Tinykin

Genre: 3D Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Tinykin, released in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, seems to be a game that aimed to start with the same core premise, but use that premise for a completely different sort of game. You have the tiny space explorer crashing on a strange alien world that’s clearly a super-sized version of Earth, complete with massive human-made objects, and this explorer finds themselves controlling a horde of tiny insect-like creatures (the titular Tinykin) and using those creatures to complete tasks. However, where Pikmin is an odd blend of Action-RPG and Real-Time Strategy, Tinykin is a family-friendly 3D Platformer.

Where Pikmin combined slightly-cartoony 3D characters with fairly realistic 3D environments, Tinykin is clearly trying to make do with less, with simple but decent looking 3D environments and 2D characters, with the 2D characters helping to ensure that this game’s framerates remain steady even when you’re followed by a massive horde of Tinykin. This is joined by Banjo-Kazooie-style babble noises for character speech, and a lighthearted soundtrack that works well enough for the game, although it’s not especially memorable.

While the presentation may have cut some corners to make everything work, the gameplay is surprisingly robust. Tinykin isn’t about fighting enemies, and instead this game has you exploring the large open areas collecting items, building up your little army of Tinykin, completing tasks for insect characters, and searching for secrets.

And wow, this game’s areas are just packed with secrets to find, and filled with stuff to do. Players who prefer the “exploration-based” 3D Mario games like Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Odyssey will find this is a game catered to their tastes. It was truly a delight to search every nook and cranny of this game’s world, and I found myself constantly smiling as I seemed to encounter something new and interesting at every turn. This game’s level design is truly excellent, and I strain to think of anyone who’s done a better job outside of Nintendo themselves.

What’s more, this game gives players new things to do on a fairly regular basis, with new abilities largely coming from the different kinds of Tinykin you control. You’ll start with pink Tinykin, who are simple workhorses used to push, lift, or carry things in the environment. But soon enough you’ll get the explosive red Tinykin, used to break apart objects in the environment. After this, you’ll encounter green Tinykin, whose ability will make players completely rethink the verticality of their environment.

I do have a few minor complaints about the game too. While the 2D nature of the game’s characters actually works fairly well for platforming in 3D environments, I still feel like I would have preferred 3D characters for some of the trickier platforming. Also, I find myself frustrated with the way progression is handled in the game – moving on to each new area requires that players complete a specific task in the prior area, meaning that if the solution to complete that task eludes you, you’ll be stuck in the level until you find it. And while this game gives players some creative abilities as you progress, your core move set just isn’t as satisfying as the sort of abilities you have in games like the 3D Mario games.

However, while I feel like there’s some room for improvement here, overall I found Tinykin to be a truly excellent 3D Platformer, and one that’s well-deserving a spot in the game library of anyone who enjoys the genre, especially those who find exploration to be one of the best parts of this sort of game. Tinykin’s outstanding level design is enough on its own to make this a must-play game, and this game surrounds that great level design with some creative gameplay ideas. And despite everything this game has in common with Pikmin, I think it’s absolutely clear that Tinykin is a truly original game in its own right, and even those who dislike Pikmin may still love this game. Definitely give it a look.

tl;dr – Tinykin is a family-friendly 3D Platformer where players control a tiny space explorer controlling a horde of insect creatures to explore a planet that’s clearly Earth from an insect’s point of view. However, despite the similarities to the Pikmin franchise, Tinykin stands on its own, offering excellent 3D Platformer gameplay with a wonderful world to explore and tons of secrets to find. There are a few areas where this game could be improved, but even so this is a must-play game for anyone who enjoys this genre.

Grade: A-

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