Manic Mimic is a free-to-play action-adventure video game from developer BellyBelting. In this game, players control Mimmie the Mimic, an oddly voluptuous, tentacled blue creature. As a mimic, the objective of players is to gather as much shiny loot as they can while also defending themselves against adventurers also looking for loot.

Manic Mimic is inspired by many RPG tropes, most especially the existence of mimics: devious creatures luring in unsuspecting adventurers by pretending to be chests filled with treasure. However, in this game, the players are the mimics and they hunt down loot instead of waiting for prey.

Simple and fun

Manic Mimic is barebones not only in gameplay mechanics but also in terms of creature comforts. Upon launching the game, the rudimentary user interface is immediately obvious. The font used and the layout of the menu and settings leave a lot to be desired. Moreover, the singular soundtrack it uses quickly gets repetitive. Fortunately, these small gripes don’t take away from its solid gameplay.

The gameplay is simple yet engaging. You start the game in the middle of a large dungeon. As Mimmie, you need to defeat the hordes of enemies coming after you by hitting them with her blue tendrils that spread out after every few seconds. Defeated enemies drop loot, which gives Mimmie experience when picked up. Leveling up allows players to choose between five upgrades to make Mimmie stronger.

Mimmie can unlock an immobilizing ability, increase her damage, increase her movement speed, increase her health and fully recover it, and summon goblins that strike enemies as they pass. As Mimmie gets stronger, so do adventurers who will hunt her down. Eventually, a boss will spawn in and players will have to continue to survive. The key to survival is kiting enemies and dodging projectiles.

Rough around the edges

Manic Mimic has a lot of shortcomings in terms of basic features such as a dynamic soundtrack and a user-friendly interface. However, these are all understandable given it’s an indie game. Besides, the game makes up for it by offering solid gameplay that everyone can find enjoyable. It’s not too difficult but it’s also not too easy to be boring.