Tiny Metal Reviews
What Tiny Metal, as a clone of Advance Wars, does unfortunately abstract things too far, to the point where there's no real strategic depth left. It's decent fun and there's certainly a lot to it, and that multiplayer mode, when it comes, will be a good time waster with a couple of beers on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but as a tactics or strategy game it's all too limited for its own good.
Overall, it's a game that feels explicitly made for fans of a very specific series in a very specific genre. If you don't like Advance Wars, you almost certainly won't like this. If you like Advance Wars and come into Tiny Metal with slightly measured expectations, you will find a good strategy RPG that borrows unashamedly yet reverently.
Tiny Metal is a great homage to the Advance Wars series that is going to seriously scratch that itch for fans of Nintendo's strategy series. Its colorful look, fun gameplay mechanics, good unit variety and a solid amount of content to enjoy will keep you busy for several hours, making this a must-buy for fans of the strategy genre. Area35 did a great job with this game, and I'm very glad this one made it to the Nintendo Switch.
It's Advance Wars for a new generation as Japanese anime characters collide with adorable 3D units for turn-based combat.
The various maps during the campaign, the well written story, and the pace of gameplay (outside of story elements) makes Tiny Metal a great addition to the Switch library of games. Tiny Metal gets a solid 3.5 out of 5. The price point may be a little high at $24.99, especially without multiplayer available, but for fans of this genre, Tiny Metal makes for a wonderful experience.
It seems like with the release of the Multiplayer patch Tiny Metal is finally meeting its potential, though to be clear the support isn’t terribly robust by any means. The core gameplay is certainly there, and should please strategy fans, but the Campaign’s story isn’t terribly interesting and the computer AI won’t likely impress strategy veterans. Assuming you’re able to coordinate with someone online to set up a lobby and match up the multiplayer patch should make for a great additional feature, but if you’re just looking for a random match-up keep in mind your enjoyment will be subject to some luck both in terms of finding a match and it being satisfying.
Tiny Metal hits most of the high notes nostalgic fans of Advance Wars are looking for. The lack of multiplayer and a few other missteps hold the game back, but turn-based strategy fans will enjoy the campaign scenarios. Beyond that, it fails to innovate on a well-worn path.
Tiny Metal has clearly taken a lot more than inspiration from the Advance Wars series, although they have thrown in a few new mechanics and a decent length single player which helps make this game it's own. The story is engaging, exciting and compelling and will have you intrigued all the way to the end with each battle different to the last due to the reveal of new units and mechanics along the way.
A decent game overall. Nice unit diversity, but really poor AI. I would definitely recommend waiting until the multiplayer component of the game is released before buying.
A lack of multiplayer at release detracts from how brilliant (and essential) Tiny Metal could have been, but it's the next best thing to Advance Wars that's currently available on the Nintendo Switch. Fans of that and/or turn-based strategy games will find something worthwhile here, despite that not so tiny price.