Tinymetal: Full Metal Rumble | Nintendo Switch | Review

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​The world of strategy has been simmering away under the surface of the mainstream for a few years now. Long since the heyday of Westwood Studios, which ruled the real-time strategy genre with its Command & Conquer and Red Alert series, it’s been turn-based games which have been all the rage, thanks to the rise of Firaxis’ excellent XCOM revivals.

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​by James
Michael
​Parry

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@James_Parry

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Developer: Area 35
Publisher: Area 34
Platforms: Switch,
Steam
Players: 1 - 2

Between the two eras was nestled a little gem - Advanced Wars on Nintendo DS - and its from that franchise which Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble draws the most inspiration. Not just from the look and the two different viewpoints you’ll encounter (one for movement and one for battles), but even the units and its futuristic, Japanese parody of US military bravado.

There’s a lot to take in from the get go, especially for those who aren’t Advanced Wars acquainted, so initially games can feel slow to get going. After a couple of campaign missions - which attempt to trickle in elements at a slow pace, but seem to tutorialise them the mission after you really need them - things pick up as more diverse unit options are introduced to bolster your arsenal, but also the tactical range of your enemy.

Units themselves have some character, cheerily riling off their canned lines as they move and attack, with the most personality saved for the 16 hero units, who carry their progression between battles. The generals too each have their own colour scheme, but besides from a fairly straightforward superpower a piece, which might boost attack power and capture speed for a couple of turns, aren’t as exciting in their own right.

​​While there’s a cost for producing new units in the game, all take just a single turn to appear, leaving you to decide which factory to spring a tank (known as a Metal) from for maximum tactical advantage. Learning which units can attack which takes time, making the difficulty curve not exactly steep but bumpy, and it takes a while for games to feel satisfying as you’re rapidly surrounded in the early game.

Soon, such is your efficiency at producing and preserving units, either by merging wounded squads or healing them at a player-owned city or facility, you’ll quickly find the map overrun and units begin to block each other from moving around effectively, leading to a major risk of bottlenecks if you aren’t too careful.

While the game works well in docked mode, this title has more of a handheld feel, and the turn-based nature lends itself to pulling it out for a few stops on the bus or morning train commute. Matches themselves, even early in the campaign, can easily last over half an hour a piece as games run across 15 or 20 in-game days (or turns) before one team’s HQ is ultimately vanquished.

Tinymetal’s music is fairly unmemorable and doesn’t get across the sort of drama and excitement you might hope for, especially compared to some of those iconic Red Alert or XCOM tunes. It should be noted that we haven’t unlocked the additional tracks with in-game currency, however. Visually, it’s fairly straightforward, but certainly more stylised, exciting and accessible than the somewhat similar Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL.

Those looking to scratch a strategy itch won’t be disappointed here, with fun and games to be had for a budget-friendly asking price, but the repetition of the experience will start to grate for some before too long.

On top of the main campaign there’s Skirmish, where you battle AI using custom maps and settings, and also an online multiplayer component - but seemingly one too sparsely populated to find a game, even during peak hours.

In the end, Tinymetal: Full Metal Rumble on Switch is a fun little way to spend some portable gaming time, but doesn’t do too much to be exciting or bring a new twist to the genre or platform. There’s little to master, other than the patience for slow-moving and resource-limited units, but there’s still something endearing and easy to enjoy about the game.

Pros
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• Nice aesthetic brings the battlefield to life
• ​Isometric blocks hiding the fog of war present challenging sightlines
• A multitude of accents and quirks do enough to make units interesting

Cons

• Hero units aren’t the silver bullet they’re made out to be
• Repetition can set in quickly
• Online multiplayer is barren

7/10