STOP THEM MITES!
A Review of Mimi & The Mites
by Craig Majaski
Are you a puzzle freak? You know who you are. The kind of gamer that has
to try "just one more time" to make it to the next level. Remember Tetris or
Lode Runner? How many hours of sleep did you lose due to their high level
of addiction? Well, get ready to lose a few more! Mimi & The Mites (The
Mites), by URC, is here and could be the game you've been looking for. Part
puzzle and part action, Mimi will keep you busy fighting those mites for
quite some time.
The objective in The Mites is very simple at first glance. Your goal is to
guide
Mimi to the exit of the level unharmed. To hinder your quest, many
obstacles are placed within each level. The most dangerous being the mites.
These small slime-like creatures have one purpose in their life; to stop Mimi
from reaching her goal (and giving the gamer an occasional headache).
Luckily there are a few ways to dispose of the little pests. Mimi always
totes around her zapper gun which does a nice job of melting the mites. Depending
on which level you're on, you'll get a preset amount of ammunition.
Some
levels offer ammo refill stations, but most of the time it's best to conserve
as much ammo as possible. The other way to temporarily get rid of the mites is
to squish them by falling off a ledge from above. Either way, the mites only
stay in their harmless state for 30 seconds so you will have to act quick!
Your life ends either when Mimi is touched by a mite, or (in some stages)
your time runs out. Every time you lose a life, you're treated to a bizarre
"blanket toss" cut-scene (don't ask). If after several tries you're unable to
beat a level, an option will appear that will allow you to bypass the level
you're currently stumped on. Also, you're able to save your game so you
don't need to redo every level should you decide to call it quits for awhile.
The mites aren't the only nuisance to Mimi. The levels have been cleverly
laid out with all sorts of hazards to get in her way. Force fields play a big
part in the game. They often block the passage that you need to get to. These
can be turned on or off by finding the force plates. These are located on the
floor and are pressure-sensitive. To make things trickier, some plates can
only be activated by Mimi, while others can be activated by the mites as
well. Sometimes herding the mites toward the force plates is the only way to
proceed to the next level. In some instances 2 force plates may have to be
activated before the desired effect will take place. Strategy is the key to
unlocking many of the force fields.
As you proceed further into the game, you'll discover many new devices.
Most of the areas will have transporters that whisk Mimi to a different
floor. Beware, mites also have their own transporters as well and like to sneak up
on you. Conveyor belts, portals, and trap doors are abundant and can be used
to your advantage, or occasionally lead you to your death. Elevators are a
great place to take cover since mites steer clear of them.
They also serve as
a quick way to get to another floor. Your gun can carry different kinds of
ammunition depending on the stage you're currently on. The flamer is the
standard gun and hits one mite. The machine gun can zap two mites at once.
The most powerful weapon is the laser cannon. All mites in the path of this
deadly beam will become melted for 30 seconds. The stasis beam allows
Mimi to freeze mites for 45 seconds. All of the different weapons are useful
in their own way and are vital to completing certain levels.
Most puzzle games don't need extravagant graphics or music to be fun. The
Mites is no exception. While the graphics and tuneage aren't necessarily bad,
they're far from today's high-tech standards. The graphics are very average.
If you've played Lemmings or Lode Runner, you know what to expect. Since
the game is stored on a CD, it would have been nice if it would have had
CD-quality music. The control is very accurate and easy to learn with the
keyboard. I didn't play with a joystick, but the control is very basic so it
probably would work just fine.
Mimi & The Mites is yet another puzzle/action game. With a slightly original
story line it stands out from the crowded games market. There's no doubt
that you'll spend quite a few hours playing this puzzler. Unfortunately it
doesn't seem to be as addictive as its predecessors. The replay value is
pretty low since once a level has been beaten, there's really no reason to
play through it again. If you've been itching for a new game to add to your
puzzle collection, Mimi & The Mites just "mite" be for you!
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
Mimi & The Mites |
| Company: |
URC
|
| Cost: |
$39.95 |
System Requirements:
A 386 or faster processor, 15 MB of free disk space,
256-color VGA, MS-DOS 3.0 or higher, 6 MB RAM,
Sound Blaster or compatible, Joystick and Mouse compatible.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 3
Graphics 3
Sound 3
Interface 4
Replayability 3
Overall Score:
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