Do you know personally as to what you would like to get out of a game? Perhaps you have a set list of expectations to have when diving into something for the first time? I’m not too unfamiliar with wondering about the concept. I’ve seen myself dive around all types of games throughout the years so I’m not too capable of setting down any concrete list of games that I gravitate towards. Operating solely on a strange vibe that my mind conjures up is likely a particularly odd way to go about things, but who knows? Maybe others feel a similar strange interest in all sorts of odd little things that they hear about. I know it’s helped shape what I enjoy playing, but I digress. I’ve been meaning to think about platformers in a way like this as it’s been the genre that I’ve been around for the longest time. They could feel like my only real response for when I want to have any concrete answer as to games I enjoy since I, well, really enjoy platformers! Maybe all of my memories with them come in to assist but I know as to what I may like to have in a platformer. Roaming around worlds, maneuvering yourself with jumps, I can just imagine it all in my head. Whether in 2D or 3D, sweet or spicy, it’s a taste I can think of easily. Hell, my expectations may just indirectly shape what I enjoy seeing in games as a whole. I know many platformers have untold amounts of different quirky and colorful stylizations to them, and I know I like seeing wild stuff like that. It may be easy to connect the dots towards what you like to see and what you like to play by keeping knowledge on what you’re familiar with.
A game like Tinykin is something I can hear about and gain interest in with my fairly oddball sense of taste. “Hmm, this game’s a pretty cutely designed 3D platformer that just came out recently, seems up my alley.” Rather simple train of thought, I know. Maybe it’s better to just indulge in what you want to try out, though. I wanted to see what this had to offer, so what could I look forward to with it? I’m not quite sure what to say, really. With all of my silly preamble just to go out on a whim; it’s rather nice! You’re just kind of a tiny guy going around a tiny world with a whole army of tinier guys. A creative concept of creative environments makes for one nice take on a collect-a-thon. I may have looked into this with a different view, but that’s not exactly a bad thing. Not everything has to be in a sort of concrete mold. Perhaps you can just have a leisurely story about a sprawling world made out of household objects. A laid-back little adventure like this can be great too! Hell, after playing several intense precision-based games last month, it can good to treat myself to a quick burst of itsy-bitsy exploration without any weight on my shoulders. It’s good to appreciate the little things, you know?
Some people, however, may have bigger expectations. I’m familiar with the like that are more critical on what they envision in a game, and some of theirs may come up short. For being a fairly recent (as of writing this) 3D collect-a-thon platformer, there isn’t much care put into not falling into pitfalls the genre can stumble into. There’s all sorts of collectables strewn about every stage, in every nook and cranny you see. The expectation of intricate exploration is rather inherently strict, for even with my instinct to fully complete everything I could still see myself entering the annoying cycle of combing through the entire stage all over again for the last few bits of pollen or tinykin eggs I may have missed. It’s a frustration I’ve voiced with games like Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2, and even if the format is more forgiving here it’s still a misstep nonetheless. Not to mention the narrative premise of the tiny world you’re in being stuck together in a noticeably tacky fashion. A whole society of insects making whole modern-like worlds out of everyday objects is one of the biggest creative shines this game has to offer, but the glue of it’s conflicts around a resident they believe to be a god is not composed with a suitable amount of tact. (the fourth world, Lands of Ambrose, is particularly bad with this)
I’d still say I had my fun though. I wasn’t let down by what I wanted to see here, but I could see if someone would see otherwise. Some folks may just be looking for something bigger, but if you just want that occasional sweet little snack then you’ll do well like I did.
A game like Tinykin is something I can hear about and gain interest in with my fairly oddball sense of taste. “Hmm, this game’s a pretty cutely designed 3D platformer that just came out recently, seems up my alley.” Rather simple train of thought, I know. Maybe it’s better to just indulge in what you want to try out, though. I wanted to see what this had to offer, so what could I look forward to with it? I’m not quite sure what to say, really. With all of my silly preamble just to go out on a whim; it’s rather nice! You’re just kind of a tiny guy going around a tiny world with a whole army of tinier guys. A creative concept of creative environments makes for one nice take on a collect-a-thon. I may have looked into this with a different view, but that’s not exactly a bad thing. Not everything has to be in a sort of concrete mold. Perhaps you can just have a leisurely story about a sprawling world made out of household objects. A laid-back little adventure like this can be great too! Hell, after playing several intense precision-based games last month, it can good to treat myself to a quick burst of itsy-bitsy exploration without any weight on my shoulders. It’s good to appreciate the little things, you know?
Some people, however, may have bigger expectations. I’m familiar with the like that are more critical on what they envision in a game, and some of theirs may come up short. For being a fairly recent (as of writing this) 3D collect-a-thon platformer, there isn’t much care put into not falling into pitfalls the genre can stumble into. There’s all sorts of collectables strewn about every stage, in every nook and cranny you see. The expectation of intricate exploration is rather inherently strict, for even with my instinct to fully complete everything I could still see myself entering the annoying cycle of combing through the entire stage all over again for the last few bits of pollen or tinykin eggs I may have missed. It’s a frustration I’ve voiced with games like Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2, and even if the format is more forgiving here it’s still a misstep nonetheless. Not to mention the narrative premise of the tiny world you’re in being stuck together in a noticeably tacky fashion. A whole society of insects making whole modern-like worlds out of everyday objects is one of the biggest creative shines this game has to offer, but the glue of it’s conflicts around a resident they believe to be a god is not composed with a suitable amount of tact. (the fourth world, Lands of Ambrose, is particularly bad with this)
I’d still say I had my fun though. I wasn’t let down by what I wanted to see here, but I could see if someone would see otherwise. Some folks may just be looking for something bigger, but if you just want that occasional sweet little snack then you’ll do well like I did.
Reviewed on Nov 04, 2022