Developer: Splashteam

Publisher: tinyBuild

Played on: PC

Release Date: August 30, 2022

Played with: Dualshock 4

Paid: $19.03 (Multi-game Bundle)

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Take a pretty standard collect-a-thon 3D platformer, throw in a healthy dose of Pikmin, and add  a dash of Tony Hawk, and you have the delicious dish that is Tinykin.  I went into the game knowing next to nothing about it, just that it had a cute art style and seemed to be a charming little platformer.  It turned out that I wasn’t prepared for just how charming Tinykin could be, and after some initial issues with getting my controller working with it, I was off to the races and playing for hours on end.  Tinykin is a delightful little title, and one that surprised me with just how great it was from start to finish.

Milodane is the game’s protagonist, an archaeologist and researcher living on the planet of Aegis who believes that humans originated from a different planet.  In his search to find humankind’s home planet, he discovers a strange signal emanating from another galaxy and decides to investigate.  When he arrives – in a twist straight out of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – it turns out that he’s the size of a bug and stuck in the house of a man named Ardwin.  Not much is known about Ardwin, only that he’s a regular-sized human who seemingly abandoned the house, leaving it populated by an assortment of anthropomorphic insects.  Milodane meets a moth named Ridmi and the two set out to reassemble Ardwin’s Machine, a strange device that supposedly will allow Milodane to return home.  Oddly enough, Milodane’s stature is never questioned, though the cause of it is answered by the end of Tinykin.  However, this takes the form of a weird twist that gets surprisingly existential and feels tonally at odds with the rest of the game.  Despite this, the premise is sound as a motivator for Milodane to explore various rooms of Ardwin’s house and meet a cast of colourful characters.

If reference-based humour isn’t your thing, Tinykin may be a bit of a turn-off.  Along my journey, I encountered allusions to everyone from real historical figures like Maximilien Robespierre to TV show characters like Spongebob Squarepants and Dr. House.  There’s even some fourth-wall breaking that goes on, which tickled my funny bone but may not be to everyone’s tastes.  The nice thing is that these are all hidden in optional NPC interactions, so if they’re a serious bother, it’s possible to just skip through this dialogue and not come out the worse for it.  It is worth talking to everyone you come across, though, as each room in the house has several NPCs that give Milodane sidequests to pursue.  These sidequests aren’t mandatory for beating the game, but they flesh out the world and give some fun side activities, whether it’s making popcorn for an irate chef or retrieving a lost piece of jewelry.

Navigating the rooms of Ardwin’s house is a breeze thanks to Milodane’s different abilities.  In addition to running and jumping around, he can conjure a bubble around his head that allows him to glide between platforms.  While the range is limited at the start, collecting a certain amount of pollen (one of the game’s myriad collectibles) in each room increases the time the bubble can stay active, meaning that by the end he can practically glide from one end of a room to another.  He also has a soapboard that can be used to surf around levels and grind across silkworm lines, quickly traversing long distances with ease.  

Effective use of the soapboard becomes instrumental when participating in the game’s optional race challenges that unlock after completing each room.  In contrast to the generally relaxed pace of the rest of the game, these races are surprisingly challenging, requiring quick thinking and maneuvering especially if you’re going for the gold medals that unlock new outfits for Milodane.  Unfortunately, the physics aren’t always up to the task, as the game can be very finicky about what counts as a rail to grind on, resulting in races that can be a bit more frustrating than fun.  They are surprisingly addictive, though, and I found myself going for gold on every single one before I was ready to call it quits on Tinykin.

The titular Tinykin are where the game’s Pikmin influence comes into play, as they provide a whole host of powers that can aid Milodane in his journey.  For instance, purple Tinykin are strong and can be thrown at various objects to lift them or push them around, while red Tinykin explode, doing everything from freeing silkworms and ropes to unlock shortcuts to lighting candles – another of the game’s collectibles.  The Tinykin are all adorable little beans, and it was always exciting to find a new variety and learn how it worked.  My only real complaint is that the purple Tinykin move rather slowly when carrying objects, and it could sometimes be tedious to wait for them to deliver something to its destination.

Scattered throughout each level are coloured Tinykin eggs that add that variety to your posse, and various objects will require specific quantities to be interacted with.  As such, there may be times where you run across a certain object, lack the requisite Tinykin to interact with it, and have to go back to exploring so you can hatch more Tinykin of that colour.  At times it made me wish for some sort of minimap; while Milodane does have augmented reality goggles he can equip, they only highlight key NPCs and areas where you need to take quest objects, not the objects themselves.  Similarly, they don’t point out collectibles you’ve missed, be it pollen, candles, letters, or Tinykin (all of which have achievements tied to finding them all), so hunting through a level to find the last few things you’ve missed can be a real pain.  I did end up getting 100% on the game without using any guides, but there were definitely times I was tempted due to the proliferation of small nooks and crannies in the levels and lack of in-game assistance.

On the bright side, Tinykin’s presentation is stellar.  The mix of 2D assets for characters and 3D for environments seems like it should clash, but it works exceptionally well, making it easy to track yourself and other characters in the world.  2D animated cutscenes bookend the game and play whenever you unlock a new Tinykin, showing off Milodane meeting the Tinykin and learning about its power.  All these cutscenes do a great job of amplifying the game’s charm and were something I always looked forward to.  The music is also great; each room has its own theme that varies depending on the area you’re in, meaning it might be more minimalistic while exploring a narrow crawl space and more epic and orchestral while climbing a tall tower.  It gives the game a sense of wonder that persists throughout.  Even the sound effects are great; the little chirps and squeaks of the characters are cute, and small details like the purple Tinykin chanting in time to the music while carrying heavy objects really sealed the deal for me.

Tinykin is a purely charming game that delighted me at every turn.  Methodically making my way through each level so as not to miss collectibles could have felt like a chore, but thanks to the wonderful presentation and smooth gameplay, it was instead relaxing and heartwarming.  It’s worth noting that I did encounter a small bug in my quest to 100% the game, namely that some achievements didn’t pop until after I went back and revisited each room in turn.  However, this was a small blip amongst some other minor issues, and I think it speaks to the quality of the game that I was engaged enough to want to 100% it before writing this review.  Even if you’re not trying to collect everything, I think that joining Milodane on his journey with the Tinykin is well worth it for platforming fans or anyone looking for a fun, cozy gaming experience.

9/10