Tiny Metal Turn-based strategy with a Japanese Twist

Tiny Metal: Turn-based strategy with a Japanese Twist

Introduction

Sony Music Entertainment Japan has announced that their new indie games label Unites which has debut its first title, AREA 35’s Tiny Metal, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC on December 21st.

Tiny Metal has its own official website, where the developers describe themselves as experienced video game developers that believe to bring back the golden age of Japanese video games, one masterpiece at a time. They are trying to achieve this by putting classical Japanese war gaming into a modern day package that not only works well but looks fantastic with great graphics, even on old systems. They claim that Tiny Metal is all about the gameplay and elaborate on their gameplay on the website. The game features 15 unique units never seen before on gameplay mechanics.

Plotline

The player plays as the protagonist, Artemisian Lieutenant, Nathan Gries, who commands his units to victory against the villainous nation of Zipang.

The Lieutenant will face many enemies and make many friends along the way with different factions, units and abilities. Players would have to actually carefully consider their terrain and position for attacks. They would also have to plan out their strategic advancements and defenses.

The site also offers a deep inside into Nathan Gries’s backstory. Lieutenant Nathan Gries was from a family of military lineage. Nathan had to suffer the lose of his father dying in last war when he was still young. Col. Lindberg was a friend of Nathan’s father and came to offer guidance to Nathan. Though Nathan is well regarded by his superiors and peers, his lack of experience can lead to situations where somebody might exploit him.

Gameplay

The Gameplay defines many different types of features, such as,

Flank & Rear Attacks

Flanking and attacking from the rear of an enemy unit confers an attack bonus.

Radar

Use radars in conjunction with long range artillery to attack enemies outside of your visual range!

Focus Fire

By using target lock-on with 2 or more units to unleash a deadly focus fire attack.

Hero Units

Hero units can be called into battle. They are usually outright stronger or more versatile than normal units. Hero units grow stronger over the course of the campaign and can be brought over from mission to mission.

Riflemen

The cheapest unit to produce. They are, however, also one of the weakest, with low attack and defense values. They are best used for taking and holding strategic locations.

Grassland

All units can move across Grassland tiles. Grassland tiles give a 15% bonus to defense.