Developer: Mimimi Productions
Publisher: Unity Games
Platforms: PC, Linux, Mac, Consoles
Release Date: Summer 2014
The Last Tinker: City of Colors – Preview
Tinkerworld is, as the title suggests, an artistic city of colors where anything is crafted from basic materials such as color, paper and glue. Without the paint that is produced in the city, life would be bleach for the inhabitants of Tinkerworld. Everyone has his favorite shade but bleachness is looming over the city as fortitude has turned to sadness, curiosity to fear and strength to anger. Color districts are tearing up the once peaceful city as hatred engulfs the people. Every district now lives in fear except one district, where all colors are still accepted. In this very same district lives a special boy, called Koru who has very special talents.
The Last Tinker: City of Colors is a 3D platform based adventure game currently still in development by the German based game development studio Mimimi Productions. Koru will start a chain of events that will ultimately destroy the city, leaving it in complete bleachness and it is your task to help young Koru and his friend Tap to save Tinkerworld from devastation.
At its core the game feels and plays like an actual platform game but it is nothing like the classic Mario or other platform games you may be used to. Actions such as jumping over tiny platforms or climbing on vines are fully automated by holding the spacebar while running, which is similar to the mechanics used in Assassin’s Creed. The fighting and dodging action is up to the player so luckily not all is automated. If you find yourself plunging to your death, you will respawn at the latest Tinker Seed you passed. These Seeds act as checkpoints and can be found throughout the entire game. While there are quests to be finished that have a direct connection to the story itself, you can run freely in Tinkerworld if you desire to meet more of these charming creatures that roam the planet. Those who have no desire whatsoever to explore the handcrafted land can make use of Tap, Koru’s adorable mitten friend, who will assist you and leave a trail of colorful papers for you to follow. The puzzles that are implemented in the game are not your average puzzles but will require your attention and planning to succeed. Most of these are so logical that you will barely die but if you find yourself dying far too many times, you can always switch to an easier mode and back. If you prefer to take risks, there is also an Instant Death mode.
Koru seems to be the typical good-doer boy who sometimes fails at his attempts to help those in need but there are plenty of humans to praise him for his help. One of his friends seemed to enjoy the Wizard costume Koru had made for him and with that came a reference to Lord of the Rings. Whether there are more references to books and or movies is unsure but you will need to play the game to find out.
While the preview build of the game stopped quite early, it felt finished from top to bottom with no bugs that have to be squashed. In fact, the game was so polished that it is fully controller compatible with the Xbox 360 controller. The controls work like most platform based adventure games where you use the left stick to move around with your character and the right stick to move your camera view. A feature that lacks in many other games is easy switching from the controller to the keyboard and back but in The Last Tinker moving your mouse for half an inch is enough to activate the keyboard.
While the game is nowhere near realistic due to the wonderfully handcrafted paper mache world, details are not being left out. Speaking to a character will not yield much other than some unclear mumbling words but everything is translated to a more understandable language via the use of cutout cardboard bubbles. Standing behind these cardboards will reveal an empty cardboard and the sides are remarkably detailed. This way it feels like you are looking at an actual physical item made of the basic materials. Those who are red-green color-blind will still be able to enjoy the bright, vibrant colors of Tinkerworld thanks to the special mode.
Conclusion
While the game is not for everyone due to the vibrant graphics, you will get used to it as you further advance into the game and focus more on the gameplay and the storyline, rather than the vicious attack on your eyes. After all, it is the storyline that makes The Last Tinker such a great game as it refers to down-to-earth subjects such as differences between races and bullies that try to get in your way.
The Last Tinker: City of Colors will be available in the summer of 2014 on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam.
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