Tinykin is a game that provides a fun challenge, but it never feels too patronizing or tricky. Tinykin is an action-platformer that follows a young traveler named Milo who arrives on Earth, albeit as a miniature version of himself. Since he finds himself stuck like an ant in a large house, he must explore every nook and cranny to find a way back home.

This game is inspired by many different genres, including 3D platformers, collect-a-thons, and puzzlers. The game excels in all of those aspects and never feels underutilized or undercooked. Its controls feel particularly smooth and responsive, which made me want to continue looking for collectibles and solving puzzles.

Milo can use small creatures called Tinykin to reach different places across the house. Each one has a special ability that helps him overcome obstacles, which makes them wonderfully diverse and keeps the gameplay from becoming stale. For example, green Tinykin can be stacked on top of each other to create ladders that Milo can climb, and the explosive red ones can be thrown to clear out objects in the way.

He also has different modes of transportation including a skateboard made of a soap bar, as well as a bubble pack that lets him descend safely. The makeshift skateboard is fast and efficient, which makes exploration fun. The bubble pack shows off the game's impressive verticality when Milo takes in the sights as he slowly goes down toward the floor.

There’s never a dull moment in Tinykin, thanks in large part to the sheer number of things to find in each room. I found myself searching for every single artifact (like rings and coins) before heading to my next objective. The game lets you take things at your own pace and doesn’t pressure you to move on.

Tinykin also has incredible art direction. Milo, the critters, and the various NPC characters in the world are presented in paper-inspired graphics that resemble flat stickers. Despite this two-dimensional aspect, they’re filled with personality. 

Milo is always emotive and smiling, and the house’s inhabitants have their own daily lives. This makes the small area that these characters occupy feel lived-in, even though the space itself is astronomical. Tinykin’s level design is its most impressive aspect. There’s an immense feeling of satisfaction as Milo looks down from a huge cabinet onto the bedroom floor. The house and everything in it are entirely 3D, which makes flat characters pop out even more when juxtaposed with this background.

Tinykin is also a non-violent game, which is a rarity these days. The only way for Milo and the critters to suffer pain is to by wandering too far into a body of water or from falling from large heights without the support of his bubble pack. This makes Tinykin a great game for kids or anyone who’s just looking for a laid-back time.

Tinykin is a relaxing experience with plenty of charm that's suitable for all age groups. Its fun gameplay and colorful environments will keep players engaged for dozens of hours. You can pick it up on Epic Games Store right now.