DEVELOPER: Area 35
PUBLISHER: UNTIES (Sony Music Entertainment Japan)
PLATFORMS: PS4, SWITCH, & PC
RELEASE DATES: Dec. 21st All Platforms, Jan. 3rd NA-PSN. (There was a delay for the NA-PSN Release)
LANGUAGES: Japanese Audio Only. English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German Subtitles + UI.
GAME LENGTH: 15~20+ Hours
PRICE: $24.99 USD, £19.99, 24,99€, ¥ 2480
GAME SIZE: 434.77 MB (PSN), ~1GB (Steam), 1.1 GB (Switch)
REVIEWS: Opencritic 72, Highest Review 9/10, Lowest Review 5/10.
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Overview
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About:
"TINY METAL is a turn-based strategy game. The player builds up his force consisting of several units and completes the mission on isometric grids. Each unit has it's own speed which determines the order of movement. The game ends when the player meets their primary objective criteria like "destroy all opposing forces" or "capture enemy headquarters" or fails when the player has no means to complete his/her objective i.e. All of his/her forces had been destroyed." - Kickstarter Description
Story:
"The tenuous peace between the two nations of Artemisia and Zipang is suddenly brought to a head when the Artemisian king and his escort go missing after his transport mysteriously explodes.
Among the presumed dead is Col. Luja Lindberg, mentor to Lt. Nathan Gries. Nathan, a young but fierce and patriotic officer, is shocked and saddened with the loss of his commander and father-figure and patiently awaits orders for mobilization.
Given their long history of conflict, Artemisia wastes no time in deploying Nathan and his small strike force to launch a counter-offensive against Zipang.
En route to his objective, Nathan receives orders to coordinate efforts with the mercurial White Fangs, led by the infamously cold hearted yet beautiful, Wolfram.
As Nathan and Wolfram's forces make their way deeper into enemy territory, Zipang's defenses fall easily under the combined assault of Artemisian forces and the White Fangs.
Lord Commander Tsukumo of the Zipang forces contemplates courses of action knowing that while his forces vastly outnumber the Artemisian strike-force he must be wary of their skill and not hastily expose any weaknesses. His experience has taught him that not everything is as it first seems... He also must navigate the politics of the other Zipang warlords."
Characters:
- Nathan Gries
Lieutenant Nathan Gries hails from a family of military lineage. His father died in last war when Nathan was still young. Col. Lindberg was a friend of Nathan's father and came to offer guidance to Nathan.
Nathan is well regarded by his superiors and peers alike with a promising future and noble intentions... Although Nathan is a model officer, his lack of experience may lead to situations where he could be exploited.
- Wolfram
Commander Wolfram, a fierce, strategic, independent, business minded soldier, and leader of the White Fangs. She lost her brother in the previous Artemisia/Zipang war. He fought, foolishly, for a nation that cared little for him. Which is irrelevant. He died believing he was fighting for a greater cause. She vowed never to make the same mistake.
Wolfram will take any job that is profitable but one never knows what she might have up her sleeve...
- Isoroku Tsukumo
Lord Isoroku Tsukumo ("of 3 million stones"), the leading vassal of the Zipang shogunate. His title is a measure of his greatness, how much he owns, and how many people he supports with his rule.
Tsukumo has an extreme obligation to duty and honor. He takes care of his people first and foremost but is always strict and lawful, especially to himself.
- Dante Carver
He is fast friends with Nathan from back in their time in the Academy, and like him he is filled with strong beliefs and a sense of justice, that is able to transpire over the differences in their and rank.
He is not only respected by his superiors and contemporaries, but also those who serve under him-who know him as a man who is worth of their trust.
He is a genius in command of a Metal unit, and his skill is renowned not only within the borders of Artemisia, but far and wide in other countries.
- Luja Lindberg
The Hero of the Battle of Zeltzer winning victory from a battle that deemed a lost cause by all. However Lindberg paid a terrible price for his victory with the loss of wife and children at the battle's end.
Being a war comrade of Nathan's father, Luja would upon Nathan as his own son when he succeeded his father as a soldier in the Artemisian military.
He vanished mysteriously and his current whereabouts are unknown.
- The Arms Dealer Orzio
An arms dealer that provides not only weapons, but all manners of military support.
He roves from country to country, negotiating with various leaders to stoke the flames of war for his own profit. As such, though he has a peerless military record he has made many enemies along the way.
- Tatara
Tatara of the 1 million stones is a great vassal of Zipang Shogunate . It is with great pride that he has supported the office of the Shogun, and he feels that his rival Tsukumo is a great thorn in his side due to him having the full trust of the Shogun.
Tatara is obsessed with power, and will use whatever means necessary to increase his sphere of influence.
GIFs:
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F.A.Q.
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Wait, Sony published a game on Switch?!
- It's true. UNTIES is an initiative from Sony Music Entertainment, to publish "unique and innovative titles" on Switch, PS4, and PC "in order to penetrate the ever-expanding video game market with indie games." (Article.)
Who is Area 35?
- They call themselves grizzled and experienced Japanese developers but ehhhh... Some key staff include: Hiroaki Yura, Hiroki Kikuta, Hiro Inaba, Mutsumi Oda, and Tomoki Miyoshi.
Yoko Taro Endorsed this?
- Sort of.
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Screens & Trailers
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Thread Rules
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- Be good to each other, general forum etiquette applies.
- Don't come in here to play morality police, trying to guilt trip people for supporting this title.
- If you want to talk on the Kickstarter drama revolving around this game/studio do it elsewhere, every Tiny Metal thread has devolved into that crap. Not this one. We have a thread for that here: LINK.
