TINYFOLKS

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 711 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
TINYFOLKS Game Cover
Play in Arcadia
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"TINYFOLKS" is a single-player fantasy turn-based strategy game with fantastic mechanics, featuring crisp pixel art graphics, splendid music, and lots of grinding. Train your folks from over 20 different classes, equip them with various weapons and artefacts, and upgrade your town's buildings to unlock new activities. Battle through 13 unique biomes, defeat 70+ monsters, and defeat the evil Sorcerer to save the town. Available on Steam.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Web Browser
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 711 reviews
music65 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • Fun and engaging gameplay with a variety of classes and strategies to explore.
  • Charming pixel art and an excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Great value for the price, offering hours of entertainment and replayability through different challenge modes.
  • Some classes and abilities feel underwhelming or unbalanced, leading to less strategic diversity.
  • The game can be completed relatively quickly, which may leave some players wanting more content.
  • Minor bugs and typos present in the game can detract from the overall polish and experience.
  • music122 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, upbeat chiptune soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate how the music complements the charming pixel art and engaging gameplay, often describing it as a standout feature that elevates the game to a must-play status. Overall, the soundtrack is frequently highlighted as a major reason to recommend the game, with many calling it "banger" and "killer."

    • “The soundtrack is just brilliant.”
    • “The music is catchy and the gameplay is straightforward.”
    • “This game has some rough edges with character balancing, but aside from that, it is a fantastic game with an incredible soundtrack.”
    • “The only thing that can be improved is the music and SFX.”
    • “Simple graphics, simple soundtrack, simple premise.”
    • “I really like the art style, music, and overall idea of the game, but the fact that the length of the campaign is based on the difficulty setting completely ruins the game for me, because losing a well-trained/equipped character now feels infinitely worse.”
  • gameplay79 mentions

    The gameplay of Tinyfolks is characterized by its engaging and addictive mechanics, blending base building, tactical battles, and RPG elements in a charming pixel art style. While the game offers a relatively short playtime of around 4-8 hours, it provides enough depth and variety to encourage replayability, despite some players expressing a desire for improved UI and challenge systems. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its simplicity, strategic depth, and enjoyable loop, making it accessible for both casual and dedicated players.

    • “Great gameplay loop.”
    • “The gameplay is simple but enemies can interfere with your strategies to make you think, especially if you play blind.”
    • “At first glance it's just yet another unassuming pixel art game, and in a sense it is: it has very well established mechanics, a retro style pixel art, and a good chiptune soundtrack, nothing is exactly new or original, but it doesn't need to be groundbreaking because it just does everything right: the art and the animations are adorable, the music is nice and spot on, and the gameplay loop just flows in that special way that simple but addictive games do.”
    • “But I got frustrated by the gameplay and UI.”
    • “Despite everything being small scale, the game's mechanics are presented in an easy to understand way and the bite-sized combat is fun and genuinely tense.”
    • “By the time you figure out the mechanics and play around with all the classes, the game is done.”
  • graphics65 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming retro and minimalist art style, evoking nostalgia with cute pixel designs and a Game Boy aesthetic. Many reviewers appreciate the effective use of simple visuals that complement the gameplay and music, creating an enjoyable overall experience. While some find the graphics basic, they are often described as fitting and delightful, enhancing the game's appeal without the need for high-end visuals.

    • “Tinyfolks, the indie game, is a visual treat with cute graphics, a pleasing soundtrack, and enjoyable gameplay.”
    • “The graphics are very old school but also very charming, the music is nice and it's just a neat little game to kill a few hours in.”
    • “For a game that 'looks simple', it's got a superb art style and an amazing soundtrack to boot.”
    • “The minimalist art style comes off more claustrophobic.”
    • “The graphics and sound are fine for the price but nothing stands out.”
    • “Downside is the very minimalist graphics, which didn't bother me at all, which was surprising.”
  • replayability55 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the value for the price, especially through various difficulty levels, challenge modes, and class combinations. However, some reviewers noted a lack of depth and variability, leading to limited replayability after initial playthroughs. Overall, while it offers decent replay value for those who enjoy experimenting with strategies, it may not sustain long-term engagement for everyone.

    • “And there's replay value in beating the game on harder modes, and unlocking and beating challenge modes.”
    • “This game is simply very nice, interesting, and replayable; not for more than 100 hours in my opinion, but my 50 hours were all amazing.”
    • “It's not a super deep game (feels like a mobile port) and it doesn't have a ton of replayability.”
    • “The game is quite short and only takes a couple of hours to complete, but additional challenge modes and difficulty options make the game more replayable.”
    • “Not much of replayability, but very worth supporting a game made by one person :) the price is worth it.”
  • story22 mentions

    The story in the game is minimalistic and straightforward, revolving around a simple quest to defeat enemies and upgrade your town, with no complex narrative or deep lore. Players appreciate the lack of a burdensome storyline, allowing for a focus on gameplay mechanics and character progression, while the charming 8-bit aesthetic encourages imagination. Overall, the narrative serves as a backdrop to the fun and addictive gameplay rather than a central element, making it appealing for those seeking a quick and entertaining RPG experience.

    • “The storyline is so simple but it is peak because you can get attached to the expressionless 8-bit characters and imagine the best scenes in existence.”
    • “Fun mechanics, a decent amount of customization, and a fun little story that's not hard to get into.”
    • “But the chiptune is great, the pixel art is superb, the choices deep enough to be fun, the story flat but entertaining.”
    • “The game is simple as there isn't really a backstory to it; you fight monsters, train your citizens, build your city, and fight more monsters, and then rest.”
    • “There is no real story beyond 'bad guy invades, kill bad guy.'”
    • “Tinyfolks is a simple plot and a simple idea.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often due to confusing systems, misleading difficulty labels, and unresponsive achievements. While some appreciate the steady progression and the option to repeat runs for resource farming, many feel that the combat mechanics and menu navigation contribute to an overall grindy experience. The desire for features like an auto-battle option highlights the repetitive nature of resource gathering and combat.

    • “All the issues plaguing this game make it just kind of tedious.”
    • “Unexplained and confusing systems, difficulty entirely based on enemy RNG, tedious menuing, misleading difficulty labels (for challenges as well as locations), and a massive lack of access to previously discovered information (the archive thingy was far from enough).”
    • “The only thing I didn't like is the achievements feel grindy and some of them are not working (for example, I beat Jurassic World 3 times on normal, but didn't unlock the 'beat Jurassic World').”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs that hinder gameplay, including issues with achievements and freezing screens. While some players have experienced a smooth experience, particularly on the Linux build, the overall consensus leans towards the game being too buggy for a seamless play experience.

    • “The game is bug-free as far as I know.”
    • “I was going to complete the main game, but at the end, I encountered a bug that caused a frozen screen.”
    • “As it currently stands, it's too buggy to play.”
    • “On top of all that, the achievements are buggy and simply won't unlock.”
    • “Some of the alternate modes are interesting, some are bad, and some are downright buggy.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as clever and enjoyable, with a mix of subtlety and charm that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the comedic elements, which include amusing moments and quirky features, while also noting that the humor complements the game's challenging nature. Overall, the lighthearted tone and funny modes add significant value, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans of humor in gaming.

    • “There may be a few grammar errors here and there, but honestly those have only made me laugh.”
    • “If we must resort to comparisons, think of it as 'Darkest Dungeon gone funny and on the Game Boy' and you sort of have it.”
    • “The humor is very slight while not in your face, yet clever and funny.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its engaging music and overall immersive experience, with many highlighting the strong soundtrack. However, some users feel that a more atmospheric RPG-style sound design could enhance immersion even further. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point of the game.

    • “Perfect UX, banger soundtrack, great overall atmosphere.”
    • “Great atmosphere overall.”
    • “It sounds more 'arcade', but something more atmospheric like 'RPG/RP' would fit perfectly in the game and would surely provide better immersion.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, particularly regarding control responsiveness on the Steam Deck, indicating that it may not be fully optimized for all platforms. Additionally, players note that the game presents an optimization puzzle element, adding a layer of complexity to gameplay.

    • “While I currently play it on the Steam Deck, the controls aren't entirely optimized.”
    • “It's an optimization puzzle and a push-your-luck game.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game offers a lighthearted and enjoyable experience, appealing to those seeking a brief RPG adventure without the emotional weight of a complex narrative or extensive grinding.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

5hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
3-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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