Signy & Mino: Against All Gods Review – Flash Flashback

Playing Signy & Mino: Against All Gods brought me back to when I did not have my own computer. I’d spend time in libraries, grabbing fantasy books and comics, while secretly checking if the PCs at the place were available. If they were, I’d have struck gold. An absolute wealth of games was waiting for me on one Flash game site or another. To this day, I’m still examining how they impacted my style of play.

My intent is not to undermine the efforts of AN Productions’ Shawn Tanner, a solo developer, by comparing it to an old browser game. Far from it. I think you can trace a lot of the game’s best, unique qualities back to that era: immediacy, structure, pacing, style. I still come back to titles from back then in search of all that. I was pleasantly surprised to see those feelings somewhat vindicated when I learned that Tanner got his start in Flash games. I’d also be remiss not to mention that Signy & Mino: Against All Gods published by Armor Games—once an iconic and prolific Flash game publisher, now responsible for porting many titles from the now-defunct Flash Player to Steam, as well as publishing absolute gems such as In Stars And Time and Islets.

What drew me to Signy & Mino: Against All Gods in the first place, before I knew all this, was its presentation. Turn-based RPG with action commands and 2D characters in 3D environments? I’m seated. Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64 is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m always checking out the Paperverse community for games inspired by it, even if I’ve yet to find something that truly captures its feel. But not all games follow it as closely. Some take the aesthetic and basics and turn them into something special.

Signy & Mino: Against All Gods is uniquely its own thing. An RPG where Signy and her canine companion Mino juggle enemies into Marvel vs. Capcom 3-style midair, wall-bouncing combos (you’ll likely recognize a few signature moves if you’ve played it) is exactly the kind of wild idea that would have immediately drawn me to a Flash game—something I’d think about for years to come, though probably not something possible back then. At least, not to this level of complexity.

Which is still limited, and for the better. It’s not the most robust set of options, and the early-game upgrade that boosts XP gain alongside my innate need to explore after each story event allowed me to unlock everything well before the game was actually over. Despite the initial wave of disappointment, I quickly realized that, for its length, this is a spectacular system that I will actually be thinking about for years to come. Having recently played a bit of Xenogears, my mouth’s watering at the thought of a remake where encounters would play anything remotely like this.

With a chip upgrade that pops enemies up on my basic Staff Strike, I start with Signy to lift the enemy in the air before using Mino to grab and throw them into another with Fetch n’ Fling. Then, I use Meteor Smash to pull them back in a flurry of blows and have Mino pop them up again with a Nose Launch, waiting for them to fall into position for a Big Swing to smash them through all the enemies behind. I follow up with a Crescent Kick to send the enemy into a grounded state, so that Mino can bury them underground. I quickly set up the second enemy into the same state, and with my final move, I unleash Rising Wind to hit all incapacitated targets with a multi-hit gale.

This is one of many combos Signy & Mino: Against All Gods allows for, and one that will only work on some encounters. They’re designed in a way that prevents certain moves from dealing damage or connecting altogether until some enemy types are hit with a move that counters them. Finding the most effective order of attacks is an optional puzzle that can be tackled from many angles with the game’s chip system, adding new properties to previously unlocked abilities. On defense, Signy gets a dodge in the form of a jump and a parry that, on success, slightly builds up the meter required for some of the stronger attacks. There are also pillar-breaking challenges that are cleared by completing a combo under specific requirements, such as hitting enough times without using a specified move.

Looking back, I think the time I had with all the moves and combo length unlocked was worthwhile. Had I not taken my sweet time exploring every nook and cranny before unlocking collectible trackers or just taken off the XP booster sooner, I likely never would have felt disappointed when I saw there was nothing left. Learn from my mistakes and leave the collectible cleanup until the end of the game.

That’s because Signy & Mino: Against All Gods is adept at hiding them. I quickly caught on to several tricks I recognized from my time playing Paper Mario and adjacent games, but also experienced quite a few new ones thanks to its platforming elements that got an undeniably pleasant, brain-scratching “oh!” moment out of me. They’re the highlight of the game’s 3D overworld presentation, which otherwise leaves a bit to be desired compared to the tight attack animations that enhance the act of performing combos. Too many screens feel flat, as if they’re floating in a void, and their exits in the form of these gray, directional arrow stones look unnatural.

The soundtrack, though it could have used a few more tracks even for a relatively short experience, was another highlight. It’s overall very spacey and electronic, befitting the game’s world that heavily mixes magic and technology. It often surprised me with the direction, adding an independent layer to a location’s atmosphere, even if a track or two felt a tad too busy.

Many of Signy & Mino: Against All Gods’ qualities only came to me in retrospect because the act of playing was often tedious. It is, ultimately, a tight RPG with exploration that really drew me in, at times too much, a few puzzles to slow things down, and an incredibly memorable combat system. All of that is, unfortunately, in service of paper-thin writing. Not only is it filled with predictable cliches, but also lacks the flair or charisma needed to create compelling scenes and characters.

Here, there are no layers to speak of. Everyone’s straightforward as they come, with a dry manner of speech, lacking any unique quirk or fault that could make for meaningful interactions, with the latter sometimes being dealt with a few moments after one’s introduction. Here, the short length and the snappy pacing seem to prevent any emotional moments from connecting. You can be sure that your first instincts on any character are correct, and the story is going exactly where you think it’s going. There’s little excitement to look forward to outside the game’s mechanics.

For many other games, that would have been enough. Unfortunately, Signy & Mino: Against All Gods paints itself as an RPG, and for all the praise I can give its pacing, I find it hard to think of a replay when I know I have so little to look forward to. In an RPG, getting stronger means you’re able to better protect a world you care about. In Signy & Mino: Against All Gods, I’d often forget there even is a goal, and I’m not just playing to perform sick tricks while destroying a robot. It’s a micro-universe that speeds through all the plot points required for it to make sense, without ever making them truly compelling.

A few moments of silliness do break through the monotony of dry lore explanations. Meeting the “legendary warrior” for the first time. Talking to a hint NPC who can sniff out fertilizer ground. Kids extorting scrap from their rescuer so they can build dangerous contraptions in exchange for a key to their hideout. They’re rare and last a mere few seconds, but they’re what I’ll remember most from this world.

Like the best Flash games, Signy & Mino: Against All Gods has a sort of sticky quality that really emphasizes the strengths and unique qualities of the experience long after you’re done playing, providing some otherwise unremarkable characters with some form of iconic status. The few iconic characters from the Flash scene can undoubtedly thank the addictive, short-form gameplay of their games for their lasting image. Similarly here, I find myself fond of the titular duo even though their story did not impress.

I’d love to see them again. I’d love to see what other fighting game moves could be implemented to craft even longer combos. I just don’t think I’d love to do another playthrough of Signy & Mino: Against All Gods and be once again disappointed by just how dull it can get. For its rich blend of inspirations, the most important parts of this RPG are anything but rich or inspired. It’s a tough sell for genre enthusiasts, but also a game that turned me into a fan who would be there day one for a follow-up. An experience that’s worthwhile if you can stomach a few eye rolls.

Mateusz reviewed Signy & Mino: Against All Gods on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.