Tinykin didn’t hit my radar until its August release. The title developed by Splashteam and published by tinyBuild centers around a little guy named Milo. Milo is an explorer who crash-lands in a house (containing his Polaroid camera and his VHS tapes) trapped in the ’90s, devoid of people, but with a thriving bug community. To get home, he enlists the help of Ridmi, an elder bug, to assemble a spaceship using items scattered across several sections of the house.
A bit reductive, but I can see why the comparison to Pikmin exists. You are the captain and you come across tiny minions of different types and abilities. Purple ones pick up things, red ones explode on certain structures, and green ones stack on top of each other. The comparison ends here. Beyond the danger to the environment, there are no opposing forces. All the characters by your side are there as quest givers or to provide dialogue that helps flesh out the world.
That tone is Tinykin’s greatest strength. There is no sense of urgency, because they are time sensitive and nothing is dangerous. The main objectives include baking cakes and finding all the ingredients scattered around the messy kitchen. Each area also has side quests such as finding letters to put in mailboxes, finding gems, and collecting honey drops scattered around the map. Each map has a lot of verticality, climbing on counters and tabletops and traversing narrow ledges. Even without the small but mighty Tinykin on hand, Milo comes equipped with glides that can be upgraded throughout the game, a key tool to fill those gaps. Movement is crisp, with a soap bar that slides across the map with ease and momentum.
The world is a joy to explore, not only because it has a clear enough direction to mainline its main objectives, but also because of its level design that encourages wandering. I never started by concentrating on a goal. If you’re just beginning your exploration and the wind blows you in an intriguing direction, why not? Nectar Drops are the perfect kind of breadcrumbs to steer you in a direction without cluttering up what you can explore. I’m a person who naturally follows the best path, but I chose the wanderer’s path.
Tinykin is a “stop and smell the roses” type of game, terse in a way that provides a meaningful experience without being too welcoming. Its charming world and lovable characters are a delightful window to this safe and mellow fun his dressing and that’s all. Splashteam’s one-of-a-kind focus on exploration and enchantment runs deep, and the end result is as laudable as his sophomore outing.