As part of the Indie World showcase, Nintendo announced that Minishoot Adventures is releasing today, March 3, on Switch and Switch 2. Not long after, the developer announced it’s actually widely available on PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X as well, and included in Xbox Game Pass. The unconventional mash-up is a blend of puzzle and exploration akin to a classic top-down Zelda game, with combat and movement that feels like a twin-stick shooter. It was one of our favorite under-the-radar hits when it first released on PC in 2024, and it’s an absolutely perfect fit for the handheld Switch systems. Check below for our impressions of the original and why this one is a can’t-miss.
The enduring popularity of The Legend of Zelda has led to no shortage of imitators. For those lamenting the lack of a new top-down 2D Zelda from Nintendo, Steam is rife with homages that approximate the feeling of delving into forests, caves, and dungeons armed only with a plucky attitude and your uncle’s sword. Minishoot Adventures, the sophomore game from indie studio SoulGame, is different, but no less reverent as an homage. Rather than crib from Zelda in a very literal sense, this one reimagines and recaptures the same sensation of classic Zelda by recontextualizing it as a bullet hell shooter.
Instead of an elven tween, you’re a sentient spaceship. Your allies and enemies, also spaceships. The world is open and free roaming with item gating, like classic Zelda and metroidvania games. Movement feels sharp and snappy immediately, like picking up a game of PixelJunk Shooter or Geometry Wars. It even has a series of dungeons with clever traps, environmental puzzles, game-changing powers, and tough boss battles.
