Since Paper Mario, there’s been a… fair amount of titles that blend 2D with 3D in an aesthetically pleasing manner but perhaps don’t live up to Nintendo’s game. Demon Turf was an interesting one, and today’s demo, Tinykin.
From tinyBuild, I wrote about it a couple of times and watched the odd trailer, but wasn’t salivating over its release but still happy to play. Now I’ve played it, it’s getting a big shiny thumbs up and a demo you should look at during the Steam Next Fest.
I had an early look at this game, developed by Splashteam, and had expected to fly through it and onto the other 50+ games in my to-do list (Steam Next Fest demos, that is). However, the cheeky buggers have so many collectables and sidequests in this open-world platformer that I ended up playing for much longer than anticipated.
I have no regrets!
In Tinykin, you play Milo – a space traveller that has landed on Earth in the year 1991. At a glance, you’d think it’s a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids setup, but he’s normal size, but a fifth the size of a cup. Unable to return to their home planet, they have to collect several artefacts to secure their ‘freedom’, meeting plenty of unusual characters and, of course, the tinykin from the title.
Tinykin come in various forms, but you’ll probably have a better image of them if you think of Pikmin. Holding down the left trigger at an object with a purple outline will get them to push, pull, destroy, or even carry items to return to NPCs, or reach new areas.
As a platform game, Milo can jump (duh), has a Tony Hawk like soapboard to grind cobwebs, and has a bubble glider that allows them to hover short distances, but if they fall from a fair height will die. Fear not: it’s an immediate respawn and no game overs here. Exploration is encouraged as you’ll collect more tinykin with new abilities, gold, and mini-quests, thus adding value to your playtime.
I’m not one for cute-type adventures, though I’m certainly not against them, but Tinykin is charming. I liked this a lot, and because Steam Next Fest hadn’t started when I started to play this, I could take my time with it, and I suggest you do too if you like old school 3D platformers but with gorgeous visuals.
The actual 2D sprites are nice and all, but it was interacting with the 3D world that was the highlight, along with the names the NPCs had given locations and objects – it’s pretty damn funny. In short, this is a good ‘un, and if you like platformers, give it a try now.
