Minefield Review

Minefield is a "simple freemium" game released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The game takes the classic style of a little title known as Minesweeper but offers a slightly different-shaped board and provides trophies for players to earn. Despite being called a "freemium" title, it actually costs $0.99 to download, which begs the question: Is it actually worth it?

Gameplay:

When starting a game in Minefield, players can choose between different background images. These have no effect on the gameplay itself, but they give you something different to look at each time. There are only a handful to choose from, sadly, but with a title like this, the picture really is the least of one's concerns—it could be a simple gray background and no one would care.

After choosing a background, the next step is to choose a difficulty. Harder settings have a larger board with more mines to discover, while easier ones are smaller with fewer. For those new to the game, it is recommended to start with the easiest mode first, but you can also dive directly into "hard" if you wish.

Once the game has started, the goal is simple: review the grid of tiles and mark every spot that contains a mine without actually clicking on the mine itself. To do this, you can either start clicking at random and hope for the best, or you can take the time to learn the mechanics and plan your clicks carefully. Uncovering tiles will display numbers letting you know how many mines are touching said tile, so you can use that information to figure out exactly where they are. While this can be frustrating at first, once you realize the trick, the game becomes very easy and all of the trophies can be unlocked in no time. Of course, even after obtaining the trophies, this is a puzzle game with infinite replayability, so the game never truly ends. Players can continue to challenge themselves to do better and clear the puzzle faster, and that is where the true draw of the game comes into play.

Uncovering the mines can quickly become addicting, but there's also something relaxing about the whole experience. Similar to other puzzle games, once you are hooked it is hard to escape, and you will often find yourself starting just "one more game" after seeing that clear screen.

Should you play it?

Minefield is an easy title to recommend for those who love this style of gameplay, but there is also no denying that there are "better" ways to experience it. For 99 cents, it isn't a bad deal, but one can also download countless free apps on mobile devices or play it for free on PC. This is a different version of a game that has been free since 1990, so one must ask themselves if it is really worth purchasing just to be able to play it on a PlayStation. Personally, I think so, but I am also one of the handful of people out there who has sunk hundreds of hours into this game over the years. For everyone else? Just stick to the free version.

VERDICT: Essential
Reviewed on PlayStation 4

(Happy April 1st!)