Review - The Last Tinker: City of Colors a parent’s perspective
by Paul Fiander with Zach Fiander
Format reviewed on; PC |
Developer: Mimimi Productions,
Publisher Unity Games Formats; PC/Mac/Linux |
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Gaming as we all know has quite a high average age, the principle of games are just for kids does still persist in main stream culture but is a concept lost to gamers. However we still need titles for younger gamers, they are the players of tomorrow and unless we start engaging them the industry may not grow in the years to come. There are of course some amazing games out there like the Lego series, Little Big Planet, Disney Infinity, Skylanders and a great deal of Nintendo’s offerings however pretty much all of these titles have one thing in common they are big budget titles. The thriving indie scene we have in games seems to be neglecting the younger player but independent developer Mimimi Productions are here to change all that with the release of The last Tinker: City of Colour.
You may notice from the title I’m wearing my Daddy hat for this review, but first a quick word for the adult player. This feels like homage to the early days of 3D platformers, if you are a fan of when Mario or Sonic left 2D then this will be right up your alley. The game is vibrant and full of places to explore; it’s also supported by a great soundtrack that helps give the game the mood it requires at each stage. It’s not the most challenging of titles but the rewards of playing are well worth your time. |
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Now for the main section;
I have a four year old son and up till now he has had a very gentle entry to gaming this consists of the Wii (Wii sports, Mario Kart), the PS3 (Disney Infinity) and the PC (Lego Marvel Superheroes). All of these games have the respective costs and benefits in terms of the younger player experience. The Last Tinker though is a whole new experience for him as he gets to grips with a character he has never experienced before. The star of the game is Koru a rather talented young ape, he is not only an agile sprite but he also has the ability to harness the power of colour spirits. This is a little further in the game but from the outset your abilities allow for exploring the game play area.
The traversal is mostly on foot but you also get the chance to ride rails from one point to another, these are not that prevalent but when they are present they make the game move along at a better pace as well as really making the most out of the graphics. The graphics are the games strongest suit the visuals are vibrant and wonderfully crafted. The whole world is a joy to be in, this engaged my son no end and I had no trouble watching him play. The story is fun but not engrossing; it feels perfectly pitched for the younger audience and will really tweak adult’s nostalgia nerve without ever really drawing you in. However at this point we have not finished the game playing together.
The gameplay mechanics are very easy to learn as Koru has simple dash and strike moves, the combat feels like a slimmed down version of Arkham Asylum. The rhythmical nature is fun but quite obviously you do not get to use a Batarang or the like. There are puzzles which are repetitive but they do help to install the way to play the game this again is perfect for kids but can be a little tedious for adults.
I stated above as a pair we have not finished the story and that is due to the way we are playing the game together. It has made playing a great experience and I can well recommend this game for the PC parent looking to get their child a game that is fun and visually strong. For the adults who are interested at around the 7 hour mark this is a fun nostalgia ride but I’m not sure the game has that much replay value. However at the £15 mark this game has come in at the best price point to make it a really good purchase. I will say though I think with my son’s obsession with finding and destroying barrels I will probably get more hours than that out of our playthrough.
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Good - The visuals, fun Gameplay, Score
Bad - Story simplistic for adults, receptive gameplay (again for adults) |
Parents Score 4/5Adult Score 3.5/5 |
Game from Plan of Attack
Images - from Publisher
Images - from Publisher
