequence of attacks feel strategically rich. Alongside having some pretty tight windows to pull off attacks, combat is a lot of fun.
Trying to optimize your damage output here will have you doing mental gymnastics to match that of Signy’s actual acrobatics.
There are multiple ways of defending against attacks, including dodging and parrying. Blend this with the variety of enemies that each require certain moves to most effectively combat, and you have the groundwork for an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop.
Fighting enemies in this game is enjoyable, and if it was a little more challenging, I would say it had one of the better turn-based combat systems I have seen. However, you will not spend the entire game fighting.
Signy & Mino: Against All Gods has you explore a linear series of levels, some of which require some platforming to reach certain secrets. The platforming is okay, nothing too special, and could’ve done with a few more challenging sections and perhaps a deeper focus on movement options.
Along with this, a lack of a fast travel mechanic makes getting around more annoying than it should be. It’s not too much of an issue, but I’ll return to the overworld and game length later.
When it comes to gameplay, Signy & Mino: Against All Gods has a great concept and executes it wonderfully. The world could’ve felt richer, admittedly, but the combat is so much fun it’s easy to forget about the more negative aspects of the game. I really wish I had more to say on it, but it’s just great.
An inter-connected world(ish)
Many of the issues I have with Signy & Mino: Against All Gods are found in its presentation. While some quality of life changes could have improved the gameplay, the actual moment-to-moment experience is very satisfying. However, several more cerebral aspects from the design to the story do need addressing with a more critical lens.
Let’s start with the positives: the music, for one. I have to give props to the music team on this game; it is truly amazing, if a little odd in places. Whether it’s fighting an intense battle, exploring caves, or engaging in dialogue, the music of the game remains one of its greatest strengths.
Something I am rather mixed on, though, is the art direction. The character and enemy models in this game are great, with charming little sprites that blend into the world nicely. Whether you’re fighting robots or strange creatures, the models are very well done. Where this starts to fall apart, though, is the backgrounds.
Signy & Mino: Against All Gods is a 2.5D game, with 2D sprites and more 3D leaning backgrounds. Placing said 2D sprites in a 3D environment causes the game to toe the line between charming and uncanny, and I wasn’t a fan of it.
While the sprites in the world are great, during cutscenes they can feel a little under-baked. I often found myself taken aback by the level of quality going into the character models in the open world, only to be brought into a cutscene with less detailed, still versions of the sprites floating around.
Cutscenes are few and far between. While several did stand out as effective, most notably the “storybook” ones, most actually only served to take away from the emotional impact of key moments.
This was a shame, as there were plenty of emotional moments, all of which were handled elegantly. A lot of the writing in this game tackles some fairly heavy themes; however, with all of these previous points in mind, the story of the game really needed to carry it. It did, for a time, but the story is incredibly short.
I managed to beat the game in just under 4 hours, which is just not long enough. I really wanted more of this game, but a lack of side content and a short story meant that it was over just as the gameplay was reaching its peak. The final boss came much sooner than I expected, to the point where it felt like the game was almost rushing to end.
Alongside having a fairly small upgrade tree, Signy & Mino: Against All Gods needed to be longer to fully grow into the world it was establishing.
To conclude, this game suffers from being too short. It is, in fact, one of the only things preventing me from recommending this wholeheartedly. The gameplay is so fun, the visuals are a mixed bag, the sound design is wonderful, and the writing is good too.
I believe if this game had a little more time “in the oven” and expanded on what was already built, it would be an outstanding title. For now, though, the game is still incredibly fun and well thought out, but it just needed more.
Still, though, I suggest everyone checks this game out and supports the teams behind it, as it’s clear the talent and commitment are there, and I want to see more interesting projects like this. Do keep in mind, though, this game will be finished sooner than you wish it to be.
FAQs
The game was developed by AN Productions and published by Armor Games Studios.
The game’s length is rather short, only being around 4 hours long if you’re good at the combat. There are some collectibles to be found in the world; however, despite a lack of a fast travel mechanic, finding them all will only add another hour or so onto the run time.
Aspects of Self are collectibles found in the world that, once a certain amount are collected, will allow the player to customise Signy’s idle animation or “battle stance”. The game at no point shows you what these are or how to get them. If you’re stumped, look for flowers/plants around the world map with glowing purple tops and interact with them.
No, Signy & Mino: Against All Gods is not on Xbox Series X/S, or other consoles for that matter. It’s available on PC, via Steam.
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