Underplayed Gems

Mean-While (2020)

Mean-While cover
Developer
Daniel Bourke
Publisher
Project tranquil, LLC
Platforms
Windows
Genres
Action, Adventure, Indie
Rating
4.2 of 5, 12 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 1.3 hours
Where to get it
Steam
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

a comedic retro-style adventure where you constantly swap between two rival villains to solve puzzles and fight through colorful, non-linear fortresses.

comedicretropixel graphicscolorfulnon-linearparodyaction-adventuresingleplayer

What players say

Players appreciate the dual-character switching and charming self-aware humor, but note unpolished controls and a requirement for gamepads over keyboard. The game runs about 2-3 hours and is linear with no replay incentive. Boss difficulty is inconsistent, with some early bosses harder than later ones.

Screenshots

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More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.