Minds Beneath Us Review — Splitting the Personality

A cyberpunk dystopia. Human batteries power an AI-driven world. Interesting characters with deep and engaging stories—all this and more are present in Minds Beneath Us, an enthralling Sci-fi visual novel that tasks players with solving a deep and complicated mystery while also asking questions about socio-economic practices, love, and identity. While I went into this game with low expectations, I can honestly say that Minds Beneath Us has easily become one of my favorite visual novels on the market.

Spoilers ahead for the plot of Minds Beneath Us. While I won’t tackle anything that hasn’t been covered in the game’s first act or the first three hours of gameplay, some players may view some of what I discuss as a “big reveal” and may be better off experiencing the game for themselves.

Minds Beneath Us tells the story of Jason Dai, a young man living with his girlfriend in the heart of a dystopian cyberpunk megacity. A former army veteran who is worried about being a financial burden for his girlfriend, Jason is able to secure a job at The Farm, a complex that attracts down-on-their-luck members of society with the promise of quick cash, temporarily using their brains as supercomputers to power the city’s AI network. The story follows Jason as he manages his new job, his relationship, and unravels a deep-rooted conspiracy, all the while hearing the stories of those around him and providing an occasional word of advice.

Except the story doesn’t really follow Jason Dai at all; it follows you. Minds Beneath Us puts the player in an incredibly unique perspective, taking on the role of an M.B.U. or artificial intelligence capable of controlling human bodies. Used primarily for espionage and investigation, you escape confinement one day after a mysterious attack on your captors, setting you loose into the world and into Jason’s body.

You and Jason then share the body, with you in control of his words and actions but privy to his internal thoughts during the day and speaking with him at night. As you quickly discover, many of the choices you make are out of character for Jason, who soon reveals that you are not the first M.B.U. he’s had in his brain and likely won’t be the last.

Minds Beneath Us’ unique take on the player character is an incredibly refreshing idea, especially for a visual novel. It is also uniquely clever in the way it presents and allows players to digest information. We are taking on the life of someone who has already lived for quite some time, who has a personality, relationships, and information he knows, but we, as players, get to discover it for the first time in a way that doesn’t break the game’s immersion.

It also gives you an opportunity to interact with multiple-choice dialogue in a uniquely immersion-protecting way. Nothing Jason can say is out of character if he has someone else piloting his body.

The way Minds Beneath Us tackles romance is by far my favorite of any visual novel I’ve played, which I think is saying something in a genre renowned for its dating sims and romantic plots. The way Jason’s relationship with Frances is written feels healthy yet realistic, far from perfect, and definitely with some room for improvement. What I like even better about this subplot is how the game’s unique premise puts a spin on things. Stepping into Jason’s body, you can see that things between him and Frances aren’t perfect. Jason is revealed to be less than emotionally available, argumentative, and absent in his affections, and the game gives you a chance as the player to direct the course differently. You can also see that Jason and Frances clearly care about each other, and seeing how the two respond to “Jason’s” new behavior is heartwarming. It’s almost like playing relationship counselor for the two.

Minds Beneath Us is a game with a fantastic story, great characters, and tons of personality. Often, the game will have you sit there and just delve into deep, impactful conversations with people who lament about their anxieties and the stresses of modern life. The game had me absolutely heartbroken, listening to the stories of down-on-their-luck people just trying to get by. The game will often challenge you to make heart-wrenching decisions, forcing you to decide between personal profit or the well-being of strangers.

I was frankly shocked by the emotions Minds Beneath Us managed to pull from me, with the story keeping me invested way easier than I expected it to.

For all Minds Beneath Us has going for it, it is worth saying that the game is just about as Visual Novel as it can get when it comes to gameplay. Aside from some quick time events, the game is almost entirely played by reading text on the screen and choosing responses. Even in areas where you would expect the game to have more UI elements, such as navigating a computer, are done via text and responses. While the game had me totally invested in its stories and characters, I can imagine this to be a downside for some players expecting a bit more gameplay from their games.

The only real “bug” I would complain about in Minds Beneath Us would be the localization. While the game’s English translations were more or less good, the odd mistranslation would slip in here or there, making processing information a little difficult at times where it shouldn’t be. While I don’t think this ever really impacted my game in a serious manner, it definitely had me confused on some dialogue options or conversations happening at points in the game.

Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Minds Beneath Us is available on Steam.