MindsEye Launches to Negative Reception, Poor Reviews, and Disappointing Player Numbers

image: Mindseye/Build A Rocket Boy

MindsEye, the debut title from Build A Rocket Boy, officially launched on June 10, but the game has faced a rough start, receiving widespread criticism and disappointing player engagement.

Directed by former GTA producer Leslie Benzies, MindsEye was initially seen as a promising new action-adventure game. However, concerns began to grow in the days leading up to release. No early review copies were provided to the media, and bizarre claims were made by the studio exec suggesting that negative early impressions were the work of bots. Further raising eyebrows, two senior executives at Build A Rocket Boy reportedly left the company just one week before the game’s launch.

Now that the game is available to the public, the concerns have proven valid. According to SteamDB, MindsEye currently holds a user rating of just 40% positive. Players have pointed out several major issues, including poor NPC behavior, numerous graphical bugs, stiff ragdoll physics, clunky vehicle handling (especially on mouse and keyboard), and uninspired gunplay.

Some critics have also highlighted the empty and lifeless game world, subpar voice acting, and excessive use of cutscenes. These problems, combined with its high launch price, have made MindsEye a hard sell. The standard edition costs $60 in the U.S. and €60 in Europe (around $68), a price point many feel is unjustified when compared to highly praised 2025 releases like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Oblivion Remastered, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

Adding to the game’s struggles are its extremely low player numbers. On launch day, MindsEye peaked at just 3,302 concurrent players on Steam. At the time of writing, just over 700 players have been concurrently online in the last 24 hours. The developer announced the HotPix to address the issues.

Despite the star power behind it, MindsEye's debut suggests that name recognition alone isn't enough to guarantee success. With the current backlash and weak performance, Build A Rocket Boy faces a significant challenge in rebuilding player trust and salvaging the game’s future.