Tinykin (Multi) Review

Our next review takes us time traveling back to 2022. Sometimes a writer just wants to revisit a fun game and write a review about it! That's exactly the case with this particular game and review. It's Tinykin time, friends!

Honey, I shrunk with some 'kins!

Tinykin is by no means a really recent game. It released in August 2022, but sometimes I feel the urge to review a game not because I want to question and evaluate its quality. No, instead this review is more to beam and boast about the game--as it's one I very much have enjoyed--so much so that I've played it across three platforms to 100% completion, the most current of which was the Steam version. Thus, to say that I have a fondness for Tinykin is a bit of an understatement. While it's by no means my perfect game, it's definitely an entertaining one.

If you're not aware of what Tinykin is, then allow me to enlighten! Not only is it a game but it's the namesake of the little creatures that our hero and intrepid explorer Milodane that assist him along his journey throughout a house while he's in teeny and yes, tiny form. Perhaps a relatable analogy would be that the Tinykin are the Pikmin to Milodane's Captain Olimar. That notwithstanding, Tinykin's comparisons to Pikmin as a series almost totally end there, save for the Tinykin also being able to retrieve items and objects for our plucky protagonist.

Each room of Tinykin's world (house) is interconnected and full of places to discover.

The meat and potatoes of Tinykin is that it's a platformer first and foremost, and one where you explore various worlds--or in this case, rooms of a house in miniature form, to solve environmental puzzles, take on NPC tasks, and complete the overall objective of the room. Whether that's getting things set up for a party around a bathtub for a sudsy shindig, or baking a cake by tracking down and retrieving the ingredients, mixing them up, and putting the ingredients in the oven to bake proper, there is a fair amount to do within Tinykin's sprawling, expansive worlds.

Tinykin come in various forms, usually one form introduced per world (or room). There are your standard pink Tinykin that can grab, retrieve, open/unblock obstacles, and other helpful tasks, while red Tinykin merrily explode upon contact with targets they're thrown at, such as candles, destructible objects, etc. Then, you have your green Tinykin, which can be assembled one on top of the other to create makeshift ladders for Milodane to climb. The more Tinykin in his possession, the higher he can climb to reach otherwise inaccessible areas needing some extra verticality to reach. 

These rambunctious red Tinykin really love to bring the boom.

From there, you have blue Tinykin which are electrical, able to hold charges, and when placed between an electrical outlet and something needing power piped to it, the blue Tinykin can be tossed and arranged to form a chain to bring the power to it. Finally, yellow Tinykin serve as makeshift bridges, though only at specially marked locations.

This gap is not a bridge too far for these yellow Tinykin!

The Tinykin are born from eggs, and ready to be hatched by Milodane discovering them all throughout the worlds of the game. Tracking down enough Tinykin to get a task at hand completed requires a fair amount of careful exploration, as the eggs are practically everywhere. So, too, is pollen, the currency used to upgrade Milodane's bubble ability. 

Yes, Milodane isn't completely helpless to get around the worlds without his Tinykin friends--he can jump in the air and glide for a limited amount of time in a bubble. The more upgraded the bubble is, the more Milodane's bubble will carry him across hazards like water, spikes, and long drops from high up in the air. Milodane can also access a surfboard in the form of a clever bar of soap, not just to slide along surfaces more swiftly, but also to grind along special pieces of string that serve as shortcuts from various points of interest in each world.

Eat your heart out, Sonic the Hedgehog.

But, going back to the pollen and Tinykin eggs, it can be quite challenging to go for 100% completion in this game. There is no radar to determine where missing eggs and pollen are located in a given world, so while you have a tally and total available to you for what's missing, you're practically on your own to track down where those last eggs and pollen particles are in a world. Again, as the worlds/rooms in Tinykin are so open, large, vertical, and expansive, this can be mighty overwhelming to comb every inch, corner, nook, and cranny of these otherwise platforming paradises.

Tinykin has no combat to speak of--enemies are pretty much limited to the aforementioned hazards of water, spikes/thorns, and gravity. This approach may not be compelling to some players, but for me, I felt that combat wasn't at all needed nor something I missed in this game. It was just a chill vibe to leap around levels, searching for Tinykin and pollen, solving various characters' dilemmas, figuring out solutions to puzzles, and discovering secret areas that were quite commonly off the beaten path. The rewards for exploration were so enjoyable to me, that I didn't even second guess the decision to not have enemies of the traditional variety.

Keep your eyes peeled for secret alcoves and other hidden areas 
within the game world. They're all over the place!

The length of Tinykin's adventure isn't too terribly lengthy. For most players, they may be able to beat or even complete the game in less than ten hours. That's a perfect length for me, in all honesty, as the game does not at all outwear its welcome whatsoever. The December 2022 addition of new costumes and rather tricky time attack challenges--both optional content--delivered even more replay value to this already enticing package. Heck, by virtue of me enjoying three separate playthroughs across three years, that should say more than enough about how easy it is to come back to this game.

Tinykin's world is immensely populated with 3D objects and backgrounds to platform and otherwise play around on, while its characters are 2D. It's a very Paper Mario-esque presentation, and it works wonderfully. It amazed me how I could stand atop one of the later level's peaks, essentially, and see so much below Milodane and in the distance, as well. The draw distance in general is phenomenal. There is so much going on, it's any wonder it doesn't fall to pieces in frame-rate. Musically, the score is appropriately bouncy and never grating. Perfect for spending hours in each level.

The draw distance is absolutely awe-inspiring. (This is the Steam version, as an aside!)

Sure, 100% completion in Tinykin can be a bit tedious and irritating to track down a handful of missing Tinykin eggs or pollen particles hidden throughout levels, as it can be reminiscent of looking for a needle in a haystack. Of course, I don't really know anyone who has needed to do such a task with looking for needles in haystacks, but it's a colloquialism for a reason! Otherwise, Tinykin is such a charming and clever platformer that I love returning to it every now and then. Not all will vibe with the lack of combat, but if the idea of exploring expansive worlds full of objectives to complete, items to find, platforming challenges to perform, and secrets to discover, then you probably already have jumped into Tinykin. If not, I wholeheartedly recommend you do!

[SPC Says: A-]