How do you feel about Advance Wars? If your response is “yes, please” then you’re going to absolutely love Tiny Metal. If you found yourself cringing and backing away slowly, then this game is not for you.
Tiny Metal is being considered the ‘spiritual successor’ to Advance Wars, and this seems like a fairly accurate assessment. Its aim seems to be a return to turn-based Japanese style games, using classic elements and combat-heavy strategy to present this genre to a present-day audience.
The emphasis in Tiny Metal is combat, there’s no question. Waging war is the goal, and you’ll spend your time constructing buildings to create units, then send those units out to blow your opponent to smithereens… but with the UNREAL engine at its back and some ambitious gameplay mechanics to revitalize the concept for 2017.
You’ll build and control air and ground units, but find yourself emotionally engaged in the story at the same time. Described as a “war opera,” the narrative will ask players to think on a deeper level about the value of war and what exactly is worth a fight. Does this mean the game is waging a psychological war on the player? That’s for you to decide, but the game is smart—it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Alongside this, the game of course offers up plenty of special units for you to create and deploy—HERO units, which are specialized soldiers that deal more damage than your standard units. These upgraded unit types are unlocked via regular game progression, and you’ll carry over your upgrades between each mission.
For anyone who’s a fan of turn-based strategy, Tiny Metal is definitely a title to keep an eye out for—it shouldn’t be too long to wait, as it’ll arrive on Switch sometime this Fall 2017.
