Tiny Metal Reviews
AREA 35's first UNITES title is a solid effort. Despite its simplistic looks is a game that demands a good amount of planning and strategy. Tiny Metal will definitely be familiar to Nintendo fans who are still looking for their next Advance Wars fix. While gamers new to the genre will find that Tiny Metal is a nice diversion for all those AAA games that haven't lived up to the hype. To still a phase from the old 16-bit console wars, AREA 35 does what Nintendont.
Tiny Metal doesn't copy the Advance Wars formula — it improves it.
It's Advance Wars for a new generation as Japanese anime characters collide with adorable 3D units for turn-based combat.
Tiny Metal is an admirable return to the traditional turn-based strategy genre. There's enough of a challenge both in the campaign and skirmish mode to keep players happy for a good while, but the lack of any sort of multiplayer at launch hurts its overall score.
Tiny Metal has the core mechanics nailed down brilliantly, even if it has cribbed much of its structure from the famous Advance Wars franchise.
Strong, indie response for Advance Wars from GBA. Quite simple, but unbelievable engaging turn-based strategy with an interesting graphics.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Tiny Metal brings accessible turn-based military strategy back into the spotlight
Underneath a forgettable campaign and unimpressive AI, Tiny Metal houses the seed of a really deep and entertaining multiplayer wargame. But until a head-to-head mode is added, it's not much more than a set of unchallenging training scenarios broken up by far too much overwrought dialogue. I had plenty of fun with it, but didn't get the kind of edge-of-my-seat decision-making moments that turned the tide of a difficult battle I could find in similar games. I'd recommend delaying your enlistment until all the pieces are in place.
No, Tiny Metal is no substitute for Advance Wars. It does a lot of cool things, and it absolutely satisfies the same craving. But as much as I loved it at times, I hated it at others. It allows for pure turn-based strategy bliss, but there's a lot of garbage to sift through in order to get to it.
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.
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 tries to pursue the long lost heritage of the Famicom Wars series... maybe too much ? Every good idea the game delivers is always counterbalanced by several bad ones : the dialogs are nice too watch but way too long for the genre, the missions are solids, but the Fog War is fustrating as it is, and the strategy is sometimes hard to fiollow with such a poor IA. Only those who choose to forbid Tiny Metal will enjoy its strong content.
Review in French | Read full review
Tiny Metal is a great attempt at reviving the Advance Wars style of approachable military strategy for modern audiences, but while it certainly looks and behaves the part, the poorly balanced campaign and uninspired narrative only serve to emphasise just how special those classic games were.
Overall, Tiny Metal is a very promising, and likely the best, attempt at replicating the successful Advance Wars formula that fans have been looking for. Although multiplayer has yet to be added to the game, and there are some minor performance issues, each of these can be taken care of with a few patches. This puts the game in a position to be great after a bit more work has been done to it, or to make an easily improved sequel.
This might not be the Advance Wars that most fans want, but it is a solid strategy game offering a decent amount of options and depth in combat.
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.
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.
Tiny Metal is a love letter to turn-based strategy games of the past, offering a similar experience which doesn't overstay its welcome. Sadly, the game by Area 35 doesn't even try to move away from its main influence, the Advance Wars series, resulting in a game that doesn't feel particularly daring or innovative. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had, especially in Skirmish Mode, where all of the game's subsystems and mechanics get the chance to shine.
This charming strategy game offers some cheap thrills, but the battles grow old quickly thanks to a lack of depth
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.