If you ever decide to head out on an adventure, make sure that you have a buddy by your side. Misc. A Tiny Tale is a 3D platformer by indie game developer Tinyware Games. Released on Nintendo Switch, with an uncapped framerate allowing it to run silky smooth on Nintendo Switch 2, this title feels pulled straight out of the early-2000s era of gaming where 3D platformers were still the hot genre. However, while many games of that time period are a bit clunky to play nowadays, Misc. A Tiny Tale proves that the style of gameplay is still very timeless when done right.
At a glance, the first series that immediately comes to mind when looking at Misc. A Tiny Tale is Nintendo and Skip Ltd’s Chibi-Robo – and those comparisons are warranted. In Misc. you play as Buddy, a little silent robot who is travelling the world for the first time, helping locals and cleaning up the trash scattered everywhere. Players get a little brush to scrub gunk off the floor, a propellor in Buddy’s head that helps him glide across gaps, and can wear cute little costumes in every level – including a frog outfit. The comparisons are very warranted, but it is all fairly surface level.
While Chibi-Robo falls into the genre of ‘love-de-like’, an adventure game with a very over-the-top and quirky style to it, Misc. A Tiny Tale instead takes the basic gameplay of Chibi-Robo and converts it more into a sandbox 3D platformer à la Super Mario 64. Players travel through different worlds, each called chapters, and have to find a series of collectables to advance. Not every Gold Cog, this game’s sought-out McGuffin, is needed to advance. Neither is cleaning up all the trash and defeating every wind-up toy, but players who do go for 100% will get a neat behind the scenes gallery with concept art and developer notes. It’s an excellent reward.
There is no hub world in Misc. A Tiny Tale, a common trope of this genre. The game is very straight to the point with its level progression and a big reason for that is how important the tiny tale it is telling truly is. Most games of the genre are gameplay focused first, but Misc. A Tiny Tale wants to tell a story that tugs on the heartstrings and capture its audience’s attention. It’s a story about friendship, acceptance of others and yourself, going beyond the boundaries of your home, and not jumping to conclusions.
Misc. A Tiny Tale manages to tell this story magnificently through its presentation and cutscene direction, as well as a bit of narration to give a storybook-esque feeling. It would be a perfect title to give a young player, both as a game to play and a story to tell. The characters, from its main cast to its one-off NPCs, are all lovingly created and breathe life into the world with their personalities and designs. As do the levels these characters occupy, taking full advantage of Buddy and his friend Bag Boy’s tiny perspectives to turn everyday objects into a wonderland. An open ice cooler forms an ice-themed level. A kid’s sandbox acts as a literal desert. There is incredible theming here.
Just because Misc. would be great for youngsters doesn’t mean it is easy or simple, though. The story is just as important for adults to hear as it is for kids, and the gameplay challenges can be quite difficult at times. One of the recurring objectives to complete are these platforming challenges, created by the raccoon robot Gus. These can be quite difficult, asking players to have a strong understanding of Buddy’s moveset options from the long jump to the glide, as well as the limitations put the little guy when performing certain actions, like how carrying an object limits aerial movement options. The developers have done a masterful job of easing players into the gameplay mechanics with great level design, incrementally raising the difficulty to add challenge.
