85
At first I looked at Mind Scanners as a copy, but as the story progressed, the game distanced itself from Papers, Please and developed its own identity. It’s rather short, but gives reasons to try different approaches, while the varied array of patients along with some random elements make every playthrough different. [07/2021, p.75]
70
A compelling cyberpunk story told in an imaginative way, and one that will really test your moral compass.
69
For dystopian enthusiasts and those who don’t mind getting lost in repetitive minigames, Mind Scanners may be a suitable distraction. I’m sure some people are going to adore everything about this title, but I simply can’t recommend it for most people. It breaks my heart, because I had been keeping an eye on Mind Scanners for a while and had high hopes. After all, I’m a psychologist who loves stories about grim futures, but the execution here just didn’t make the landing. In fact, I might even need a mind scanner myself after binging this one.
7
Fun but I only did one play through, the puzzle solving got repetitive quite quickly, so I only stuck around for the story.
4
Interesting concept and visuals for sure, but the lack of even the most basic tutorial and the constant randomness of events are two major downsides of this game. So you make these one-button devices and I still couldn't figure out how to use some of them. Sure, I could look it up, but if the game doesn't bother to explain the mechanics to me, why should I bother to look it up? The time limit is completely arbitrary and makes no sense. "Oh yeah, you know therapy - a procedure known to take months and years in real life? Yeah, let's make it two minutes tops!". Absolutely terrible choice. The only genre where arbitrary time limits make sense is racing games, and I will die on this hill. As for randomness, often a patient will sound perfectly normal, but then suddenly turn out to be a lunatic, and vice versa. You don't get any clues, nothing to tip you off. The mindscan itself is a joke. Half the time the right answer is painfully obvious, and half the time all three answers make absolutely no sense and you have to choose blindly. It just feels so random and unintuitive. Overall, this could have been an interesting title, but its player-hostile design and the utter randomness of the events ruin any kind of enjoyment I might have had.
10
Mind scanners is one of my favorite games, this is beautiful Game with pixel graphics and very interesting story about future
Mind Scanners
Released On:
May 20, 2021
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Mixed or Average
6.9
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
50% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 18, 2021
90
Mind Scanners is perfectly paced, creative and engaging, striking a skilful balance between satisfying play and storytelling. I finished in a couple of evenings, but they were some of the most consistent and enjoyable evenings I’ve spent gaming this year.
Dec 7, 2021
85
At first I looked at Mind Scanners as a copy, but as the story progressed, the game distanced itself from Papers, Please and developed its own identity. It’s rather short, but gives reasons to try different approaches, while the varied array of patients along with some random elements make every playthrough different. [07/2021, p.75]
User score
Mixed or Average
6.9
45% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
40% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
15% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Aug 3, 2024
10
Mind scanners is one of my favorite games, this is beautiful Game with pixel graphics and very interesting story about future
Sep 23, 2023
9
I don’t know if I can expect Mind Scanners to be a ground-breaking game, but it’s fun, it’s harmless and it could potentially raise awareness about mental health, which means we’re moving in the right direction in more ways than one.
May 24, 2021
80
The choices you make throughout the Outer Zone’s engrossing cyberpunk therapy adventure may just keep you up at night.
May 25, 2021
70
A compelling cyberpunk story told in an imaginative way, and one that will really test your moral compass.
May 20, 2021
70
Mind Scanners is a narrative, dystopian game with some management elements. Aesthetically among the most apt on the subject. Unfortunately, its many timed minigames reduce the amount of writing elements and narrative gameplay.
May 24, 2021
69
For dystopian enthusiasts and those who don’t mind getting lost in repetitive minigames, Mind Scanners may be a suitable distraction. I’m sure some people are going to adore everything about this title, but I simply can’t recommend it for most people. It breaks my heart, because I had been keeping an eye on Mind Scanners for a while and had high hopes. After all, I’m a psychologist who loves stories about grim futures, but the execution here just didn’t make the landing. In fact, I might even need a mind scanner myself after binging this one.
Jan 26, 2023
8
Hello, this is a default review because i'm forced to use 75 characters. I'll edit this review in the future talking about the game, don't worry ;) My final rate is: 8
Jun 8, 2025
7
Fun but I only did one play through, the puzzle solving got repetitive quite quickly, so I only stuck around for the story.
Jan 19, 2024
6
Un jeu original qui nous met à la place d'un psychologue du futur. A la manière d'un "paper please", les choix moraux se succèdent tout en demandant au joueur d'avoir assez de ressources pour survivre. Les mini jeux qui servent de gameplay sont relativement stressants et le scénario est la seule motivation qui pousse le joueur à enchainer les patients. L'univers cyberpunk est sympa et les personnages rencontrés ont de la personnalité ! Pour les fans de jeux indé
Aug 10, 2024
4
Interesting concept and visuals for sure, but the lack of even the most basic tutorial and the constant randomness of events are two major downsides of this game. So you make these one-button devices and I still couldn't figure out how to use some of them. Sure, I could look it up, but if the game doesn't bother to explain the mechanics to me, why should I bother to look it up? The time limit is completely arbitrary and makes no sense. "Oh yeah, you know therapy - a procedure known to take months and years in real life? Yeah, let's make it two minutes tops!". Absolutely terrible choice. The only genre where arbitrary time limits make sense is racing games, and I will die on this hill. As for randomness, often a patient will sound perfectly normal, but then suddenly turn out to be a lunatic, and vice versa. You don't get any clues, nothing to tip you off. The mindscan itself is a joke. Half the time the right answer is painfully obvious, and half the time all three answers make absolutely no sense and you have to choose blindly. It just feels so random and unintuitive. Overall, this could have been an interesting title, but its player-hostile design and the utter randomness of the events ruin any kind of enjoyment I might have had.
May 27, 2021
4
This was a pretty disappointing experience. The story and the world they tried to show was pretty flat but the most annoying part were the tedious mini games that you had to play they pretty much ruined whatever fun this game was supposed to give. Art and music was good. The issue with trying to replicate Papers, please is that you will need to have at least some sort of interesting mechanic, story or choices and sadly this game didn't had any of those.
SummaryGreetings. Your Mind Scanner request has been approved. Your duty is to diagnose and treat the citizens of The Structure. The patient list is long so don't waste your time. We’ll let you see your daughter soon...
Platforms:
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox One
Initial Release Date:May 20, 2021
Developer:
- The Outer Zone
Publisher:
