Minishoot' Adventures just surprise-dropped on consoles and Game Pass

The two-person development team at SoulGame Studio just released Minishoot' Adventures on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the Switch 2. The game surprise-dropped on consoles today, March 3, 2026, alongside a day-one addition to the Xbox Game Pass library. Publisher Seaven Studio handled the console ports. The game arrives in living rooms almost exactly two years after its initial PC launch in April 2024. The release covers both current and last-generation hardware. Almost anyone with a controller can play it.

Minishoot' Adventures was possibly my game of the year in 2024. When I first booted it up on Steam, I expected a standard arcade shooter with a thin coat of paint. I was entirely surprised to find that it is actually the most Zelda-like game I have ever played. It is a 10/10 game in my book. You control a swift little spaceship, but the structure is pure classic adventure. The developers managed to capture the exact feeling of wandering around the NES version of Hyrule, just with a ship instead of a sword.

Dungeons, keys, and a tiny ship

The map design borrows heavily from the original The Legend of Zelda and classic Metroidvanias. You explore a handcrafted overworld and dive into deep caves. The ultimate goal is fighting through distinct dungeons to rescue your crystal-trapped friends. The developers at SoulGame Studio had a specific vision for the world structure:

We designed a map that would be enticing to discover, similar to a Metroidvania, with lots of connections, shortcuts, secrets, and skills that when unlocked, allow to unfold more paths to explore.

Finding Primordial Powers improves your combat abilities and opens up new areas. You are constantly unlocking shortcuts and discovering secrets. The combat relies on twin-stick bullet-hell mechanics, but the exploration dictates the pacing. You level up your ship and buy equipment. Every major labyrinth ends with a massive boss fight.

Auto-fire and aiming assist

Bullet hell games often alienate players with their steep difficulty curves. SoulGame Studio avoided that problem by building in extensive accessibility options. The console versions include three distinct difficulty modes. You also get aiming assistance and an auto-fire toggle. You can tune the experience to be a relaxing exploration game or a punishing arcade gauntlet.

The download size is a remarkably small 445 MB on the Nintendo eShop. That tiny footprint proves that you do not need massive asset files to build a compelling open world. The visuals are crisp and clean. They prioritize readability over visual clutter so you can actually see the incoming projectiles.

An 87 Metacritic score

The indie landscape is crowded with twin-stick shooters and Metroidvanias. Combining the two genres is rare. SoulGame Studio actually pulled it off. The team previously worked on web games and smaller projects, but this release put them on the map. The game currently sits at an 87 Metacritic score based on its PC release, backed by thousands of positive user reviews.

Porting a precision-heavy PC game to consoles always carries the risk of input lag or awkward control mapping. Fortunately, twin-stick shooters are practically built for modern console gamepads. The transition to analog sticks feels completely natural.

$16 and it's on Game Pass

At $15.99, the game is priced aggressively for its console debut. Xbox owners have the easiest barrier to entry since it is included in the Game Pass subscription. PlayStation and Nintendo players get a native version that runs smoothly on their respective hardware. The inclusion of a dedicated Switch 2 version is also a nice touch for early adopters of Nintendo's new hardware.

The PC launch window came and went two years ago. This console release is the perfect excuse to finally play it. It really is a 10/10 experience.