Tinytopia

Set to release in September 2021, Tinytopia is a casual city-building, simulation, strategy game that might transport players all the way back to their childhood, since it focuses on building a small-scale toy city. Developed by MeNic Games, and published by Mastiff, Tinytopia has already received an award for “Best Kids and Family Game” at the Awesome Game Awards in Cordoba. With roughly there is still a lot to discover about the title, but the hype is already here.

Small City, Big Dreams

If you ever wondered what bringing your childhood toy blocks to life would look like, this game is for you, or at least an infant you might have at home. You are the newly elected mayor of Tinytopia, and you are tasked with taking empty terrains and developing a blooming, peaceful and colorful town for your tiny citizens to live in.

At the core of Tinytopia’s gameplay is a physics-based building mechanic, which is essential for players to master before they can stack, join and arrange their building blocks into small towns, or massive cities. The game might remind players of other building titles such as SimCity if SimCity had massive toy dinosaurs ravaging through its streets. Tinytopia also distinguishes itself by having twenty-four different levels that provide multiple challenges, like building structures in a seesaw-like terrain.

Not much is known about the game, but from the trailers, we can be sure that the levels and challenges provided will be unique and fun. On top of that, the game boasts over eighty discoverable blueprints, from which players can build, and combine to create Frankenstein structures. Aside from the straightforward city building mode, it seems like a challenge mode will be available for the more competitive players.

Expect the Unexpected

Tinytopia provides multiple absurd scenarios and playful mechanics that seem like fresh additions to the genre. The building is fun, of course, but anyone who has ever ruined a stack of Legos, a tower of cards, or any structure built by a friend can attest that destruction can feel equally - if not more fun. Outlandish scenarios like natural disasters, monster attacks, and alien invasion are all available for players whenever they get tired of playing the role of good mayor, and ready to become evil geniuses.

The gameplay seems fairly simple, and the visuals seem well-polished. This leaves Tinytopia’s greatest challenge behind the balancing block mechanic needed to master for city-building. Aside from that this is an unpretentious game that aims to just provide mindless fun, and serve as a creative outlet for everyone.

Summary

Tinytopia might look silly, or simple, but it seems on track to deliver exactly what is expected. Either by graciously building intricate cities through your imagination, or venting your frustration unleashing destructive forces upon your cities, it looks fun.

PROS:

• Casual/Laid Back Gaming
• Challenging and Creative Levels
• Kid & Family Friendly
• Destructive Capabilities

CONS:

• Limited Number of Structures
• Reliant on Updates for Longevity