Tinykin Review
Honey, I Shrunk the Kins
It is very hard to find anything bad to say about Tinykin that doesn’t sound like nitpicking. The visuals are spot on, controls are very easy to manage, the writing is clever without being overbearing, the score changes from level to level that makes each room enjoyable without overstepping its bounds. It also doesn’t overstay its welcome with each section taking around an hour and the full game somewhere between 5-7 depending on how quickly you can get to the solution. As the saying goes “It’s better to burn out, then fade away”
Earth, The Final Frontier
You are Milo, a scientist from a distant planet who is looking for the origin of the species. You find something on a planet that resembles earth and upon figuring out what seems like the answers, you become stranded in 1991 suburbia. Oh and the most important thing is that you are tiny in a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids size, which is always an automatic win. There is something so fun and magical about being small in surroundings that are part of your everyday routine. It worked in 1989 with Rick Moranis and it still works in 2022 with Tinykin.
Immediately, you are greeted by some weird furry creature named Ridmi, who has been stuck in this house without any way to get out. Clearly over the years, Ridmi has figured out the blueprints for a spaceship that require six components that you can find around the house ranging from things like swimming goggles and scissors, which can be assembled back in his research lab. Each component is located in a different biome, which is themed around the common rooms of a house such as bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.
Bite Sized Fun
Tinykin feels very reminiscent of a PS2 era platfromer in a good way. Tinykin feels like it is coming from a time that was focused on trying to fit the most amount of fun in a small package, pun not intended. Tinykin is equal parts platforming around this different biomes and using your Tinykins to help you get the components you need. There are five different types of Tinykin that can aid you in your quest, which starts out with using just one type and by the final level you need to incorporate solutions using each one. Unfortunately, there werent puzzles that required a combination of Tinykin, which could have added a neat twist.
Tinykin is a joy to play. Everything plays as you want it to. Milo has the right amount of heft when it comes to jumping and gliding, he sticks to all the ropes and Tinykin you want him to and the aiming and placing of your Tinykin feels second nature. Tinykin doesn’t force feed you a tutorial and this keeps the fun high. Instead there are beacons placed around the environment if there is new skill that could change the way you approach the game.
Tiny Probs
Moving in parallel to the charming appearance of Tinykin is the difficulty. Tinykin is a very easy game. There was never any points during the game where I was stumped about what to do next. It would have been nice if there were more logic puzzles in the vein of Tomb Raider to make some of the levels a little more difficult. Instead it was just about finding the right amount of Tinykin you need and placing them where they need to be.
Being trapped in 1991 sounds like a great premise for a game, especially as someone who grew up with the pop culture of the 90’s. There are plenty of cool references from the Alien and ET VHS tapes and the Captain Crunch box that you encounter and have to traverse over early on in the game. Sadly, the game leans much more into the 90’s during the first level as the rest of the levels feel mostly detached from any era. It would have been absolutely amazing if Tinykin leaned heavier into the 90’s nostalgia with a plethora of options to use including clothing, food and music.
You start the game with a glide bubble which helps you float over large gaps and you can increase your bubble capacity by collecting pollen in the game which look like golden nuggets. Most levels have around 500-1000 pollen to find and if you find them, it will increase your bubble limit. Unfortunately, the pollen doesn’t carry over from level to level which meant that I was stuck with 2 bubbles for the entirety of the game with most of my levels at around 90% pollen collected. It would have been great if the pollen was able to carry over allowing you to increase your bubble limit steadily through the game. The good news is that the game is built for completion using just one bubble. More bubbles just make traversal a lot easier.
Tinykin does what Nintendont
If Nintendo isn’t going to do it then someone else will. This is constantly the case and lately games like Tunic aren’t just using a formula that people love, but are doing it with excellence. Tinykin might be short, but it’s the focus on quality and not quantity that make this game a worthy adventure.