In 2017 AREA 35 Inc. released the original Tiny Metal to middling reviews and little success. It was a different time for the Switch, what was a trickle of software in ’17 has grown into a flood of amazing games hitting the Switch Eshop every single week. This means that games like Tiny Metal that garnered little attention in the past have an even harder time reaching an audience today. This raises the question: with all of the amazing turn-based strategy games that now call the switch home, can the sequel, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble, do enough to distinguish itself among the competition or does it lag behind the pack?
The first thing I noticed when I started Full Metal Rumble is how little things feel like they’ve changed. Cartoony anime-styled characters that represent commanders on the battlefield or appear in dialog cut scenes outside of battle continue to accompany the dialog. The story, while a direct continuation of the original game, still boils down to a protagonist (Commander Wolfram) against an antagonist (the Dinoldan Army) which at worst is serviceable and at best has some interesting twists and unexpectedly effective humor.
This more-of-the-same formula doesn’t stop of the story beats or art style, it permeates nearly every aspect of the game. From the turn-based movement to the graphical style of the battlefield and on and on. If you were a fan of the last Tiny Metal then you’ll likely enjoy the sequel and can stop reading this review to go out and happily play the sequel. If you’re not a fan of the original or haven’t played it there aren’t an overwhelming amount of changes to the gameplay here but there are a few that might pique your interest.
First and foremost Full Metal Rumble launches with online multiplayer (a feature that wasn’t added to the original until months after its release). There are also many key gameplay changes that increase the complexity of war such as, commander powers, battlefield resource management, and new units. Each of these additions brings the series closer to, what seems like, its goal: being the next Advance Wars.
The thing is, from a mechanical perspective Full Metal Rumble does a lot to bring the structure of the original Tiny Metal much closer in line with those Advance Wars games of nearly a decade ago. But, that’s the Achilles heel of the whole game; it’s 2019 and only with the sequel has the Tiny Metal series added enough similar features to a Gameboy Advance game to feel relevant. It’s not a bad thing necessarily to chase after the experience of great games of our past, but innovating on them is what gives new life to old franchise and makes them relevant again.
Wargroove is a great example of a game that took the outline of what made Advanced Wars great. It remixed the setting, polished the art style, and then added and removed elements both of which enhanced the experience. To Tiny Metal’s detriment some of the things they added in the sequel are detrimental. There’s no part of me that enjoys ensuring my units have enough fuel to move or enough ammo to attack. Some additional like leader powers that can turn the tide of battle are great additions but turn-based strategy games are old hat at this mechanic and many of them come without Full Metal Rumble’s continued drawbacks.
The uninventive gameplay of Full Metal Rumble is easily overlooked if you’re chomping at the bit for more turn-based strategy you’ll enjoy the new additions to the Tiny Metal more than you’ll be annoyed by them. The thing that I can’t stand though is the continued use of this janky 3d art style. It looks downright bad next to the 2D competition that occupies this space. Even worse, it makes things difficult to see and unit models can often obscure text.
Even with these gripes, I have to admit that Full Metal Rumble is without question an improvement over the first game. Nearly all of the changes made to gameplay are positive but with those steps forward comes step back. In some cases, like the graphics, it’s just plain stagnation. In 2017 you might have picked up Tiny Metal because it was one of the few turn-based strategy options on the Switch. Today there are a wealth of options and I can confidently recommend many of them. However, Tiny Metal continues to feel a bit too rusty around the edges to scratch that itch unless you’ve burned through those superior similar titles.