Tinykin neatly blends platforming and puzzle-solving with the minion administration of Nintendo’s Pikmin sequence. Gamers management a flea-sized astronaut who travels from his residence planet to Earth to hint humanity’s true origins. The explorer’s journey takes him to an unusual residence occupied by sentient bugs who worship a mysterious deity. To return residence, the astronaut should assemble a rocket by gathering unusual family objects with the assistance of small, lovely aliens referred to as Tinykin. As a fan of “little individual in a giant world” experiences, Tinykin’s premise and world drew me in, and its gameplay glad me till its conclusion.
The most effective, although maybe reductive, method to describe Tinykin’s gameplay could be “Pikmin as a platformer.” Every room in the home provides massive, neatly laid-out playgrounds the place gamers overcome platforming challenges and clear up environmental puzzles utilizing various kinds of Tinykin. These embody pink varieties that carry objects, crimson variations that explode on affect when tossed, and inexperienced Tinykin that stack vertically to type a dwelling ladder, amongst others. I like how the sport introduces every Tinykin one stage at a time, letting me spend a complete stage getting used to their distinctive abilities earlier than introducing one other.
The well-crafted puzzles change into higher (and extra concerned) as you recruit extra Tinykin to your ranks. Some obstacles will be so simple as carrying an outsized equipment out of your path. Different duties change into scavenger hunts, difficult you to search out artistic methods of traversing the world to find and retrieve scattered objects. Options are typically comparatively simple, it doesn’t matter what type a puzzle takes; Tinykin by no means forces you to wrack your mind, not less than not for very lengthy. I discovered this stage of problem enjoyable however participating sufficient to keep away from turning into mundane or overly simplistic. Tinykin’s puzzle-solving has a pleasant circulation that retains the expertise transferring, making it a breeze to get by means of.
Controlling the Tinykin is straightforward and intuitive, requiring little greater than aiming and flinging them at designated targets. I additionally love that Tinykin can carry out jobs independently, permitting me to multitask. It feels nice to let a dozen helpers work on lugging objects to their locations whereas I gleefully gather scattered pollen (used to improve a hover means), discover lacking letters for a mail bug, and full aspect quests.
Tinykin is a collect-a-thon just like the 3D platformers of outdated. Gathering objects and discovering secrets and techniques is rewarding as a result of each nook and cranny normally hides a discovery. Typically it’s bundles of pollen; different instances, it’s a lacking piece wanted to finish a aspect errand, reminiscent of reuniting {a photograph} with its body. The world is a colourful, outsized jungle fitness center, and I’m impressed with how every room looks like a lived-in dwelling whereas nonetheless having clear pathways that seem organically organized.
I had probably the most enjoyable freely exploring and utilizing my Tinykin military to tinker with no matter lay earlier than me, like pushing in protruding books or yanking a washer’s door open. Hopping throughout a kitchen, hallway, or rest room is a delight from this small perspective, and platforming feels exceptionally tight. Driving cleaning soap bars throughout ziplines to get round quicker makes it even higher, and finding shortcuts, reminiscent of climbing ropes, expedites backtracking. I solely want there was a map as a result of the busy environments make quest givers really feel like needles in a haystack each time it’s time to show in a job.
Tinykin feels comforting in an old-school sense. Its challenges by no means change into convoluted, nor does its design reinvent the wheel, and that’s okay. Tinykin executes its handful of concepts exceptionally properly, making it a completely satisfying and laid-back journey that solely requires six to eight hours of your time. Don’t let this pleasant journey sneak underneath your radar.