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On February 19, 2026, JanduSoft and 3Cat released the 2.5D platformer Manairons to the world. This platforming adventure will see the player take control of a mythical Manairon, a tiny elf-like creature, as they go through several stages where they must free a small European town from the evils of over-industrialization. Is this cute little platformer worth the time of gamers, or should the Manairons be left in the space between your walls? Let’s take the game apart piece by piece and make the decision for ourselves.
Short and Tiny Platforming
The basic gameplay loop of Manairons is that of a typical platformer. The player must make their way from one end of the stage to the other, jumping their way across various pits and taking down enemies whenever they can. Because the game exists on a 2.5 plane, the player will be moving both horizontally as well as toward and against the camera as they make their way across the stage.
Checkpoints are very frequent, so even if the player does die, they often won’t be sent back more than a room or two. However, death can still be frustrating when it respawns enemies, but that is true of all video games.
The main gimmick that sets Manairons apart from other games in the genre is your protagonist’s magic flute. This flute can be used to pick up objects, flip switches, and play songs, which slightly affect the level as you play.
Puzzles where you have to pick up an object or flip a switch are about what you would expect from a platformer. Simple distractions where you just need to put the correct colored items in their respective spots, carrying an item through a hazardous area, or flipping switches in the correct order.
These sections are simple, but they are handled well as a way of making sure the player is always doing something during a stage instead of mindlessly moving to the right. Instead, you’ll be progressing through these stages a single room at a time as you perform the type of busywork expected of a minairo.
As for the music you can play on your flute, this can be done at specific points during a stage when prompted. Music played on your flute will create minor changes on the stage, such as spawning grapple points you can latch onto. It isn’t much, but it does help you feel like you’re actually using your flute to navigate the town.
One aspect of the game that does not work, however, is the combat. Throughout each stage, there will be times when the player has to fight several other Manarions in order to progress. These moments can be quite monotonous as all the player has to do is press the square button repeatedly.
This problem remains in many of the game’s boss fights as well. Several of this game’s bosses can be beaten by standing still as you press the attack button over and over.
Thankfully, there are also a few bosses against large enemies, which are much better designed, being traditional platformer bosses where the player must learn and dodge attack patterns as they wait for their opportunity to attack.
Overall, the platforming and mechanics of Manairons are passable, but likely won’t change your worldview. There is very little that the game does, but what it does do, it does adequately enough.
Fun Visual Design
Manairons has six stages, which may not sound like a lot on paper, but each of these stages is actually quite lengthy. A stage in this game will last for about an hour as the player goes platforming around, fights enemies, and completes a task relating to the forced industrialization of this town.
Each stage has plenty of collectibles hidden throughout it, creating an incentive to replay them for players like me who love to go for 100% completion.
The environmental design in the game’s stages is also on point. The game truly makes you feel like a tiny creature in a large world as you make your way through tiny holes in walls and walk along trays of food. Even when a bit of game design doesn’t work well, or a bottomless pit sends you to a checkpoint way too far back, you will at least have something interesting to look at.
One aspect of Manairons’ visual style that I expect to be a point of contention among many is the character model, particularly the protagonist’s. The protagonist’s design can look creepy at times with their big, blank eyes. Aside from that, though, this game looks pretty good for an indie platformer.
Glaring Technical Issues
The music in Manairons has a very fairy tale feel, both the music that plays in the background during stages and the tunes you play on your flute have an otherworldly vibe that truly fits the game’s setting and world.
Sadly, that music is often interrupted by the game’s frustrating technical issues. As music would often either be cut off completely for long periods of time or repeatedly stop and restart.
The issue seemed to occur whenever multiple sound effects needed to play at once, as areas with dripping water, for example, would override the music for a few seconds, causing it to stop and repeat after each drop of water.
The very first room with a gramophone, which you can use to listen to music, is right next to a room with dripping water, which displayed this issue in full force and was a miserable experience for the ears. I do not know if this issue is exclusive to the PlayStation 5 version of the game, but I severely hope it is fixed at some point in the future.
Dying caused all audio to be cut out until I closed the game entirely. Then, other sections like the conveyor belts in the third stage caused a scratching noise to play instead of the music track, which gave me an active headache. The audio performance in this title is a genuine issue that needs to be fixed before I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
Speaking of the PlayStation 5 version of the game. Gamers who plan to play through Manairons using a controller may be disappointed that none of the game’s menus can be navigated with just the touch of a button. Instead, you’ll have to use your analog stick like a virtual mouse to select anything. This isn’t a major issue, but it can be quite annoying when booting up or loading the game.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, while Manairons’ gameplay and level design are decent enough, the unfortunate technical issues that plague this title make it genuinely hard to recommend. However, if it receives a patch that fixes these issues, then I can see fans of 2.5 platforms have a fun enough time with this title.
Manairons
Bottom Line
Manairons would be an adequate, albeit forgetful platformer if not for the various technical issues thag mar the experience. If you are curious enough to try it out after a patch though, it is a short and sweet journey with fascinating visual design.
