OUTBUDDIES DX
OUTBUDDIES DX
Game
Game2017
Mini Ghost
Developer @unepic_fran
"Mini Ghost" is a mini metroidvania in the 80's MSX art style and gameplay. It's the mini prequel of Ghost 1.0. From the Steam store page
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 1, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
93
LovedLoved
166 positive · 13 negative
95% range 88–96%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 166 | 13 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 0 | 7 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
177 of 191 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
92% recommend · 166 yes, 14 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 180 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (398 of 422 positive).
Players praise Mini Ghost as a complete, well-crafted metroidvania experience with a low price. [1][2][3] Many note the game is short but sweet, with solid controls and authentic retro style. [4][5][6] Some reviewers find the difficulty frustrating, with tedious backtracking and grinding. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
There's a lot of good stuff in this game. Has this pleasant, chunky feeling that's common among games its trying to emulate; nice controls, pleasant look, simplicity done right. But it also emulated another element which perhaps it shouldn't have: It's too freaking hard! And it's the annoying kind of difficulty, too. The game starts out very easy, and then quickly climbs up to the point where I had to save-load …
- [1]
Don't let the low price of this game fool you, this is a complete metroidvania experience, with bosses, powerups and a very well crafted difficulty curve. And if that's not enough you also get a very strong level editor! I don't usually write reviews, but this game, and the games of this developer need to reach a broader audience.
- [4]
Short but sweet. Took me just under two hours to beat it. Very solid controls, simple but reasonably challenging enemies.
- [12]
This is an amazing game that you should definitely check out for such a small price! It's even on sale so it's even cheaper! A great platformer reminiscent of the old 8-bit games with authentic visuals, music and sounds with solid controls and design. But for me, what truly makes this game is special is the robust level, tileset and character editors. The game as it is is definitely worth the money, but with these …
- [2]
This is a really good game for a really good price. lots of love and charm put into this game. Now I know retro indie games are a dime a dozen, but this is one that should stand out from a lot of the others. Its basically a metroidvania type of game where you go around and picking up things to upgrade yourself. The kind you would find on the MSX system, and it does a very good job of being authentic. As a added …
Summarised from 34 of the 190 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
92% of the 180 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Mini Ghost. The complaint that keeps coming up: difficulty spikes and frustrating boss fights. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstDon't let the low price of this game fool you, this is a complete metroidvania experience, with bosses, powerups and a very well crafted difficulty curve. And if that's not enough you also get a very strong level editor! I don't usually write reviews, but this game, and the games of this developer need to reach a broader audience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is absolutely awesome, this is how platform/metroid games should be made. Although Mini Ghost might seem like a usual -and tedious?- platform game at first, It's very well designed and quite challenging. Rooms need to be cleared quickly and accurately, bosses are almost impossible to beat but they can be handled by taking advantage of the retro style save/load system -after clearing each room- along with the teleport to base and health room. (-1 point for unbalanced difficulty of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was true to its vision. What you see on the Steam page is basically what you get, a retro-style metroidvania with many of the fun and frustrating elements of that genre. Lots of tight spaces to jump through, lots of rooms that you have to figure out how to navigate, and lots of backtracking to upgrade your health and get a few upgrades (probably too much for such a short game). The art aesthetics are solid, and so are the controls. There is nothing ground-breaking or truly memorable…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Recently released my first Devlog! 💛 I'm working on a tiny horror game -> Mini Ghost Hunt! You play as a kid in the 90's who hunts... hm weird ghosts in his neighborhood?💀 Full Devlog link is below!🔽 any like and repost is truly appreciated🥹 #gamedev #indiedev #devlog #godotengine
neutral · AI labelView post →Short but sweet. Took me just under two hours to beat it. Very solid controls, simple but reasonably challenging enemies.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a really good game for a really good price. lots of love and charm put into this game. Now I know retro indie games are a dime a dozen, but this is one that should stand out from a lot of the others. Its basically a metroidvania type of game where you go around and picking up things to upgrade yourself. The kind you would find on the MSX system, and it does a very good job of being authentic. As a added bonus it also has a simple editing system for making a character, tile sets, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a lot happening now so I'm not sharing much about Mini Ghost Hunt (will talk about it in the next video hehe), but meanwhile Hikarin's been killing it with the game graphics😭 #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame
neutral · AI labelView post →Finally a dev that understands what old school hard means and doesn't use 1-hit kills to fake it. Mini Ghost captures the essence of game of old with all it's good and bad elements. The game consists of roaming the leveling looking for power-ups and keys to unlock new areas so there is a bit of backtracking if you're against that also it has a bit of grinding as some items come from shops though mainly the power-ups as key items tend to come from shooting select boxes or killing bosses so…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just played through it, and it's just a really good, little metroidvania-style game. Absolutely worth the 2 bucks. It's like a little snack in between the big ones like Bloodstained or the new Ori. Very enjoyable from start to finish.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You get the awesome feel of a complete metroidvania experience tht you can play in a single 2-3 hour sitting. Sometimes that's what you want - and if it is there aren't many other options I can think of other than Mini-Ghost. So well done! + charming low-fi graphics and sounds + power scaling curve is just right + save at any time! great feature! - requiring the secret at the end is a little mean
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With Mini Ghost you are getting a heck of a lot more MetroidVania than you are paying for. When Fran makes a game, you can be sure it's fun and a great bargain to boot. If you are a fan of UnEpic or Ghost 1.0 you already know the scoop (both awesome titles, by the way). Mini Ghost is a prequal to Ghost 1.0. I love the artwork demake and all the editors that have been made available to let the community take this one and run with it. The music is outstanding. While the character, tileset, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I grew up playing games like this, and clearly so did the developer because they managed to replicate the style and feel perfectly. It's a pretty straightforward game design, a metroidvania platformer where you explore the map, shoot enemies, collect cubes to buy items from shops, find other items hidden in crates, and take on a number of bosses. Items and upgrades enable you to access areas that you couldn't reach or navigate earlier on. You've probably played this kind of thing before. It…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an amazing game that you should definitely check out for such a small price! It's even on sale so it's even cheaper! A great platformer reminiscent of the old 8-bit games with authentic visuals, music and sounds with solid controls and design. But for me, what truly makes this game is special is the robust level, tileset and character editors. The game as it is is definitely worth the money, but with these editors included it makes it a must buy. They're so easy to use, you can make…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's a lot of good stuff in this game. Has this pleasant, chunky feeling that's common among games its trying to emulate; nice controls, pleasant look, simplicity done right. But it also emulated another element which perhaps it shouldn't have: It's too freaking hard! And it's the annoying kind of difficulty, too. The game starts out very easy, and then quickly climbs up to the point where I had to save-load every screen. And then there are the bosses which not only take quite a while to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →reminded me of the time atari ⣼⣿⣿⢿⡻⢝⠙⠊⠋⠉⠉⠈⠊⠝⣿⡻⠫⠫⠊⠑⠉⠉⠑⠫⢕⡫⣕⡁⠁ ⣼⡻⠕⠅⠁⣀⣤⣤⣄⣀⠈⠄⠁⠄⠁⣿⡮⠄⠁⠄⠄⡠⠶⠶⠦⡀⠈⣽⡢ ⣿⣧⠄⠁⠄⠔⠒⠭⠭⠥⠥⠓⠄⢀⣴⣿⣿⡄⠁⠠⣤⠉⠉⣭⠝⠈⢐⣽⣕ ⣿⣷⡢⢄⡰⡢⡙⠄⠠⠛⠁⢀⢔⣵⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣄⡈⠁⠈⠁⠉⡹⣽⣿⣷ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣬⣭⡭⠔⣠⣪⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣵⡒⠫⠿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣛⣥⣶⣿⠟⢁⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡙⣿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡫⠁⢀⠑⠓⠫⢝⢟⣿⣿⣿⣿⡻⠊⢉⣄⠈⠪⡫⢿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢟⠁⣰⣿⣿⣢⢤⣀⡀⠈⠉⠉⢀⠠⠪⢝⡻⣷⡀⠊⡪⡻⣿ ⡫⢟⣿⣿⣿⣿⡊⢠⣿⣿⡫⠚⣊⣡⠶⢦⣤⣤⠶⠞⡛⠳⣌⠫⡻⡀⠈⡺⢿ ⠪⡪⡫⢟⡿⣕⠁⡫⠝⠊⡴⠋⠁⠁⠐⠁⠂⠈⠐⠈⠈⠐⠐⠳⠄⠹⣇⠪⡻ ⠄⠁⠊⠕⡪⢕⢀⠞⠁⠄⣁⢀⢀⣀⣤⣤⣠⣀⣤⣴⣶⣶⣶⡆⠄⠆⢷⠕⡪ ⣄⠄⠁⠄⠁⠄⡎⠄⠁⢬⣮⣕⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡫⡪⡵⠄⠁⠄⠈ ⣿⣄⠁⠄⠁⠄⡣⠄⠁⣷⣯⣵⣢⠄⠄⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⣠⣬⣟⡕⠄⠁⢀⣿ ⣿⣿⣷⡀⠁⠄⡎⠄⠁⠻⣿⣾⣯⣪⣔⢄⣀⣀⣀⡠⣶⣾⣽⣿⠃⠄⢀⣼⣿
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got a coupon for this so I decided to give it a shot. I went in with very little in the way of expectations and was frankly blown away. If you enjoy metroidvania style games and/or have a fondness for MSX style graphics you should give this game a shot.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can't really recommend this one. It's fun for a bit, but as you progress, the boss design goes from serviceable to bad to abysmal. Additionally, there's a lot of tedium. There's no reasonable way to heal, for one. You heal a single unit of health every time you fill up your XP bar, which takes ages, otherwise, the only way to heal is to die, which also causes you to lose all of your money. Money which you need an awful lot of if you're wanting to buy all the items in the game. Money you're…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its a great lil game like straight from NES. If not... What makes me vote down on it is mainly the fact, that you need - I dunno much about it - this twitch-crap and stuff to get alle achivements. So I don't even care getting the rest of the (not soooo easy to get) "offline"-achivements anymore. One could argue: But you are on steam (a great network based network for networking about how great you are in the real important stuff ...like gaming) - so you HAVE to share your life on twitch,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't say i had a lot of fun with this game, to be fair, yes, it is exactly what it says it is, a pocket size Metroidvania similar to the games you could find on the NES or 8-bit computers, but the thing is, i've played many games similar to this one, and the they're way better, i think the main problem i have with this game, is that there is no health drops from enemies, instead you have constantly backtrack to a espesific room or killing a bunch of enemies fill an exp bar to recover a small…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: + Retro style based on the developer’s love of the MSX + Fun prequel with cute comic intro and ending + Troll friends while they stream on Twitch + Customizable sprites, tile sets, and maps that can be upload to Workshop Cons: – Basics like moving and shooting are an upgrade @unepic_fran’s “Mini Ghost” is a fun little Metroidvania game with a classic MSX presentation and gameplay with plenty of stuff to customize (you can also share your creativity in-game design and online debauchery).…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game play really nice and simple. Great game and easy to mod. Have character, roomwall, level and monster editor. Share it in the workshop Pixel game at the best. Cheap totally worth it. Con Maybe you have to grind a little to buy some item as you lose all money dying. Full exp bar only give you 1hp. (not max)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice game. I've enjoyed it alot so far! It's short but fun. I finished my first run in about 2 and a half hours and I'm probly kind of on the slow side. It feels nostalgic with its charming visuals, but the game play itself is really smooth, controls are great, animation is fluid, etc. You can also make your own characters/levels which could be fun. Haven't even messed with that stuff yet. lol. At 2 bucks, it's a steal!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay so TL;DR: the game is a steal, amazing world building and metroidvania setting that will leave you satisfied, all for a very low price of 1$ at sale. longer review: Personally I had a spare dollar and just bought it because I like Metroidvania and this one seemed like a single person effort so I said "why not, a small support for a developer". But as I downloaded the 24mb game, I binged it for 2 hours straight, the game is basically about a robot girl called Ghost on a mission to destroy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short n well made metroidvania platformer. Even for 2$ it's over pretty quick, but worth the money. Some things are a bit annoying (read: landmines), and the bosses can be quite hard. Not even going to try the achievements, that's just not happening. Last boss was not good for my keyboard,. i should make an autofire button... Tip: Make sure you get the double damage powerup, it makes life so much easier.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little metroidvania, took me about 3 hrs to finish. The graphics are also very colorful too. A couple of the items were more difficult to find than I would have preferred because I walked circles around the map, but otherwise still a fun game and worth playing-even at full price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fairly decent and challenging, and definitely worth the dollar I paid for it. Has full controller support and worked great with my Xbox controller. Make sure you find the secrets before you confront the last boss, but after you find the 4th access card or you'll have to do a hell of a lot of backtracking.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll be perfectly honest. I only bought this to support the developer. Its the MSX version of ghost 1.0 but without the roguelike gameplay. deffinately not flashy and quality, well... Unless you like that era of gaming you'll be dissapointed. Not to say the game is awful, but it's deffinately worth the 2 bucks. I recommend for a good hour or two messing around. I like the developers spirit... Keep it up dude
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Day 287 - At 4:00 PM PST 15-DEC-2025, we are #streaming 3 #indiegame from #itchio: ➡ 0859: Mini Ghost by Unepic fran ➡ 0860: Death Game by Fractured Mind Games ➡ 0861: In My Friend Carrie's Car by @bignastytruck.bsky.social www.twitch.tv/princessbala... #videoGames #letsplay #indieDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Classic metroidvania goodness, the gameplay is very simple, but very fun as well. Because of my dumbness i may have complicated the game for myself a little bit ( i always destroy those healing robot, didn't realize they can heal you until very late in the game), A good and short game for anyone looking for some MSX or NES gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You have to get NVIDIA RTX 2080 TI with ray tracing and 144hz gaming monitor with G-Sync for this So intense it only gives you about 30fps though
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10 Small & Unstoppable Due to Steam's character limit, this is a heavily edited reupload from Gao Li Occasionally Reviews [url=https://gaolioccasionallyreviews.wordpress.com/2018/08/31/mini-ghost/]gaolioccasionallyreviews.wordpress.com Mini Ghost (2017) is a short, Metroidvania sidescroller that serves as a prequel to Ghost 1.0 (2016) & not only looks like an 8-bit game for the MSX home computer system, but was released for it in 2017 as well. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Mini…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Metroidvania Review [url=https://metroidvaniareview.com/2017/11/23/mini-ghost/] Scored Summary | | [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/30503887/] Subscribe to our Curator How Metroidvania is it? High Fit - More "Metroidvania" than Ghost 1.0, harkening back to the old MSX Metroidvanias that inspired games like La-Mulana. [url= https://steamcommunity.com/groups/MetroidvaniaReview/discussions/1/1743346190289428170/] Want to hear a different opinion, or want…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You can see everything in the screenshots. It's a tiny, light metroidvania. It's OK, not superb, but amusing and certainly not expensive. The only things that really do it no favours are that even during such a short game, the scant music tracks have the time to get annoying and the bookend scenes break the stylistic integrity.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For less than $2 this game is a steal! A very nice throwback metroidvania with cute graphics, controls and mechanics that are just right and balanced, fun old-school gameplay and all in all is tightly designed. And the option to download and make yourself new tilesets and sprites adds lots of charm to the product. The only small problems are the silly design decision to put a power-up needed to finish the game in a secret side area, and the fact that the BGM volume remains extremely low for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like a back of the napkin sketch of Hollow Knight. A fun time killer.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mini price but big fun!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A nice, retro Metroidvania with graphics reminiscent of the old Apple ][ era. You're a troubleshooter sent into a dangerous maze to destroy a haywire computer. At the start of your adventure you kind of suck; you blast enemies, collect "cubes," and use them to buy combat upgrades. Scattered throughout the maze are crates that contain either nothing (usually), more cubes, or unique items that give you advantages or make you able to reach new areas. Your goal is to defeat bosses, opening up new…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A compact, competent game for $2? AND has a level editor?! Yes, it's worth it. :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →-ESPAÑOL- Rápido, sencillo, divertido, con prácticamente infinitas posibilidades. Y por su precio, es ridículamente bueno. Si te gustan los metroidvania, o mejor aún, Unepic y Ghost 1.0, no os arrepentiréis. Muy recomendado. -ENGLISH- Fast, simple, fun, and with infinite possibilities. Knowing its price, thats insane, I have to say. If you like metroidvania types, or even better, Unepic and Ghost 1.0, you won't regret buying it. I totally recommend it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great little game! Short but sweet, and very affordable. It was originally a 32kb cartridge game for the MSX computers that Unepic_Fran released in 2017. The Steam version expands and updates the original game a little bit, while also adding great character, level and tileset editors. You can upload to and download stuff from the Steam Workshop. Highly recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As speedrunners, it's easy to forget about the importance of documentation, vital for the health of a run. I've been adding Mini Ghost info to the UnEpic Games Speedrun Wiki. Folks are always free to hit me up to help get started on building their own. unepic-speedruns.fandom.com/wiki/UnEpic_...
neutral · AI labelView post →very fun has a level/sprite editor which makes the game worth it imo
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What I like best about this tiny title is that it’s got something for everyone – for those that like to play with friends, you can troll them until they’re no longer your friends. For those that like to play alone (maybe after your friends have rage quit on you), you have an entire campaign that will take you back to the days of hand-mapping out your 8-Bit Metroid games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey everyone and this is my review about the game! This is a classic metroidvania game. Interface/Menu/Settings Video Settings information. You can toggle between fullscreen or windowed mode. You can change the resolution size in 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 (Default), 4x4, 5x5 and 6x6. Volume Settings Information. There is a Music Volume slidebar available. Each Volume level presents with 1 bar. There is a Sound Effect volume slidebar available. Each Volume level presents with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is exactly what it says on the can. Metroidvania, check, MSX style, check, mini, check. It's vaguely reminiscent of La-Mulana without the puzzles. If it has a flaw, it would be that there's too much backtracking, but it's a solid little game for the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty neat game. Love the custome character mode. ;)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun and cheap little metroidvania. It's a little grindy at points and I wish you could move a bit faster but, meh... Exactly what I needed today as well, a simple game to put my head to.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoyable mini-metroidvania game. I wasn't a fan of the fact that bosses only showed up when I moved further into the room (I had to look up where to go when I didn't go far enough into the dead end room that boss 1 shows up in), and the patterns often created situations where it felt you were forced to take damage. I did like the gradual power up curve though, as it felt like a compact metroidvania as it is clearly intended to be.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little way to remind yourself how far games have come... Probably worth the price for the creation mode alone if you're into that kind of thing (not my cup of tea). Best played while listening to "Electric Avenue" on repeat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A small game, but it delivers exactly what it promises. I had fun getting (most) all of the achievements, and it's definitely worth the modest asking price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great bite-sized proto-metroidvania that excellently pulls of a japanese 8-bit vibe. Atmospheric music too. Well recommended for fans of the style.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Mini Ghost" is a very nice metroidvania platformer with a retro aesthtic. The game has a nice OST, a nice level design ( except for a couple of rooms) and is really fun to play. The level and characters creator is also a nice addition. Despite all the fun i had i still have two issues with the game. First, the bosses are either a tedious pain to beat with your main weapon or a walk in the park with the laser secondary weapon (but require grinding which is not fun). Secondly, the huge…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun, and dirt cheap. Buy this game you won't regret it, especially with the editor, there's already some nice new levels to download.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →☑ 0859/1200 done. It was exciting going through a bit of #minighost by Unepic fran. Now starting on a quick look at ➡ #DeathGame by Fractured Mind Games. Join us at www.twitch.tv/princessbala... #videoGames #letsplay #IndieDev #PNGTuber
neutral · AI labelView post →Fran puts out some great games. Mini Ghost is no exception to this. If you want a simple MSX style metriodvania...here you go. But there is something that needs to be mentioned: the game seems to be buggy. XP does nothing at the start. I read that it either gives or heals 1 HP. It did neither for me, until I got the leaf. Thankfully the leaf shows up before things start to ramp up...but that is still an issue that should be addressed. Usually bugs like this cause me to thumbs down, but there…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a massive fan of Ghost 1.0 i was excited to jump into an 8bit version of that game, BUT i have to admit i hatebeat this game! I basically was stubborn and forced myself to finish the game, out of sheer dumbness. Im an 80s kid, and i still play alot of retro games constantly, and i love Metroidvanias. However the difficulty of this game was akin to the NES era. For the price its fair i guess, but the difficulty is not based off combat, its based of the unfairness of the game design.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mini Ghost is the prequel to the Ghost 1.0 video game, but made with retro graphics from the 80s-90s. Fun, short and cheap. I have played it perfectly on the Steamdeck
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun, enjoyed every minute.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There it is, Mini Ghost 100% in under 30 minutes. It took all of tonight's stream, but I did it. Love this game, wish it had more eyes on it.
positive · AI labelView post →Once you realize you have to save scum constantly it's actually a really fun game. Reminds me of newgrounds 2004ish
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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