A delightfully chibi platformer.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71730/misc-a-tiny-tale-switch-n-switch-2-review
Misc. A Tiny Tale has been consistently pitched as a Chibi-Robo-like. It isn’t hard to spot that inspiration. You play as a tiny robot who goes around cleaning up trash and helping the characters he meets. But if we’re going to put Misc up against Chibi-Robo, I find myself compelled to say that if Chibi-Robo had been as consistently charming, fun, and well designed as Misc, we’d probably still be playing Chibi-Robo games.
You play as Buddy, who sets off on an adventure with his friend Bag Boy (another little robot) to investigate an explosion that sent Golden Cogs flying all over their world. Along the way you’ll make friends, solve problems, and do a whole lot of cleaning. The game is broken up into distinct levels that fuse Chibi-Robo’s cleaning gameplay with that of a traditional 3D platformer/collectathon. Progression is built on collecting Golden Cogs to unlock a door that leads to the next stage. Within each stage there are ten Golden Cogs to find and plenty of trash to clean up. While cleaning trash doesn’t directly get you Golden Cogs, the trash you collect can be traded in for currency that may be required to purchase quest items. You also have a quest log to keep track of the needs of the various characters inhabiting each stage. While you don’t need to do everything before you move on to the next level, I found myself compelled to find and do everything I could. I ultimately wound up somewhat unintentionally 100%ing the game simply because I was having a good time. I should also note (since it's somewhat expected given the comparisons to Chibi-Robo) that Misc doesn’t have any sort of time limit mechanic, so you’re free to leisurely explore each area.
Levels are varied, and all have some narrative hook or gameplay mechanic that makes them unique. For example, one level had a strong focus on gardening and required things such as finding seeds to plant and cutting down weeds. Now and then a couple stages seemed a bit too large for their own good, but for the most part each one was excellently constructed. Each stage also has a hidden platforming challenge. These are separated from the main stage and present the hardest gameplay challenges Misc has to offer. They do, however, also draw out one of my few complaints, which is the handling of Buddy's jumps. His jump itself is extremely floaty making it hard to get used to. But the real issue is in telling where you’re going to land. When you jump a simple circular shadow is projected on the ground below you, but because Buddy emits a bit of light, the shadow fades out as you approach a surface. This makes lining up precise landings in some of the later challenges more awkward than likely intended.
What shocked me most about Misc was the direction it took its story. I’m not going to spoil anything here but what I expected to be straightforward and cozy, wound up being much more impactful and at times, dark. The story is handled excellently but be warned it may get a little heavier than you’re expecting. By the end I was deeply attached to the main cast and couldn’t put it down for the last few levels.
While I primarily played via a Switch 2, the Switch version of Misc performs fairly well. Textures take a moment to load on occasion and the dynamic resolution can take a dip now and then, but it is ultimately a solid version of the game. While there is no official Switch 2 patch for Misc at this point, the game benefits significantly from the inherent boost in horsepower. The pop-in seen on Switch 1 is entirely cleared up and the game now runs at a perfect 60 frames-per-second. Resolution also maxes out the dynamic resolution scale and winds up looking pretty good both docked and handheld. It would be neat to see a formal Switch 2 patch down the road but the Switch version avails itself quite well of the Switch 2’s power.
I thought I knew what I was getting into with Misc when it was pitched to me as a Chibi-Robo-like. In reality that deeply undersells what the game has to offer. The focus on shifting that design to something that more closely resembles a Mario 64-style 3D platformer is a match made in heaven. The constantly changing level variety and natural drive to 100% each area had me absolutely hooked. Now and then the platforming or level design would slow things down, but never enough to prevent me from pushing through to see what was next. Misc. A Tiny Tale is an easy early pick for my personal indie of the year lineup.
Topic: Misc. A Tiny Tale (Switch & Switch 2) Review (Read 42 times)
