Sometimes, it’s the little adventures that feel the most meaningful. Nintendo has shown us this with their Pikmin and Chibi-Robo games. These titles set a high bar for environmental storytelling when it comes to playing small characters, so Misc. A Tiny Tale has a lot to live up to.
Funded by the Australian government, it’s hard not to notice that Misc. A Tiny Tale has socially progressive themes, most notably its light commentary on preserving the environment. Beyond that, the developer aims to create a quirky 3D platformer collect-a-thon that draws inspiration from Nintendo. Is simply paying homage to Nintendo and environmentalism enough? Or is there a significant game beneath the surface? Find out in this review of Misc. A Tiny Tale!
Misc. A Tiny Tale
Developer: Tinyware Games
Publisher: Tinyware Games
Platforms: Windows PC (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch
Release Date: July 22, 2025
Price: $19.99
As the little spring robot Buddy, players will set out on an adventure with their friend Bag Boy after a mysterious explosion sends golden cogs all across the world (or at least their small piece of it). Along the way, Buddy will rely on the help of the colorful characters that live in this world, as well as his own wits and tenacity.
Buddy’s progress is measured by the “difference” he makes on his adventure. Whenever Buddy picks up trash or helps a friend, the game tracks that with a score in the corner. Players are incentivized to do the most good they can, but levels are designed so you don’t need to do everything.
In this way, Misc. follows the classic platformer formula of being “easy to beat, difficult to complete”. This works perfectly for an all-ages game because less experienced players can still beat the game, while more experienced players can get lost trying to find every single cog and complete every challenge.
The world is big, and all of us feel small sometimes. Buddy being such a little guy really drives the point home that while we can’t do everything alone, we can still make a difference in our immediate surroundings. I feel like it’s important to remember that sometimes, we’re not just passive observers, but actualized people who can do good. Maybe that’s what the developers are trying to tell us with Buddy’s story, or maybe I’m just being sentimental.
The scale of Buddy’s adventure gets bigger through each level. What starts as a journey of discovery and adventure, quickly becomes deeper once we meet the mad scientist Atom who may have something to do with the explosion which scattered the golden cogs. Misc. keeps things lighthearted with a simple narrative to follow, and storybook style narration that feels like a children’s show.
I wouldn’t come into this game expecting any great depth or profundity, but to be honest a platformer doesn’t need a convoluted story to be good. In fact, sometimes capturing that childlike whimsy works best.
Levels follow a formula of exploring and talking to new friends. Golden Cogs are found via a combination of helping others by completing quests, and good old fashioned exploration. Quests are relatively straightforward and usually involve finding a specific item, rather it’s the cogs hidden around the map that can be the trickiest.
The level design gave me a sort of whiplash. On one hand, the levels are colorful, thematic, and just fun to explore. On the other hand, there’s inconsistent invisible walls where in some parts you can do some crazy jumps but on the other hand you can get completely blocked and you won’t know until you try. There’s also sections where you can cheese the terrain to stand and jump from unintended locations. These instances really break my immersion and just feel kind of unpolished.
There’s some other annoyances as well when it comes to the gameplay. Buddy’s sprint mechanic feels more like an annoyance than a convenience. His stamina drains fast and frustrates me to the point I’d almost rather there was no option to sprint at all. I feel like it doesn’t add enough depth to warrant the hassle.
Similarly, picking up trash and cleaning up interrupts the flow of gameplay. It’s a neat mechanic, and maybe the intention was for it to actually feel like “work”, but I can’t help but think cleaning up oil spills should be just a teensy bit faster.
Lastly, Buddy’s jumping feels incredibly floaty. He carries a lot of momentum in the air and similarly loses his momentum when turning on the ground. This creates situations where your speed fluctuates in a way that messes with the parkour feeling platformers typically have.
It’s worth mentioning that while I have some complaints, there’s a lot Misc. does well. The characters are endearing and whimsical, ranging from typical little villagers that look like Buddy, to mosquitos made of toothpaste tubes. Tinyware doesn’t just phone in their character designs, there’s all sorts of cool characters who are made of cobbled together junk in creative shapes.
There’s platforming challenges which make up a nice break from the tedium of exploration (especially when you’re at 9/10 cogs and just can’t find that last one, you’ll definitely want to take a break). Once I got used to Buddy’s movement, I can’t say that it felt precise to jump around, but I will say that I had fun.
Ultimately, I feel like Misc. will largely appeal to players who like cozy and colorful stories, meanwhile platformer fans will probably only get an afternoon’s enjoyment out of it.
Misc. A Tiny Tale was reviewed on Windows PC using a code provided by Tinyware Games. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Misc. A Tiny Tale is now available for Windows PC (via STEAM) and Nintendo Switch.
