TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE
- July 11, 2019
- AREA 35, Inc.
- 8h median play time
If you like the Advance Wars series or other similar games though, I think you will get quite a bit of enjoyment out of Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble. If that describes you I would recommend that you pick it up.
Get on Steam"TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE" is a turn-based strategy game where players command three unique commanders, each with their own squads and special abilities, to defeat a rising mysterious threat across various terrains. The game features a new story campaign, resource management, and focus fire attacks to outsmart the enemy. Players can activate special abilities for additional stat boosts in battle.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- TINY METAL offers a satisfying turn-based strategy experience reminiscent of Advance Wars, with engaging gameplay mechanics like focus fire and unit merging.
- The game features a substantial amount of campaign content, with optional challenges that enhance replayability and a rank-up system for units.
- The graphics and art style, while simplistic, are appealing, and the game runs well on various platforms, providing a nostalgic yet fresh experience for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from convoluted mechanics and a lack of clear information, making it difficult for players to understand unit interactions and movement costs.
- There are significant issues with AI balance and design, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially in later missions where the AI can exploit player weaknesses.
- The absence of naval units and a limited multiplayer experience detracts from the overall strategic depth and variety that players might expect from a game in this genre.
- gameplay88 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Tiny Metal" is generally well-received, with many reviewers noting its similarities to the "Advance Wars" series while introducing new mechanics like focus fire and supply management. However, some players criticize the game for its clunky mechanics, lack of naval units, and pacing issues that can lead to boredom. Overall, while it offers enjoyable tactical gameplay and visual appeal, it is seen as a spiritual successor rather than a groundbreaking innovation in the genre.
“Nice variety and gameplay.”
“Good gameplay that's simple enough to not feel like overcommitting.”
“Let me preface this by saying that Tiny Metal has excellent gameplay and tactics, and that it has immense potential.”
“The hero unit/insta-lose mechanic is a major handicap when playing.”
“However, I found the game to be lacking in various areas that seem to slow the pace of gameplay, causing a steep drop in interest about 2 stages in.”
“While not being a bad game exactly, as a tactics game it pales in comparison to most modern options and really only serves to show off the limitations of Advance Wars' mechanics.”
- story80 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as a continuation of the first installment's lighthearted and humorous narrative, though it lacks depth and memorable characters, with many players finding it uninspired and repetitive by the mid-point of the campaign. While the campaign consists of a substantial number of missions, the lack of variety in objectives and the absence of a compelling villain detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game offers a visually appealing presentation and a solid structure for mission challenges, appealing primarily to fans of the genre rather than those seeking a rich narrative.
“A continuation of the first game's goofy story which aims to be cute and humorous but isn't going to set the world on fire.”
“This makes the campaign and skirmishes a much more challenging experience, and there are still many, many campaign missions and skirmishes to do, all hand-crafted and unique.”
“The game's overall story and characters are not especially memorable.”
“Not only can this get boring gameplay-wise, but the story suffers from a lack of a true villain as well, in my opinion.”
“The game's 'story' campaign runs through a set of missions with no connection or structure; I have played for 6 hours and still think I'm in the tutorial.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the cartoony art style and character design, while others find the visuals overly complicated and difficult to navigate. Despite some graphical glitches and a lack of contrast that can hinder gameplay, many users note that the graphics are generally well-executed, especially at higher resolutions. Overall, while the art style may not appeal to everyone, it complements the game's tactical depth and mechanics.
“The graphics are great, it has a storyline (which I don't care for but it's there) and for the most part, it's a pretty flowing game.”
“Graphics look pretty dope for me at 1440p and all settings maxed out.”
“Otherwise the graphics remain fantastic, the gameplay is stronger, a ton of new features and units have been added to the formula established in the original Tiny Metal, and the addition of new commanders adds a fun variation of effective playstyles between matches.”
“But all of that is completely marred by one glaring issue: the excruciatingly hard to look at graphics.”
“Between the 3D graphical trees and buildings covering units up, to the almost non-existent contrast in colors between used and unused units, to the uninspiring design of the units that makes a lot of them look like the same thing, I almost always miss moving several units every single turn.”
“Your graphics are the single most large roadblock for this game.”
- music24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered serviceable but lacks memorability, with many reviewers noting that while each character has their own theme, they do not stand out significantly from one another. Comparisons to the unique and memorable soundtracks of games like Advance Wars highlight a desire for more distinct musical identities for characters. Overall, the music is deemed decent, but there are hopes for greater differentiation in future releases.
“The music in Advanced Wars is unique and memorable.”
“Each character had a distinct OST that was part of their identity.”
“Like when you played Grit, his music was laid back and slow, but Andy's was upbeat.”
“The music is serviceable but again not memorable.”
“While the characters in this game each have their own music, none of them really stand out or sound very different from each other.”
“If I listened to them back to back, sure I could hear a difference, but when playing, their music sounds too similar overall and just blends together.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from various stability issues, including buggy viewing controls, unresponsive UI, and graphical glitches, which can disrupt gameplay and hinder achievement progress. Despite these problems, some players are willing to overlook them and continue supporting the game with future expansions.
“The game's also got a certain number of bugs, like achievements not unlocking, graphical glitches on particular missions, or the UI not showing up, forcing you to reload the map.”
“Shame about the buggy viewing controls, but I've managed to live with it and will likely buy the expansions for it.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the replayability of the game, noting that the inclusion of optional challenges for each level enhances the experience and encourages multiple playthroughs.
“There are optional challenges for each level to add replayability.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, as the need to switch between difficulty levels for terrain scouting detracts from the overall enjoyment and strategic planning of the game.
“While yes, you can simply load the map on easy difficulty to scout out the terrain and then reload on a harder difficulty, it becomes tedious when it would be a much more enjoyable experience to actually plan your movement.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization features are limited, offering basic graphics settings such as ambient occlusion toggles and motion blur options, with a maximum frame rate cap of 144 fps, which may not fully utilize higher refresh rate monitors.
“Graphics settings are not super robust, but you can toggle ambient occlusion settings, turn motion blur on/off, and the max FPS cap seems to be 144 (I'm running on a 165Hz monitor and the game's in-game performance monitor shows 144 FPS).”
“The graphics settings are not very robust; you can toggle ambient occlusion settings, turn motion blur on or off, and the maximum FPS cap appears to be 144, even though I'm using a 165Hz monitor and the game's performance monitor shows 144 FPS.”
“The graphics options lack depth, with only basic toggles for ambient occlusion and motion blur, and a frustratingly low maximum FPS cap of 144, despite my 165Hz monitor.”
Critic Reviews
Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble Indie Game Review - Geeky Hobbies
If you like the Advance Wars series or other similar games though, I think you will get quite a bit of enjoyment out of Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble. If that describes you I would recommend that you pick it up.
0%Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble Indie Game Review - Geeky Hobbies
If you like the Advance Wars series or other similar games though, I think you will get quite a bit of enjoyment out of Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble. If that describes you I would recommend that you pick it up.
0%
