Tiny Lands is a new isometric puzzle game by Hyper Three Studios that brings the classic find the difference concept to 3D with modern visuals and effects. We have seen tons of classic games coming back to life on modern consoles and PCs and it appears like Tiny Lands is also a similar title that takes a chance on a genre that has never seen a 3D game before. The game is built of the simple concept where you have to find and identify all of the differences between two pictures however this around, the pictures are fully developed scenes in 3D with brilliant visual effects and sound design. This is our review of Tiny Lands in which we find some differences in beautifully designed scenes.
While the concept of Tiny Lands may sound simple enough, it certainly comes with a unique twist. Each scene or level that you have in the game can be fully interacted with. You can rotate it around and zoom in and zoom out. Rotating and zooming works simultaneously on both screens of the game and you can easily find smaller differences by zooming in. Certain differences in the level are also behind your default view so you can only find them by rotating the levels around. This creates a more interactive session with each scene in the game allowing you a new take on the traditional find the differences puzzles.
However, the zoom always goes in towards the center of the map and you cannot zoom in on particular places of the scene. This does not always work because if the differences are on the sides of the map, zooming in only makes you zoom in on the center of the map. While this is not the best particular mechanic of the game, rotating works just fine and you can slightly adjust where the game zooms by rotating the map and sticking to specific zoomed-in levels instead of zooming all the way into the scene. But then again, most of the differences in the game are not that hard to find in the first place that you will need to keep yourself zoomed in all the time.
The gameplay of Tiny Lands is pretty basic. On the paper, you have to find differences between the two scenes that are displayed in front of you. Overall, there are 5 worlds with 10 scenes or levels in them for you to play. At the start, only one world is unlocked and as you continue to complete levels and earn stars, you can spend stars to unlock more worlds. Each world has a particular theme such as horror, beach, ice, farms, and more. Further levels revolve around the main theme and each level depicts a unique scene for you to explore. These scenes are highly-detailed and look really good complete with 3D effects such as rain, thunder, or snowing. Each level only has 5 differences so there is not much to look at here but some of the differences are really well-hidden in levels so you are in for a head scratch.
Another great element of Tiny Lands is its sound design. While every level is accompanied by a soothing soundtrack, each level also has live-specific audio. Whether the level is set at the beach, icy islands, or a medieval battle, each level has specific sound effects that really put you deep in the game. For example, if the scene depicts a battle scene, you will often hear the clattering of swords, sounds of soldiers marching, and more but the best bit is that these are not that repetitive as well. The gap and balance between these sound effects are just perfect which makes the sound design of the game so brilliant. It also ensures that your eardrums are not bombarded with the same sounds repeatedly that you would just bored and tired of listening to them.
Some levels really act as Zen moments, especially where there is water and rain involved. Such levels will have 3D effects of thunder, rain, or snow falling and these are then accompanied with light sounds of thunder, water rushing to land, or light rain which really soothes you. Ever since I got Tiny Lands review copy, I have been going back to the game again and again not because I still have levels to complete in the game but because it really helps me to relax after a day’s work. Hearing light rain falling down as you rotate peaceful scenes and finding differences in them really allows you to work your brain and let it relax at the same time. Not many games today offer this level of peace.
Final Verdict:
Video games these days have become extremely competitive and single-player video games are also pretty difficult and mostly involve pretty complex gameplay mechanics. In such times, when you just want to relax and play something that just soothes your mind and calm you down, not many options are available in the market. Luckily, Tiny Lands is here, and it brings it a simple gameplay design and a peaceful concept that gives you the peace and calm that you deserve after a tiring day. There is no rush here and the game gives you ample time to look at highly detailed scenes to find 5 simple differences and then move to the next level. The accompanying soundtrack adds to the game’s simplicity and minimal-scene-specific audio effects create a welcoming experience for gamers of all ages. If you are looking for a simple game to play after a tiring day or just want to relax looking at some amazing scenes and minimalistic gameplay mechanics, Tiny Lands will not disappoint you.
Final Score: 9.0/10
