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0 Tin Hearts has been lovingly created by Rogue Sun, published by Wired Productions and will release soon on Steam for PC. In this 3D puzzler, players “Guide a troop of tin soldiers through a magical toy-filled world, in this immersive puzzle adventure game from members of the team that brought you Fable.”
Lionhead Studios?!
Yes, you did read that right. Rogue Sun is comprised of ex Lionhead Studios developers – the team who brought us the legendary Fable franchise. When Microsoft chose to shutdown Lionhead in 2016, it was a blow felt by all gamers, sparking controversy still talked about today. Seeing the developers back in action is fantastic, but this certainly adds a level of expectation to the title. Will Tin Hearts meet those expectations? Well, if Gamescom 2022 is anything to go by then yes, it does! Tin Hearts won the Gamescom Award for ‘Most Wanted Nintendo Switch Game’.
Gameplay
As I said, Tin Hearts is a 3D puzzler brought to us by the developers responsible for the legendary Fable franchise. Originally developed as a VR game, this title can now be played with a regular keyboard & mouse – but how will that work? Let’s take a look. [I’m playing the non-VR version of Tin Hearts].
Developed with VR in mind, Tin Hearts is played from the first-person viewpoint. Occasionally you’ll see 2 large ghostly hands on screen, as you’ve no doubt come to expect from virtual reality games. This was my only real quarrel with the game, as for me it broke the immersion a little. Luckily it’s something you can get used to, and even zone out after a little while.
Have you ever played Lemmings or Flockers? It’s essentially that but in VR, as the basic concept of the game is to guide little tin soldiers from point A to point B. Changing their path as they go, our soldiers can’t stop moving once they start. Surprisingly that’s not as stressful as it sounds, and I actually found this title to be incredibly relaxing and immersive. You’ll primarily use wooden blocks to alter the soldiers paths, and there’s a cool time control mechanic to allow you to rewind should you make a mistake, or fast forward if you’re feeling brave.
Levels are similar in that they’re all these charming little Victorian toy workshops, although each one differs from the previous. Levels are pretty linear, in that you can only achieve your main objective. There’s no ‘side quests’ or extra puzzles to solve (at least I didn’t find any). However you can move around and explore if you wish, which is pretty neat. By doing this you’re able to learn more about the games story – but don’t worry, I won’t spoil it.
Graphics & Audio
Playing on my usual PC; running a Ryzen 5 3600x, 32GB 3200MHz RAM and an RTX 3070 the game was incredibly smooth – as it should be! The actual requirements for this title are as follows; Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, Intel i5-4590 or equivalent, 4GB RAM, GeForce GTX 970 and 7GB available space.
The overall vibe of the game derives largely from it’s sound track. Gentle, relaxing background music and tones really set the mood, and helps immerse you in the game world. One of the workshops has an old video projector, something you’d expect to see in 1960s cinema. Hearing it flicker in the background really compliments the overall calming feel of the game world. I think the developers have tried to keep sounds to a minimum, as to not distract you or break your train of thought while figuring out puzzles. The audio works really well. Kudos, Rogue Sun.
In terms of visuals, graphics are simplistic and fairly low poly, with bright colours and a woody texture running throughout – you really do feel as though you’re in an old school toy shop! Everything is just visually pleasing and easy on the eyes, giving off this cosy vibe. Every single model has depth and texture, even the floor boards look interesting.
There’s no graphical glitches, screen tears or misaligned textures anywhere. Nothing looks out of place, just highly polished levels – seriously, the game is absolutely gorgeous. The vast experience of the dev team really shines through in every way.
Longevity
Tin Hearts is best described as a pick up and play, but you can easily lose track of time while playing. An hour in Tin Hearts goes by quickly, a reflection of the level of immersion the devs have achieved. It’s worth circling back to the fact that I’m playing the non-VR version, VR players may have a different experience.
With new levels in the pipeline, Tin Hearts already provides plenty of bang for your buck, with a promise of more to come.
Final Thoughts
Tin Hearts is really anyone’s game. Rogue Sun have taken the chaotic Lemmings style and flipped it on it’s head, creating a calm and relaxing experience. It’s a story-rich puzzle game with an insanely immersive feel. With the experience of Fable behind the dev team, it’s safe to say that Tin Hearts not only meets but exceeds all expectations. Rogue Sun have done a cracking job, and this one’s certainly worth adding to your library when it becomes available on Steam. I’m looking forward to playing this through again with my nephew!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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