The Last Tinker: City of Colors is a pretty game among other things!
“Wow” is a word that comes to mind upon first entering the world of The Last Tinker: City of Color. Bright hues of red, orange, blue, purple and green compliment a strange landscape of undecided shape and design; almost alien in form, though entirely pleasing to the eye. It's a world that evokes a sense of childish wonder, delighting players in the spectacle of visual splendor itself.
I'm trying to say the game is pretty, people.
This is one of the few times where I would actually say a game is pretty enough that, were it a movie, it would actually pass in said medium. An impressive feat, but we all know nice visuals can do for a game only so much. There also has to be a game there . . . and Tinker certainly has game.
Following the actions of protagonist, Koru, players will embark on a puzzling, fighting and free-running filled an adventure as he attempts to save Tinkerworld by overcoming the Bleakness; restoring color to the game's vibrant world. The developers are likening this game to a mix of Jak and Daxter with some Zelda thrown in. While I can't really say, not from the short preview build anyway, that I see much in the way of Zelda, I most certainly see the similarities between this and the original Jak and Daxter. A very welcomed thing.
[embed]http://youtu.be/zusxx9AlsgQ\[/embed\]
While I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time with the game, there are certainly a few caveats that need to be addressed. While the platforming itself was fantastic; think Assassin's Creed, though even more fluid, if a bit limited in comparison, I found the combat lacking. The feel of the combat, let alone the accompanying animations, lacked a certain oomph you would hope to see, and while there is a decent combat system in place, allowing for you to chain combos, dodge, and even clear large distances in order for a quick attack, I found little need for any of that. Simply spamming the basic attack in the direction of enemies seemed to get me out of any scrape unscathed. Then again, the different mechanics may play a larger role further into the game, and even on the developer's page they mention a color manipulation mechanic that changes the mood of characters, used, apparently, for the puzzling elements of the game, perhaps this mechanic may just have found its way into the combat itself.
Other than that though, this game has a lot going for it. It's pretty, the puzzling is enjoyable, the free-running is simple and intuitive, and while the combat is certainly the weakest element on show in the preview build, it is most certainly serviceable and can still make for a fairly fun time.
We here at Duuro are very much enjoyed our time with the game and are excited to see everything this game has to offer. As far as we are concerned, The Last Tinker: City of Colors is a highly charming, fluid and overall solid experience.
The Last Tinker: City of Colors on PC or Mac. The Last Tinker: from Unity Games and Mimimi Productions, is scheduled to release on Steam (PC, Mac and Linux) and PlayStation 4 this summer.
Expect a full review once the official release hits this summer.
