Tiny Lands, from Hyper Three Studio, is a beautiful, zen-like puzzle game. I couldn’t wait to play this little indie title, but it only took a couple of evenings to finish. While there are only five objects to find in each puzzle, the complexity of the scene increases and it is a frequent occurrence to get stuck.
And that’s part of the appeal with such a chill game, as you don’t want it to be over. It’s such a gorgeous-looking game that while admiring the mise-en-scène (oooh, classy), an achievement popped up for daydreaming.
One diorama after the next, you explore a scene with some slight nuances, be it a lit fire, leaves floating in the winds, or a splash of lightning illuminating the shadows. A game to chill to? Yes, but there’s a slight competitive element to it.
Tiny Lands Review
Tiny Lands operates the same way as old-school ‘spot the ball’ puzzles. You’re presented with two 3D images that are supposedly identical, but there are five, often subtle differences, ranging from size, colour, and positioning.
Though you needn’t feel rushed, a couple of achievements encourage finding all objects in 15 seconds or getting 50 perfect finds in a row, making only ten mistakes. It’s doable, as I got the 100% completion after six hours of play.
Five objects per scene doesn’t seem like much, but as stated, the complexity increases and you really will be stumped by some of them such as the levels with multiple fish, or a Japanese dining scene. Yes, sometimes it’s frustrating, but it’s mostly bliss the first few times you play.
Parallel Worlds
There are no hints in Tiny Lands, and this works in its favour. When you return to a stage, you will have to find the objects again. It’s family-friendly, too. Not only are the themes safe, but the controls are also easy for most users. You use the mouse to highlight objects, and with A and D, rotate the scene, while W and S zoom in and out. Note that the zoom feature focuses on the centre of the screen only.
There are five worlds in all: the forest you begin with, a snow stage, a Japanese theme, a graveyard and a nautical location. You can tackle these in any order you choose, provided you have enough stars to unlock, the stars represented by the number of objects you have located.
In total, there are 50 levels to run through. Before you wonder about longevity, let me tell you that even after repeat plays, I forgot the object locations (could have been the whisky), so it’s possible you can replay anew almost. Tiny Lands is worth a revisit further down the line, regardless.
Tiny Lands Review Summary
Tiny Lands is often bliss. It’s a well-structured sandpit offering a decent challenge and some zen-like scenes to chill to at the same time. It would be great if it gets DLC down the line, but as it stands, more than enough replay for even those with a Rainman-like memory. Ask your folks.
