MindsEye’s lead actor, Alex Hernandez, has spoken up for the first time since the game’s rocky launch, saying he ‘completely understands’ the frustration.
The debut release from Build a Rocket Boy, a studio founded by ex-Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, didn’t quite go according to plan. MindsEye is currently the lowest-scoring game of the year on MetaCritic at 38 based on 12 critic scores.
For the most part, this score can be attributed to the many bugs hindering the experience at launch. Some are amusing enough to brush by, but others had a deleterious impact. The situation was similarly dire to the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, wherein, PlayStation was even issuing refunds.
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It’s been nothing but bad news ever since, with the dev team facing layoffs as a result of the poor reception. Now, the face of the game has broken his silence.
Alex Hernandez, who portrays lead character Jacob Diaz, admitted he ‘completely understands the frustration’ around MindsEye.
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MindsEye actor “understands the frustration”
“It’s had a complicated reception,” Hernandez said in an interview with Check It TV. As a gamer himself, the actor assured he empathizes with the community and those who paid to access MindsEye right out of the gate.
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“As a gamer myself, I completely understand the frustration. As a consumer, there’s a shared frustration. Why would you, as a company, release something that seemed to not be ready in that way?”
“I think it does more long-term harm than good to release something that feels like it’s in a state that’s less than 100%, and charge 100% of the price.”
Build a Rocket BoyMuch of the criticism around MindsEye stemmed from its gameplay, not its narrative.
Despite the reception, however, Hernandez reflects fondly on the experience as a whole, saying he worked with “good people who were trying to do a good thing.”
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“I loved working on it. The cast was great, everyone showed up and gave their all. I had a blast.”
“Games are hard to produce. It’s a really huge undertaking to get one off the ground at all. I’m proud of the people that I worked with. It’s a shame the gameplay, in particular, has received such negative reception.”
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Amusingly though, he’s not afraid to poke fun at the end product, even at his expense. Hernandez admitted he’s seen a fair few of the more viral bugs circulating across social media. Rather than being frustrated by them, he’s able to have a laugh, especially when they involve the protagonist.
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“In terms of the story and the cinematics, there are a couple of glitches I find amusing. Turning into some weird creature. I love that stuff.”
