Tin & Kuna, developed by Black River Studios and published by Aksys Games, is a colorful, chaotic platforming adventure puzzle game supposedly filled with fun and peril. The game is vibrant, eye-catching, and the visuals are well done. Black River Studios brings this game that allows players to pass time solving challenging, interactive puzzles.
The story revolves around two best friends, Tin and Kuna, who were minding their own business before coming across a mysterious orb. Unfortunately, this orb unleashed evil spirits into the world, disturbing the world’s balance and peace. The same orb overtook Kuna’s best friend as well. Kuna’s mission is to restore equilibrium to the world and save Tin from the evil spirits. After Kuna saves Tin from these evil spirits, you must capture them to regain balance. With about 40 levels offered, there is a lot for you to do and spend your time on.
Once you launch into the world of Tin & Kuna, you start off as this cute little creature named Kuna, who is able to turn himself into a ball, rolling and bouncing around the map. He also has the ability to dash and bash through blocks. As you progress through more difficult levels and collect power crystals, Kuna has the ability to gain new powers such as jumping higher, catching fire, and attaching himself to magnetic objects. You are also able to control his best friend, Tin, later on in the game, where he has similar abilities as Kuna. You must play the role of both of them throughout the game, restoring the imbalance that has occurred.
The main objective is to rebuild the orb they found and put back all the evil spirits that were released. Through various levels, which have different environments and puzzles, you must be able to figure out how to get through each one. Some levels may be more deceiving than others, and once you reach the end of a world, there will be a boss, increasing the difficulty overall. You can’t forget to find and collect your power crystals as well to help with powerups!
Visually speaking, Tin & Kuna contains amazing 3-D elements. The colors really pop, especially during the levels themselves. You can see how the seasons change and the environments change as you progress through the 40 levels offered. So much detail that there are even hit boxes for the tree stump and boulders on the ground.
As for the mechanics and gameplay itself, it will depend on the player’s mechanics and mental thinking. Considering that this game is offered on the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch, those who are seasoned players on these consoles may not have as much trouble with the mechanics. However, those who do not use these consoles frequently or have trouble with the controls may find this game more mechanically difficult than mentally difficult. The controls of this game are explained a little obscurely, especially at the first stage, leaving those who are not too familiar with problem solving and puzzles may be left more so confused.
While the controls may be difficult for beginners and a little obscure at first, the inputs and hitboxes are extremely accurate, to the point where if you slightly mispredict an object or yourself to a cliff, you will fall off if not done accurately. This leads to the point where the game is not as forgiving than others, which adds more to the challenging puzzle objectives themselves. The players must be able to accurately aim the character where they want or push the objects in a way where they won’t fail. Players who have a really good understanding of perception for 3-D games may find it easier than those who do not.
As for the mental fortitude for Tin & Kuna, those who are not familiar with puzzle games and want to take a stab at them may find this game more challenging than others, as there are many things you must do and there is a lot of deception along the way. Alongside with slightly obscure instructions, it takes a lot of time to figure out what to do and where to go. Not much is explained at the beginning levels, and the story doesn’t really progress until later on.
In my experience with the gameplay, I am not very mechanically good at 3-D platformers, especially on a console like Playstation 4, and I am also not the best at puzzle games. So this game was extremely difficult for me to get through without many freights of frustration and defeat. While it was extremely frustrating, it was also oddly addicting. It can be fun when I figure out the puzzles but sometimes it also cannot be fun since it is difficult mechanically and problem solving is not my strong trait.
Thus, the pros of this game would be that the character design and environment designs are visually pleasing and appealing to the audience. It being a puzzle-adventure game makes it fun, but frustrating. While the cons, it is more mechanically difficult than mentally difficult. The instructions are also not explained well, especially to those who are beginners; and there is a weak storyline in regards to Tin and Kuna’s adventure.
Do not let my opinions and experience discourage you from trying out this game. If you like these types of games, I would give it a try! While its puzzles may be frustrating, once you start you won’t be able to break your addiction and determination to pass!
Check Out the Tin & Kuna Trailer:
For more information, please visit: http://www.aksysgames.com/tinandkuna/
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I really love playing video games! Growing up, my dad introduced me to video games, the first being Street Fighter. I have always been surrounded by them growing up and even now. They really impacted my life allowing me to share this commonality with my friends and new ones. I play a wide array of games, mostly PC, but sometimes PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Some of my favorite games are Final Fantasy VII, League of Legends, Persona 5, and Stardew Valley. As of recent, I've been playing Fall Guys and Among Us as well!
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