We're not going to lie to each other, in the “Pikmin-like” category, there really is only… Pikmin…But that was before Tinykin arrived!And even if the latter offers a title with the same sound as that of Nintendo, it is not the clone for all that... Come on, it's time to shrink, we're going to tour the Tinykins house with you!Let's start with a bit of history about the team that developed the game. The first important detail is that it's a French studio, “Splashteam”!It is led by Romain Claude, a former Game Designer and Level Designer at Ubisoft.The studio is not at its "independent" first attempt.Indeed, we already owe him the title Splasher, a 2D platformer that we rather appreciated at the time of its release.But for Tinykin, the developers went even bigger, to reduce us to the size of an ant.This time, the environments to be explored will be in 3D, but the characters will remain in 2D...The main character, well let's talk about it!You will have to embody Milodane, a young man with purple hair straight from the future, who finds himself transported to a house of the 90s but reduced to the size of an insect... Thus reduced, our hero finds himself in the entrance to a huge house, where everyday objects have been arranged to create a real dwelling place suitable for insects.Very quickly, our character meets the wise and ingenious Ridmi (who is reminiscent of Maestro from Once Upon a Time, The Discoverers, etc.).This explains to us then that it is possible for Milodane to return home, subject to finding the 6 objects necessary for the manufacture of a mysterious machine whose plans were left there by Ardwin, an equally mysterious character in the divine aura throughout the household.The story begins in the entrance of the house for a short passage which acts as a tutorial, and allows us to meet our providential allies in our quest, the Tinykins.These are in colored cocoons (reminiscent of Gremlins eggs), which explode when our character passes over them and release a Tinykin having the color of the cocoon.The first one we meet is pink and turns out to be very sturdy, even more so when it operates with its comrades, which you will release as you progress through the level.The introduction of each Tinykin is also the subject of a small animated skit without words (but with amusing little sound effects), which makes a point of simply presenting the capacities of the new "colors" that we encounter.These are 5 in number and offer as many different techniques that will facilitate our quest, but we will talk about them later!Tinykin is, you will understand, a real "Pikmin-like".Just like Pikmin (the comparison is inevitable), it features a hero (a little scientific on the edges), who finds himself evolving in a gigantic world to find a way to return home.But where Pikmin takes the bet to make us evolve outside on an unknown planet, Tinykin offers us to evolve in a house of the 90s, and we must admit that these adventures inside are rather welcome!Our hero must progress in the 6 (and huge) rooms of the house.We start with the entrance, we continue with the living room, we continue with the greenhouse then... We leave you the surprise of discovering the other rooms!Know in any case that they all have an extremely well thought out level design.Books are stacked to form steps, rolls of toilet paper allow you to gain height... Scouring sponges form a small stream, a car circuit will be the playground for a real car race, cardboard boxes will beautiful houses in which matchboxes will play the role of tables.The appearance of the different levels really suggests what a child could have installed to evolve their toys.The playing field is enormous and the key word of our exploration is “freedom”;thus, you are free to visit the places as you wish (subject to having the number of Tinykins sufficient to pass certain obstacles).Each room visited will ask you to solve a main objective (usually it will be to recover a list of objects), which once completed will earn you a part necessary for the manufacture of the machine which must allow you to return your house.In addition to this main objective, you will also have to solve 2 to 3 other side quests, such as posting mail, proving to everyone that the monster in the cupboard is not really one, making popcorn or even bringing back the drawing of Jake to Rose.The interest of these side quests is to fill the Louvretro museum by collecting the objects obtained as a reward for these quests.It is also possible to collect Pollen for Sikaru, in order to obtain additional Bubbles and thus allow Milodane to hover longer in the air to reach distant places.Milodane is not devoid of powers!He can therefore move forward, wake up the Tinykins by touching their cocoons, but also use a Skate-Board-style soap to move faster, or even use the capacities of his suit to generate a bubble which allows him to float in the air.But unfortunately, Milodane's powers won't be enough to get through everything, especially since the bugger, although a fan of soap, inevitably dies if he stays in the water for too long!Fortunately, to progress, Milodane can count on the Tinykins… There are 5 varieties that have their own abilities.The pink will thus be very sturdy and able to move objects (heavier if they get together), then comes the red with an "explosive" temperament, and also the green which will allow you to gain height quickly. .We leave it to you to discover the possibilities offered by the last two colors (blue and yellow) by discovering the game!The Tinykin sequences to be made will always prove to be very ingenious, and we appreciate the fact of being able to evolve in the rooms according to our good will.You can move around easily in the levels, but with Tinykins it's even better.We have already said it several times, but how huge are these levels!For a bit, we would almost take ourselves for one of the Szalinski sons or one of the heroes of Toy Story.We also really appreciated the fact that, despite the gigantism of the places (and the freedom given in the actions to be carried out per room), the game does not suffer from any slowdown (we hardly noticed one or two during our games).The set is frankly pretty and above all, it is full of small details!Whether in the organization of objects, their roles (foam parties with disco ball, it's in the bathroom tub), but also the other characters we meet during our adventure.It's always about insects, starting with the ant and going through the dung beetle, or even the silverfish… Insects have obviously taken over in this world and in the era in which we have landed.Each NPC can provide you with a quest, or one or two lines of dialogue.But most of the time, they are hyper referenced!We can't help but smile when a certain Obel insists on the fact that he is "just a little coated", or even this Vincegaf who hums "how beautiful the sink is" in the bathroom... We did you talk about Shoumi, the circuit champion?Well, we'll stop there for the references, but they are really very numerous and are found even in the sets!What a pleasure to see VHS (BASF type) on which we can climb to gain a little height, or even the film jacket of one of the video cassettes in the living room which is reminiscent of that of ET the extraterrestrial .From this point of view, it's really flawless and we really appreciated these many references to the 90's (period during which the game takes place).In another order of ideas, the game does not hesitate to "make fun" of itself, referring to the fact that the characters are in 2D, in 3D settings.Moreover, in addition to the successful 3D, the 2D characters benefit from a design that is reminiscent of series like Hilda, or even Rick and Morty (but without the trashy side).Technically, the game is therefore a success with its very neat level design and its chara-design which immediately catches the eye.The 2D characters fit perfectly into the 3D settings, and the Tinykins have a good face and rather fun animations.If we really had to rant about anything, it's handling!Especially in the platform phases (a little annoying when it's a relatively central element of the game).We have often had difficulty evaluating certain jumps and finally found ourselves falling into the void... When we only wanted to jump from one plant leaf to another... These passages proved to be quite frustrating.Nevertheless, they were compensated by the way the game saves our progress.Indeed, after an unfortunate fall into the void, we resume our part in height, just before the jump which was fatal to us.A good opportunity to try the thing again, without having to go back to the top.It should be noted, however, that the developers have thought of including ropes to unlock to reach high areas more quickly.Another little annoying point is the lack of a map.As we indicated above, it is freedom that counts, so you will have to explore the rooms to collect pollen and solve quests... On the other hand, do not rely on a map to tell you where to go, or to which direction. zone direct you to reach such object.So we admit that at times, we didn't really know where to go… But the desire to explore allowed us to quickly get back on the “right path”.So even if the map is not there, its absence promotes exploration, and in the end it's not that disturbing, while remaining in the spirit intended by the title.You are free to hold a small map on paper to find your way around more easily.On a more positive note (and to make a small comparison with Pikmin), know that there is no day/night cycle in Tinykin… Your little friends are not likely to be devoured during the night, or during a fight against a boss (there are no such clashes in the story).Where the game is also quite strong is in its sound environment.We talked about the fun sound effects, but it's also good to mention the soundtrack that accompanies our adventures.Even if it manages to be forgotten, its rhythm and certain sounds change according to the zones crossed.It's very discreet, but this discretion is the prerogative of a successful soundtrack.We would also like to salute the fine work of the French studio Les Fées Spéciales, which signs all the cutscenes in 2D animation for the game.One thing is clear, and you have certainly understood it from reading these lines, despite these few flaws, we were truly seduced by this small (large) indie game and we enjoyed the good 8 hours it took to see the conclusion of our adventure... If that doesn't seem like much to you, know that you can add 1 to 2 more for collecting all the pollen in each of the rooms and completing all the secondary quests... Which in the end is turns out to be rather honest, compared to what is offered to us!Far be it from us to be chauvinistic, but a French production of this quality must be put forward.What's more, one of the other great strengths of the game is that despite the Pikmin inspiration, which we necessarily think of (at the start), the game continues to show us that it has its own identity!If you are waiting for the release of Pikmin 4, Tinykin is a very recommendable alternative.If, on the contrary, you have never tested or joined the Pikmins, Tinykin is an excellent gateway to the genre!Funny, accessible, full of small references and very pleasant to browse, the "little" French game from Splashteam is a title to have in your toy library.We hope this will mark the start of a new adventure, and we wouldn't be against a Tinykin 2!Space Rasta Language Translator.Illustrator in his spare time.=> https://instagram.com/djuborregan Tester.Search for a larger dimensional portal.Hello, I tested the demo, and I found the game really blurry, the characters, the objects very close to each other…). It is linked to the switch version or the other platforms have the same defect, or is it this only the demo version?!Please complete the form below to registerPlease enter your username or email to reset your Password