![]() Not that there shouldn’t be a counter-argument that perhaps a level set outdoors or at least one not confined to some large-scale rectangular shape wouldn’t go a miss. ![]() But it’s here, in that very specific style of setting, where Tinykin‘s risk of potentially growing stale is such a non-issue. At the point where the miniaturized, house motif may arguably be in the extremely early periods of wearing thin, the game has reached its climax. But these influences thankfully don’t end up coloring too much of the expectation going into this and it’s because Tinykin manages to keep within the confines of its own ambition and intentions why the brief six-hour run-time to reach end credits feels sufficient. High hopes then and high stakes given such comparisons. And to top it all off, thanks to a trustee bar of soap, just like any classic Tony Hawk Pro Skater entry, the levels here are just a pure treat to move around in. A combination of novel aesthetics, momentary puzzle-solving in transporting key items from one place to another, all of which is wound into an environment chock full of verticality and welcome distraction. It’s hard not to utter the likes of Pikmin, Paper Mario and even the Rare games of the N64 era when speaking of Tinykin as a whole. Yes, that reliance on nostalgia and “how things were back in the days” is a double-edged sword, as we’ve discussed ample times previous. A philosophy most of all that asks: what is it about platformers that still, to this day, makes them such novel but fascinating entries to dissect? Or at the very least, be avidly excited for in the hopes they inspire recollections of what came before. But as someone who treats level design as one of the most vital components of any game, regardless of genre or general direction, it just makes a game like Tinykin shine brighter than its slick, upbeat, easy-to-get-into pitch already professes.Īnd it’s largely down to just how well developer Splashteam hone in on that very philosophy and deliver on a game that’s all too happy in letting its players loose amid these many tempting routes and pockets for exploration. For those indifferent or simply not a fan of this genre, this may all sound like conjecture and all-too-convoluted a view for what’s a relatively straight-forward premise. Wrestling with, coaxing and indeed convincing a player’s line of thinking - without a single audio or verbal cue - to go one way over another, suggestive or otherwise. ![]() But the joys of the humble platformer and the joys of level design in general are very much one and the same. Art-style, music and yes, writing too, can play their part along the way. How said surroundings are as much about instilling the desire to overcome the challenge as much as they are a sense of discovery, exploration and curiosity. ![]() You’re telling me a genre all about navigating the geometry of one’s surroundings should put emphasis on how they’re built? No way! Sarcasm aside, think of any great platformer from the past and you’re bound to call upon the way those levels, worlds or environments are built. Not to say this aspect of game design isn’t important in any genre - as much as they may take a more back-seat approach in favor of more important elements or mechanics - and yes, this statement isn’t entirely a shocker. Level design is so integral when it comes to separating not just the good platformers from the bad, but the good iterations from those absolute classics that decades on still stand the test of time.
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