All characters are based on something. That can be a fragment of an idea, or fully representing a known species, or created from a made-up creature. The little nameless, long-tailed monkey who inhabits Tamarin is based on the tamarin mammals. These are not to be confused with the tamarind fruit that is used for flavour in curries and other dishes. There are dozens of tamarin types, all with four paws and a tail, who spend their day foraging and avoiding being eaten. Some have crazy style manes, and a lot are in the neutral colours of black, white and grey, with browns and oranges also featuring. Likewise the little fellow whose home is initially destroyed and is hunted down by armed insects must evade capture frequently, and solve puzzles to help free animal friends and reunite with its own kind.
The tone of Tamarin is absolutely set from the start. Life starts out blissful for the young boy, but the serenity doesn’t last long. His home, and his presumed family and friends, are scattered thanks to being obliterated in an immense fire, leaving him alone in the world. Early on he encounters a few kind characters who pop up when least expected, and it’s his duty to rescue bluebirds wherever he sees them. Unfortunately these birds can die too – there is a death count tally close to the live tally, which feels morbid considering the objective is about saving creatures, and seeing them die is disheartening. The few friends are sorely needed in a constantly hostile environment, and seeing them every now and then was a reminder of the hope that one day the invading forces will get vanquished. That moment is far away in both distance and time.
The initial tutorial shows the tamarin’s previous life, and then the tale of how he comes to be on his own. His large expressive eyes are anime style, making the need to nurture and protect him form straight away. His rounded features amplify the cute aesthetic but are not perfect. The fuzzy look to his fur can be disconcerting if stared at for too long. Since the point of view is third person, those fur strands become a bother and a constant eyesore. The way the fur changes when wet is a positive aspect, but the camera issues lead to more annoyance with both character and environmental design. This becomes prominent when new moves are gained, enabling wider distances to be covered. The awkward camera action leads to failed moves, which is an issue when near enemies or not in an open space. Platformers understandably require practice and sometimes near perfection, yet if the camera had greater sensitivity there would be less frustration in moving around.
Considering it is a PlayStation 4 game, it isn’t complimentary that the constant feel of the design is reminiscent to some early Tomb Raider titles. There is a medium quantity of detail, but the camera controls turn those into a constant source of avoidable frustration. There is a personal perspective triggered by a shoulder button where the camera can be twirled around 360 degrees. In theory this is a useful feature especially when looking for where treasure is placed or figuring out where enemies hide. Activating this camera view doesn’t pause gameplay, so any time a shot is fired at the protagonist, the camera view returns to normal upon being hit.
On reflection this is perhaps realistic of live combat, but it would have been nice to have more time to leisurely use the viewpoint to find enemies’ hiding spots or spot where birds are nesting. This perspective feature suffers from the next observation too. When stationary or moving the way the camera bobs around can induce motion sickness. Simple camera sensitivity options are in the setting but they don’t always seem to affect the issue. Putting up with the nausea will be the main option for those who want to see how the story ends.
Aside from visual issues, Tamarin has occasional ‘what on earth’ moments. For example, straight after the traumatising prologue, the adorable furball learns how to move, and then an uzi appears. The random weapon choice requires suspending belief of how it makes sense. Surely a more natural style weapon like a catapult or a rudimentary gun using seed or stone bullets fits the theme better than an uzi? The disconnection increases each time the weapon upgrades or an enemy dies because on death ammo physically pops out on screen, rather than automatically being added to the bullet count. This is convenient as bullets run out fast when multiple targets are attacking the innocent tamarin, and the random treasure stashes aren’t as plentiful as combatants are.
When not taking down persistent insects whose corpses can be kicked around the terrain post-death there are big puzzles to solve. Throughout the tale multiple locations have literal gates on the doors, but they are suitably made inaccessible by requiring a set amount of gems plus nearby enemies eliminated. The puzzle area can be wide ranging and require more than one area to be explored. This makes progress fairly linear, but needing to explore so many sections at varying levels mimics an open world sensation. The music score is memorable and also blends into the background, making working through each area enjoyable despite various frustrations.
