There are many series that video game fans want to see come back, but have yet to do so. Among these series is the Advance Wars series from Nintendo, the turn based strategy war games that were developed since the Famicom days, but only released in the west with the Gameboy Advance. Nintendo has yet to revive this series, but that has not stopped others from making games just like it, to satisfy the demand. Thus we have Tiny Metal, a game that plays like Advance Wars but with modern touches.
Tiny Metal certainly has the look and feel of an Advance Wars game, but I am glad to see that there are innovations that help make the game its own entity. The story mode is fine and a great way to play the game, but I found multiplayer to be a much more fulfilling experience. Tiny Metal takes the gameplay of its inspiration and builds on it to add new twists, such as new weaknesses and new strategic movements and locations. You will need to take your time as you play, or you will mess up badly. This is not one to rush in, and that is part of the charm. There is an option to play skirmishes rather than online play or the campaign and these are great ways to learn the game and simply have fun.
I must say, that the animation and music in Tiny Metal is excellent. The music perfectly fits the game and helps set the right atmosphere in all parts, which is a must for this type of game. The animation feels like a natural extension of the Advance Wars series, as if it is what the series would look like were Nintendo still making them. There are some animation issues here and there, such as when troops are positioned in certain areas, the game may encounter some clipping and frame stuttering, but it is mostly a minor concern.
Overall, Tiny Metal is a fantastic successor to the Advance Wars series. It takes everything good about that series, and magnifies and then builds on it. I wish some of the negatives, such as some menu scrolling issues has not been retained, but that isn’t a deal breaker for me. There is a good amount of content in the game, and despite my comment about the other modes being better than the campaign, I really did like it. Its not a perfect game, but it does a very good job filling a much needed gap. I fully recommend this one!
Disclaimer: A review Key was provided.