TINYFOLKS
- May 25, 2022
- Pierre Vandermaesen
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"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.
Reviews
- 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 in a compact format.
- Lacks depth and replayability after completing the game, with some classes feeling underwhelming.
- Some balancing issues with character abilities and classes, leading to a few being less useful.
- Minor bugs and typos present, which can detract from the overall polish of the game.
- music115 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in this game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, upbeat chiptune soundtrack that enhances the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate how the music complements the charming pixel art and engaging mechanics, often describing it as a standout feature that elevates the game to a must-play status for fans of the genre. Overall, the soundtrack is frequently highlighted as a major reason to enjoy 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.”
- gameplay76 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Tinyfolks is characterized by its engaging and addictive mechanics, blending base building, turn-based combat, and strategic resource management in a charming pixel art style. While some players appreciate the simplicity and replayability, others express a desire for deeper mechanics and improved UI. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with a playtime of around 4-10 hours, making it accessible for both casual and dedicated gamers.
“Great gameplay loop.”
“The gameplay is simple but enemies can interfere with your strategies to make you think, especially if you play blind.”
“A one-man army nailed down a core gameplay loop that is as addictive, with a great soundtrack, lovely art style, good animations, and balanced & rewarding combats.”
“But I got frustrated by the gameplay and UI.”
“By the time you figure out the mechanics and play around with all the classes, the game is done.”
“It's a very stripped down version of Darkest Dungeon, for the sake of painting the picture of its gameplay loop, with some basic management elements in upgrading a town that offers bonuses to your 'folk'.”
- graphics63 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative 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. While some players appreciate the simplicity and effectiveness of the visuals, others note that the minimalist approach can feel claustrophobic at times. Overall, the graphics complement the enjoyable gameplay and catchy soundtrack, making it a delightful experience for fans of old-school RPGs.
“Tinyfolks, the indie game, is a visual treat with cute graphics, a pleasing soundtrack, and enjoyable gameplay.”
“Great old-school graphics, but deeper game mechanics than first meets the eye.”
“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.”
“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.”
- replayability52 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding value in challenge modes, difficulty settings, and class combinations, while others feel it lacks depth and variety for extended play. Many agree that although the game is short, it offers enough content for a few enjoyable runs, especially for those who appreciate tactical gameplay. Overall, it seems to provide decent replayability for its price, but may not satisfy those seeking extensive replay value.
“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.”
“Genuinely took a while to get used to the town mechanics as well as scavenging, but the game rewards replayability and has flexible party compositions.”
“A playthrough should take 3-5 hours and there's replayability by way of trying different classes and tactics, a harder difficulty, achievements, and several challenge modes.”
“It's not a super deep game (feels like a mobile port) and it doesn't have a ton of replayability.”
“This game is barely replayable.”
“A very short and easy game with no replay value.”
- story21 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story in the game is minimalistic and straightforward, revolving around a simple quest to defeat a bad guy and build a town, which allows players to focus on gameplay rather than narrative depth. While some players appreciate the lack of a complex storyline, finding it refreshing and entertaining, others note that it lacks emotional weight and intricacy. Overall, the game offers a fun, engaging experience with a simplistic plot that encourages imagination and strategy rather than a traditional epic narrative.
“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.”
“There is no real story beyond bad guy invades, kill bad guy.”
“Tinyfolks is a simple plot and a simple idea.”
“You pick a bunch of heroes, take them on a simple quest to destroy enemies, fight a boss and return to town with the loot doing so within 45 'days'.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative 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 thing 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').”
- stability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs that hinder gameplay and prevent achievements from unlocking. While some players experience a smooth experience, particularly on the Linux build, others find various modes and interactions to be problematic. Overall, the game's stability is currently seen as a major issue for many players.
“The game is bug-free as far as I know.”
“I haven't encountered any crashes or glitches during my playtime.”
“The performance is smooth, and I appreciate the stability throughout my gaming experience.”
“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.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as clever and subtle, providing an enjoyable experience that enhances gameplay without being overwhelming. Players appreciate the comedic elements, which include amusing moments and lightheartedness, especially in challenging scenarios. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's charm, making it a worthwhile and entertaining purchase.
“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
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative 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' would fit perfectly in the game and would surely provide better immersion.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative 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
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative 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.
