Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers

Blog Post: My Game of the Year (2012)

Paradigmthefallen — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 18:21:00 GMT

Before I start this review, I'll give you a little context. Back before GI would have even noted this game's existence, I was following it on ModDB. I've been a fan of this game and for so long that I am even included in the last Special Thanks part of the credits (I'm "Paradigm"). Now, on to the review.

Tiny & Big, is just a great game. The writing is genuinely funny (and not in "oh we're being ironic" or Joss Whedon-y sort of way), the game's performance is fantastic, and the controls are well optimized. The only reason someone might not like Tiny & Big is if they are easily frustrated or need a "Follow" icon on an NPC to lead them through a level in order to complete the game. Tiny & Big does not hold your hand, and like in the case of Dark Souls, it works perfectly.

This isn't to say the game is brutal, it's actually quite an easy going game. Challenges of traversing terrain can be accomplished in the way Black Pants intended, or you can be like me and constantly find alternative solutions that might skip past a puzzle and net you an achievement while you're at it. The game is definitely worth replaying as this game has nearly as many side quests as an RPG, except it lets you find them on your own. Maybe you'll venture through the dark passage and find a way to make it on the other side. Maybe you'll cut down all the pig statues and use their heads to climb up an incredible height. Or you could just repeatedly play the VR challenge rooms hidden throughout the game, testing your skills in inventive ways.

The amount of additional content is a great thing too, because otherwise this would be an incredibly short game. And although you'll probably beat the game's core story in one day, the rest of the collectibles, side missions, challenge rooms, and achievements will keep you busy. If you manage to even get all of those, there's a scoring system that pushes you to use incredibly few cuts and to avoid dying as much as possible. These will be compared to the top online score for the level, and give you something to try for if you just need one more excuse to go through the game's campaign. You can also select levels individually, in case you somehow find one section annoying or just wanted to show off a trick to a friend of yours.

And the soundtrack, oh the soundtrack is amazing. You have control over the music, but the only way to get more songs is to find track tapes in-game. You persistently gain more of them, and the game rarely changes them on you unless for atmosphere, in which case it usually rewards you with a new one to listen to.

The art and writing feel like they were taken straight from a Darkhorse Comics graphical novel, and the story is fittingly weird in the best way possible. This game isn't trying to be a quirky action/adventure story with some appropriate undertones that adults will appreciate. The game's dialogue however is written a bit more cynical than something from Zelda, so parents might want to keep that in mind. However, like Toy Story, it tries to keep the mature references as subtle as possible. Language is barely present, and at worst is "kick [his] ass". It should be noted that on a few occasions though, there is a translation or grammar error. Strangely though, it does work with the otheworldly vibe of the game.

The mechanics are also very easy to grasp, but hard to master. At first, cutting will feel a bit awkward, but as you make your way through the game, it becomes second nature, as does the grappling mechanic. The hardest one to use properly is the rocket, which sometimes is hard to handle (sometimes it'll got to max speed, sometimes it'll barely start at first). These mechanics are all also integrated into the the boss fights, making them a challenge of your response time and knowledge, not by expecting you to learn a series of scripted events.

Few games are willing to make every aspect of their product entertaining. Even less could do so for a bargain price and include one of the best soundtracks in existence. If I haven't made it clear enough, Tiny & Big is a fantastic game.

Blog Post: Grandpa's Leftovers: Definitely Worth Your Time

YepImAPersonWaving — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:15:00 GMT

posted a minute ago by Matt Paxton

After finally acquiring a computer powerful enough to run this game (I had a pretty old computer), I decided to finish what I started, and review Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers! This game is definitely not something you come across everyday.

Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers is presented to you by Black Pants Studio, a game company out of Kassel, Germany. Using a home-made physics engine, known as the Scape Engine, the six people at Black Pants Games created a wonderful combination of exploration and platforming.

Story:

The story is not a head-scratcher. You are Tiny, an inventor who travels around with his robot creation, The Radio. Underpants that were given to you by your grandpa (hence the title,Grandpa’s Leftovers), They were stolen by Big, and you have to get them back in order to redeem your family’s honor.

The exposition is not long or droning. Short dialogue between Tiny and The Radio will occur at the beginning of each level, and stays short and to the point. The dialogue between each of the characters is charming. Exchanges between Tiny and Big are never too dramatic or serious, with petty insults such as “nerd” or “loser” being thrown back and forth during confrontations.

Near the end of the game, there is a short backstory of the underpants that feels extremely dark and out of place with the rest of the game's tone. That being said, the way they tell the story is captivating. Instead of a flashback, the screen pans across murals on the walls. There is some commentary by Tiny and The Radio, but most of the reactions are left up to the player.

Level Design:

While the levels are not long, they are extremely large. Combined with the ability to manipulate almost any object, the level design gives off an aesthetic of wonder and exploration. There were many points in the game where a distant ledge caught my eye, and I spent the next 20 minutes stacking rubble in order to reach said ledge. Most of the time, my curiosity was rewarded with a new tape track or a boring stone (the stones are more exciting than they sound).

Boring stones are scattered throughout the levels and act as markers, so if you get lost, keep an eye out for glowing rocks.

There are only a few structures in the game, but the level you are able to explore them is incredible. While there are a few classes of objects (pillars, walls, floors), they vary in design, so most pieces feel unique and can make you believe the object was once part of a larger structure.

Exploration levels are broken up with fights between Tiny and Big. The way the fights are approached is exciting and unique. Big will use his pants magic to throw rocks, boulders, and other debris at you, and you have to cut them down and destroy the platforms he stands on. Cutting objects flying at you at high speeds is exciting, and gives the fights a fast and frantic pace.

However, this concept is used in every fight, and quickly becomes tiresome, even if the action is still at a fast-pace.

Overall, the game is pretty short. Most people should be able to complete this in around three hours. Getting 100% in the game is a different issue. There are tapes, stones, and arcade machines that are scattered throughout each level, and you’ll spend a bit of time trying to track them all down.

Also hidden in each level is an arcade machine. These wondrous devices take you to a shot mini-game that challenges your reflexes and mastery of your tools.

Mechanics:

You have three tools in your arsenal: The Rocket, The Grappler, and The Laser Cutter. All three will help
you push, pull, and cut rocks down.

The physics engine makes sense in most cases. Columns tip over, and stones roll (as well as play awesome rock music). Every so often, a piece of rubble will move erratically after a cut, especially when it comes to large objects. For most cases, objects will move how you expect.

The ability to manipulate almost any object gives you multiple ways to solve the games puzzles. However, most of the time you will find yourself moving pillars over gaps, or cutting a wall in half to ascend it.

Cutting down giant walls and buildings gives the player a powerful feeling, and it is euphoric to watch mighty structures crumble before your laser (just as long as the building does not accidentally fall on you).

The ability to solve puzzle multiple ways is one of the biggest highlights of Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers. Stacking platforms and building ramps are just a few of the things you can do to progress in the game. “Oh, I guess that works, too” was a commonly uttered phrase in this game. Unfortunately, some puzzles can only be solved one way. If you mess up, you’ll have to kill yourself since the game does not have an “undo” button for your actions.

Controls:

Controls are incredibly easy to learn and master. Your mouse button and arrow keys will be doing all of the heavy lifting. If mouse and keyboard aren’t your style, Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers supports several types of controllers, including Xbox 360 and Logitech controllers.

Running and jumping is a bit floaty, which comes back to bite you in times where precise platforming is needed, which thankfully, is not too often.

The biggest gripe I have is how little control you have on the camera. The camera can be moved in all directions, but it cannot zoom in or out manually. The camera will zoom depending on your relative position from rubble. This is good for when you are ducking under large rocks, but when trying to move around various objects, the camera can frantically zoom around, leading you to fall off of the nearest cliff.

Let’s Wrap this Up:

The game has a few hiccups here and there, mostly from the controls and camera work, but Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers is definitely worth your time. There are two prices to choose from when purchasing this game. The $9.99 version gets you the game, but the $14.99 version nabs you the game, plus the soundtrack to play wherever you go. I got more than my money’s worth with this soundtrack, so I definitely recommend the $14.99 soundtrack package.

The game was a bit short for my taste, but that should not be a deal breaker for anyone on the fence about purchasing this game. Just like the many possibilities in solving the game’s puzzles, I look foreword to the many possibilities the game mechanics in Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftoverscan be used in future games.

Blog Post: Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers Review: I Love these Scraps

bombstopper — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 02:22:00 GMT

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If the name doesn’t sell it to you enough, Tiny & Big is a fun quirky indie game from the developers Black Pants Game Studios (their first release) about two brothers and their fight over.. well.. pants. You play as Tiny and follow his meager quest to recover what is rightfully his, his grandpa’s underpants. Now the story is not what you should be buying this game for, this is no Bioware outing after all, but the gameplay is a solid physics based platformer that uses three simple mechanics. Cut. Pull. Push. That alongside with your jumping capabilities is all you will have to progress through the level. It is presented playfully and performs efficiently as level by level the puzzles don’t pose too much once you get your bearings.

The biggest complaint out of any is really that there is a limited amount of supplies you have to complete your puzzle (namely the environment you are cutting, pulling, pushing around) and the only way to regenerate said necessities is to kill yourself by jumping off a ledge or squishing yourself with a rock. But even then this game has a fantastically fast reload and generous checkpoints that even the most frustrating parts of the game weren’t “rage quitting” over. I also want to stress that this is indie, i.e. not a big budget AAA title and therefore, yes there isn’t necessarily as much polish as one would like with this game (mostly the jerky sensitive character movement) but one of the huge benefits that this market is lacking with those “high up there 1 million+ sales big boys” is charm (and cost since we’re college kids).

So what do I mean by charm? In the case of this game I’m going to say the art, the soundtrack, the dialogue. All of which to die for but the artistic direction is something that is like a rogue comic book meets cell-shading. It is something I have never seen in a game and something that could only be presented by a small team (no PR is going to allow this!). The soundtrack on the other hand is a handful of small very very obscure artists that don’t necessarily add anything to the emotional drama that is the plotline, but are fun to scour each level for (to unlock more!) and to listen to as you work through each puzzle. Also if you feel like paying an extra five dollars you get the entire soundtrack through steam when purchasing the game. Now the dialogue isn’t anything out of a Woody Allen film, but it certainly is something that is light hearted and fun to read along too, as well as being something that keeps the ball rolling from level to level. This isn’t valve quality comedy, but it’s close enough for a grin or two. T

iny & Big never promises the world in its delivery, but I find myself head over heels for this short little adventure, something that easily ties over part of a weekend that doesn’t require too much time or commitment to enjoy and process. It is built as a pick up and play control-schemed game, and that’s just what I intend to do (and listen to the funky beats).

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbF19tcni8Q]

Wiki: Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers Guides

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:11:00 GMT

Guides for Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers

Blog Post: Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers Review – A Light-hearted Puzzle Romp

Adam Biessener — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:25:00 GMT

Games don’t get much indie-er than this rock-slicing puzzle platformer. The unique aesthetic and tone of Tiny & Big is charming and confusing enough to make the absurdity of a familial fight over magic underpants make a twisted kind of sense. Occasional technical problems and a few less-than-stellar puzzle designs are easy to overlook in the face of the zany energy that carries you through the breezy fun of Tiny & Big’s four-hour adventure.[Excerpt]

Besides jumping, Tiny has three tools that let him interact with the environment in his quest to wrest the magic underpants from Big’s oversized head. Rockets let you push objects and the grapple lets you pull them, but by far the most used tool is the laser cutter. This powerful item slices nearly any object in the game along a neat plane. Walls, boulders, ancient gates, and statues are butter before the player’s almighty knife.

Tiny & Big lacks the creative drive of Minecraft, but it scratches the same sandbox itch; tearing everything between you and your goals down has a pleasure all its own. An impassable block 10 times your height becomes a smooth ramp with a single cut. The telekinetically thrown boulder coming at your head splits in half and crashes safely around you with a brief flick of the mouse. Crumbling supports become a stairway up the interior of a decrepit temple. Your power over the game world is immense.

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The puzzle design itself is almost exclusively simple and straightforward. Once you have a handle on a few common applications of your tools – particularly creating ramps and bridging gaps – the obstacles don’t become brain teasers so much as light exercise on the way to the next glorious sand castle to kick over. Light narrative interstitials serve a similar purpose, breaking up the cutting with amusing animations and cartoony squawks.

One-off sequences where Big flings boulders at you while you’re navigating broken terrain or cutting the supports out from under him are fine distractions, but they’re repeated far too often in the second half of the game. The entire final boss fight is a lame rehash of the same mechanics you’ve conquered several times. A little more creativity in these encounters could have gone a long way.

Tiny & Big is short; most gamers should finish in under five hours. It’s not terribly taxing of your brain or fingers, as the puzzles aren’t tough to figure out and action segments have generous checkpoints. It is, however, an excellent way to fill an afternoon or two with a playfully absurd story and godlike power over a heavily physics-modeled world. Heck, I’d consider paying the $10-15 asking price just for the exceptional, eclectic soundtrack. My fingers are crossed for this to do well enough that Black Pants studio can stay in business and keep making more episodes for years to come.

File: Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers Screenshots

Adam Biessener — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:22:00 GMT