Puzzle-solving games are a genre of video games I don’t typically tend to play. During the holiday season of 2023, a game caught my eye with cute animations and sentient tin soldiers. The game was called Tin Hearts; I bought the game not expecting too much except for a cute, fun time. As I played through this simple puzzle-solving game, I found I was having fun but also was surprised at the many interesting aspects this game had. At the same time, I also found some problems that could have been easily fixed. Overall, this game gave me a range of feelings I didn’t think I would be getting out of a game like this. It is flawed, but it is also quite decent in many ways.
In the Victorian Era, Inverter Albert J Butterworth was a well-known toy maker/inventor who lived happily with his wife and daughter. However, as the years of his life pass, tragedy strikes, leaving Albert more alone than ever and distancing himself from his daughter. Albert must regain his courage and set things right to heal the broken family that once was filled with love.
The Story of the game had much more emphasis on being as heartbreaking and emotionally profound as possible. The creators didn’t need to include Disney-like storytelling in a game where you just solve puzzles to get to the next area, but they did, and in many ways, it’s very appreciated. However, the downside is that the story is straightforward to figure out, and many plot elements, like a father busy with his work to pay attention to his family or a mother dying of an illness, are usually plot elements seen in many other media pieces. On the other hand, the pacing is excellent, even though the story is predictable. It's easy to tell the creators wanted to go above and beyond with this game’s storytelling, and it turned out to help them in the long run. It is very depressing at points as much as it is uplifting. It's nothing new, but the story did try harder than most other puzzle games I can think of.
The Gameplay is where this game truly shines. It's where many of the game’s strengths seem to come forward. At its core, it’s a puzzle game, which means the player will have to get several sentient tin soldiers through many areas of the house to reach the door to end the level and continue the rest of the game. There are 40+ levels in the entire game. To get to the end of the level, the player must use objects like triangle blocks to guide the soldiers to reach areas to activate things or get them safely to the end without killing them. Sometimes, the player can have the ability to control a particular aspect of the environment to help the soldiers reach the end, such as aiming cannons to hit objects or buttons. The player will also be able to stop, rewind, or fast forward time to see where the soldiers are heading and to plan the next move. Sometimes, the player can even take control of a lone tin soldier, which activates the ability to platform to areas any average tin soldier couldn’t get to, adding more variety to the game. Most puzzles are fun, and each gets more complex and challenging as the game progresses. Despite the challenge, all the puzzles were fair, and each had a lot of care put into them to make them satasfying when it finally makes sense how to move past them. However, As fun as the puzzles were to solve, some issues could have been improved. The controls for the platforming tin soldier can be very floaty and loose at times. Every time I tried to jump to the next area, I did not land correctly and died quite a few times. It should also be pointed out that the platforming sections can be hit-and-miss. Some areas for platforming feel well thought out, and some could have worked out much better. The gameplay is where this game does shine. Some things could have been better, but overall, it’s a decent experience.
The Graphics honestly depend on which version of the game you are playing. I played the Nintendo Switch version. While it did come with many bits of pleasing visual eye candy, many issues did take me out of the playing experiences at different moments of the game. Starting with the positives, the atmosphere the game sets for each chapter of the given levels is outstanding. The player will be stuck in the one location of the home where the father/inventor lives, but it is still nice that the visuals try to incorporate many different colors and props to make the place feel alive and nostalgic. The tin soldiers themselves are adorable, and while they are cheaply designed, I eventually did admire the animation of the human characters, even if they occasionally lack expression. The primary issue I had with the Nintendo Switch version is the constant graphical lag that the game presents; as many 3D models and areas occasionally break, I found myself with areas of a level loading and showing nothing but a blue area box. Sometimes, the game will crash independently, just with how much data it is trying to load. The 3D models of the humans also can look very weird at points and sometimes a little uncanny. Overall, I did enjoy the visual splendor despite the many setbacks. I’m still unsure if different console versions of the same game have better visuals. The Switch’s visuals are good enough, but I have seen many other Switch games with better graphics with little issues.
The Music is composed by Matthew Chastney. Chastney delivers a very mellow but also emotionally expressive soundtrack. Like the storytelling, it will tug at the gamer's heartstrings until it is ready to let go. While this music is not the most memorable, the many tracks in this game are very well composed and perfectly set the mood for what the game wants to accomplish. Although this is unrelated to the music, an issue I was annoyed at was the fact that the audio would sometimes glitch or crackle during the game. It occasionally took me out of the moment of a scene in the game’s story, and at points, I could not understand the dialogue cause the audio was either too low or completely cut out. Despite that, the music is very good, making playing through the levels seem calm and relaxing.
Tin Hearts is not a perfect game, but it is not bad either. Unfortunately, it suffers from graphical issues, floaty gameplay mechanics, and crackling audio. On the other hand, the story, while predictable, is a nice change of pace, and the core puzzle-solving gameplay mechanics are outstandingly well-realized. Plus, the music is very good and sets the scene's mood every time. It was a decent experience. I’m unsure if the problems I had with the Nintendo Switch version have been fixed for the other gaming consoles. Still, if you enjoy puzzle games, this game is a fun experience that will surprise you in some areas and will provide a nice escape to enjoy a game that is much calmer than most. Don’t expect me to put this with my favorite Nintendo Switch games of all time, but as far as small games go, it did exceed my expectations in many ways despite its issues.
(Final Grade: B-)