[Review] Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble - A new masterpiece that evokes memories of the past.

For me, Advance Wars holds a very special place, simply because when this turn-based strategy game series was dominating Nintendo's handheld consoles. I knew absolutely nothing about it. Like many other Vietnamese children at that time, all I had was a dilapidated PC bought from a used goods liquidation company. A 14-inch CRT monitor with a large glass screen, a dusty case with a Pentium 2 400Mhz processor, 64MB of RAM, and a graphics card with only 15MB of memory.

Compared to today's configurations with tens of GB of RAM and powerful graphics cards, it's practically worthless. That's why, for me, games like Half-Life , Counter-Strike , StarCraft , or Age of Empires —masterpieces from the legendary 1999-2000 era—are something incredibly luxurious. But the first miracle that happened to that seemingly useless PC came in the form of a CD. If you lived through the era when shops selling CDs started to flourish, you'll surely remember those "collections" of all kinds of games, from the sublime to the ridiculous, all gathered together. Most of them were small games, only a few tens of MB in size, enough to fit onto one or two CDs. These could be mini-games like puzzles, ball games, "light" titles like Commandos , Virtua Cop , or, if you're lucky, some early Final Fantasy games. But alongside these "hodgepodge" disc sets, there were also emulator collections on Nintendo's handheld systems containing dozens of games in one set, and that's when I first came across Advance Wars.

The gentle 2D graphics, bright colors, and slow, calculated gameplay, like a chessboard, immediately captivated a young boy who knew nothing about games. So, every time after dinner, I would jump to my dusty computer, turn on the emulator, and start Advance Wars to immerse myself in its own world. But that's all I know about Advance Wars, because it was the only disc I ever owned. The writer couldn't know if there would be a sequel, who made it, or even what emulation was, let alone searching for it in an era when the internet was such a distant concept. Advance Wars was simply something magical that happened in a flash and never returned.

By the time I grew up and learned about Advance Wars, the series had already ceased to exist. The last true version of Advance Wars was released 14 years ago on the Nintendo DS. And since then, Nintendo has launched two completely new systems along with countless other versions, but Advance Wars has never returned, not even once. For me and many Advance Wars fans, this game is now just a fond memory that seems destined never to return .

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It all started when Tiny Metal appeared. Developed by veterans of the Japanese gaming industry now under the Area 35 umbrella, Tiny Metal is a spiritual sequel, a revival of Advance Wars, a gift from fans to fans. With gameplay that truly embodies the "bloodline" of the original Advance Wars, Tiny Metal has filled a void in the hearts of an entire generation of gamers. who have perhaps waited too long. The gameplay of Tiny Metal, or more accurately, the "upgraded" version Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble , has given players the authentic experience of a turn-based strategy game .

Players will have the opportunity to control military units on a grid-based map like a chessboard, with each unit representing a chess piece with completely different strengths and fighting styles. For example, the Rifleman, a basic infantry unit, can move across any terrain but is weak in firepower, while the Scout, a Jeep unit, can overwhelm with its power but cannot climb mountains or capture bases. In addition, players will have Lancer (missile unit), Sniper (sniper), Metal (tank), Heavy Metal (heavy tank), or Fortress (giant flying fortress) capable of leveling everything. These units aren't too numerous or too few; they're just right in quantity and quality to complement each other, creating unique tactical formulas that each player can devise.

Some might prioritize using terrain-traversing units to capture enemy bases, while others might prioritize combat vehicles to overwhelm the enemy. All these strategies can be incredibly varied, whether in the story-driven Campaign mode or in player-versus-player battles. Each unit has its own strengths, weaknesses, and counter-strategies, forcing players to strategize how to overwhelm their opponent before the latter can do the same.

For example, the Scout is very effective against regular Riflemen but is at a disadvantage against Lancers carrying anti-tank missiles. Meanwhile, the Metal unit has powerful firepower and thick armor but is extremely cumbersome and easily ambushed by Gunship helicopters. This is without even considering the terrain; players can command the capture of factories or urban areas, allowing for the production of additional troops, increased defenses, or even health and ammunition regeneration.

Combining all these elements creates an incredibly challenging game, with diverse terrain types ranging from plains to mountains, from roads to coastal areas. all requiring players to carefully consider every factor to achieve victory .

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Speaking of which, we can't forget the action system of each unit. In fact, it works not much differently from the Skill system, allowing each unit to activate its unique ability. For example, soldiers can capture buildings, vehicles can transport troops, and some special units can supply ammunition. In addition, each faction will have a special ability that applies to its entire army, such as increasing damage or boosting defense. All these aspects, big or small, will be considered in strategy and create the final formula for victory.

Therefore, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a wonderful tribute to Advance Wars in particular and the entire strategy game genre in general, creating a multi-layered gameplay, full of calculations, and above all, firmly adhering to the path of "easy to play but difficult to master". From a graphical standpoint, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a harmonious blend of Chibi style and beautiful 3D effects, alongside entirely hand-drawn characters exuding a powerful and heroic aura. These could be a commander with fiery eyes, an "elder" with the demeanor of a Samurai, or a female sniper in a distinctive camouflage outfit. Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble truly reminds the writer of a manga with a unique style, blending the subtleties of various genres .

However , Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is not without its flaws, most notably in the audio. The English voice acting for the characters is extremely bland, if not soulless, making players feel like the actors are just reading from a script without any expression or intonation. All the voice acting is mediocre, detracting from the essence of the storyline and the atmosphere of the battles.

The writer advises readers to switch the voice acting to Japanese while keeping the English subtitles to fully appreciate the game's spirit. In conclusion, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a tribute, a wonderful reminder of the old days for the writer and many other gamers. With its excellent gameplay, beautiful visuals, and hand-drawn animations combined with modern 3D graphics, it would be a waste not to experience this masterpiece now. Switch Version Update: The Switch version is almost identical to the PC version, although the lower resolution causes some inconvenience for players. When health is reduced, the lower resolution makes it difficult to see the health percentage and calculate their attacks. However, this isn't a major obstacle to the overall game experience. [ Game Information]

• Name: Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble.

• Developer: Area 35.

• Release date: July 11, 2019.

• Platform: Switch/Steam.

• Website: https://tinymetal.com/ .