Imagine the problems associated with being shrunk down to the size of a tiny insect! Spiders bigger than us! Scary… Fortunately, Tinykin takes this idea very lightly and unfolds an imaginative adventure in a mix between Pikmin and a 3D adventure platformer, with a hint of collectathon, which will surely leave a smile on players’ faces.
This title puts the player in the shoes of Milo, an archeologist from a planet called Aegis, who has a dream of finding the origins of the human race. After an accidental teleportation event, Milo finds himself transported to planet Earth in the year 1991. The main objective is to recover elements for the reconstruction of the machine that will take this peculiar character back to his planet. For this, he will have the help of Ridmi, who will serve as a guide, and the little Tinykin, who serve as support to cross the various obstacles presented and that gives the name to this title.
Tinykins are extremely useful and the main mechanic in the adventure throughout the house that opens up while searching for the necessary elements. In each level, there are several types of eggs, which, when you pass over them, give life to Tinykins that closely follow Milo. Each Tinikyn has a color that is associated with a different skill. For example, the pink one has a strength like Hulk, so they are associated with heavier tasks, such as pushing objects or even transporting them from one place to another, while the blue ones, for example, allow you to position a conductive line of energy between two points, giving energy to electrical equipment. All tasks associated with Tinykins are associated with a number of elements, so if you find an obstacle but don’t have enough of them, the best is to explore the level a little more.
Exploration is key and part of the fun. Using a soap instead of a skateboard or a flying platform serves the purpose of faster traveling and is somewhat reminiscent of the adventures of Ratchet and Clank. In fact, this title pays homage to different worlds and genres of pop culture. It is possible to see the moon and the bicycle from the movie E.T, Gary, the Spongebob snail, the symbol of Sly Cooper, among others. Explore and discover these delicious details.
During the 7 hours of gameplay that I had, until I reached the end of his main story, divided between the main story and side missions, Tinykin presented 5 different rooms in the house, which are naturally associated with 5 different levels. Each division has a different insect civilization with its own ideas and where there is a need to help them to recover the captive object, which is necessary for the reconstruction of the machine. The mix between 3D levels with the paper craft aspect of the main character applies a very vibrant and different look than usual. Imagine a bathroom full of small castles made entirely of toilet paper, or a playroom with an intergalactic story where you can even destroy meteorites.
Tinykin is certainly one of this year’s highlights. There’s no great depth, but what it does, it does it in a fun way. Of note are the small cutscenes that are fantastic. Will we be able to have a small Tinykin series in the near future?
[This review is based on a retail build of the game for Steam provided by tinyBuild]
