“Never trust to general impressions, my boy, but concentrate yourself upon details.” – Arthur Conan Doyle
Overview
Tiny Lands is a relaxing spot-the-difference game from Hyper Three Studio, the creators of The Shape of Things. Players must scour charming 3D dioramas and find the discrepancies, and it was recently announced that Tiny Lands 2 is set to release in 2025!
Developer: Hyper Three Studio
Released: 22 January 2021
Price: £5.19 – £5.99
Gameplay
Tiny Lands presents the player with ten zones, each with ten levels each consisting of two side-by-side dioramas with 5 differences. The player must rotate the scenes in order to get a full view and spot all the differences. These differences, which have a range of difficulty, can include things like items in different positions, or of varying sizes and colours.
Each of the zones has its own theme such as the mountains, the ocean, spooky, or western. By completing each level the player earns up to 5 stars, the next zone can then be unlocked using an increasing number of stars starting at 25. There is no hint system available but misclicking is not punished and there are no timers.
Narrative and Styling
Tiny Lands has little to no story to speak of, though players could easily infer a light narrative into the animal and people-filled dioramas and the charming landscapes they depict if they so choose. The game utilises a vibrant, low-poly, 3D art style with atmospheric lighting and colourful scenes. The music is very calm and relaxing, largely featuring gentle piano music with a subtle melancholy tone that doesn’t overstep and become too emotive. The sound effects are immersive and nicely implemented, with birds chirping, water running and weather sound bringing the various scenes to life.
Summary
Tiny Lands is a delightful and very casual gaming experience. It offers charming 3D dioramas, a relaxing soundtrack, and low-pressure gameplay. It has a good amount of content and suits longer sessions of play as well as shorter dips into the game. Its intuitive mouse-only controls make it very accessible and the content is very family-friendly making it an ideal game for a wide audience of people. Despite the simple premise, Tiny Lands is very enjoyable and I definitely recommend it to fans of more casual gaming titles.
If you like casual puzzle games and delightful dioramas, you might also like:
Cats in Time – Travel the World in Search of Lost Cats! – Lego: Builder’s Journey – Playful Puzzles and Delightful Dioramas! – Monument Valley 2 – A Relaxing But Poignant Puzzling Adventure
