I played Mini Healer for 41 hours in the last 5 days.
Every moment was spent planning my strategy, hunting for gear to support my strategy, or executing my strategy to overcome the 35+ unique encounters available in this Early Access version of the game. I did not at any point feel like my time was being wasted by arbitrary lockouts, online connectivity issues, scheduling conflicts with fellow guild members, or tedious grinding to get 1% more powerful. Whats more, I feel like I’ve got at least another 40 hours of enjoyment ahead due to the impressive post-game content that I’ve yet to tackle.
“You do a 4 hour raid, maybe only an hour, hour and a half is spent killing bosses”
Twitch & YouTuber Asmongold talking about World of Warcraft - 8 August 2022
As I sat down to write this review of Mini Healer, I had put a video from Asmongold on in the background. In the very first minute of this video, his complaint about raiding in World of Warcraft made the strongest case for why games like Mini Healer are not just fun, but necessary, and fill a niche for people who love the gameplay mechanics popularised by World of Warcraft. Because of the need for subscription and “games as a service” monetization schemes to keep players playing (and therefore payers paying) for access to their game, time wasting busywork between the actually fun parts of fighting difficult bosses in MMOs is built into the experience. If you want to enjoy the sometimes truly excellent gameplay WoW (and games like it) have hidden away somewhere behind dozens of hours of tedium, fortunately there is now an alternative.
Mini Healer focuses in on what makes epic boss battles fun, and gives you all the tools you’ll need to have a great time without having to watch YouTube videos or install mods to your MMO client. No trash clearing, just click the boss door and get ready to fill those health bars until your team of AI party members wins. Get level ups, spend talent points (something WoW removed at one point, but is bringing back this year), equip phat loot, customise your skill bar, and learn how to overcome the next encounter. This is the good stuff, the core gameplay loop that made end game WoW such an unprecendented success for years, but without any of the negatives that have crept in (boosting, pay to win, etc…) over time. What a breath of fresh air for long time fans of the MMO genre like myself, who now have relationships, jobs, and other responsibilities competing for their time.
I can’t overstate how much I love this game and how much I enjoyed my time playing, but maybe the best part is that I felt so much pure joy for just under the cost of a 1 month subscription to any given MMO you can play today. You can try free-to-play games like Lost Ark or any of a dozen different predatory pay-to-win mobile games without putting any money down, but in the end these games are designed to abuse you psychologically until you cough up your cash. I’d rather support independent developers and enjoy a discreet experience where I have access to all of the gameplay and content without constantly being pestered to spend real money inside the game. I know I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the environment Mini Healer exists in and what it drew inspiration from, but context is so important when it comes to a game like this and is what makes Mini Healer stand out SO much in my mind as an example of how good games can be when the people making them prioritise fun over abusing gambling addicts for personal profit.
Play Mini Healer, and I promise you that even if you’ve never played WoW or any MMO before you’ll understand why these games fascinated millions of people for years. Master playing Druid, Priest, Occultist, or Paladin trees in Mini Healer, and you’ll be ready to go heal a raid in WoW. You might never want to though, because of how effortless it is to dive into Mini Healer and start having fun compared to everything it draws inspiration from.
If you like my review, check out the game on Steam, and don’t let the Early Access scare you as Mini Healer is already a fantastic gaming experience.