Misc. A Tiny Tale Review (PC)

Beneath a wondrously bright sky of golden cogs and gloopy waste, two robots make an honorable decision to take matters into their own mechanical hands—to venture forth and clean the world of all its trash, and to forge everlasting relationships with the villagers who call the post-human backyard of Misc. A Tiny Tale a home away from home.

In this short but effortlessly wholesome coming-of-age tale, protagonists Buddy and Bag Boy embark on a noble journey to unpack a mythical and microscopic archipelago of all its inner secrets and recyclables. From touching robotic arms with star-crossed lovers to unearthing oddly familiar UFOs, traipsing through the crags and crevices of a world submerged in recreational waste to hopping along to a quartet of musical instruments — true to its word, Misc. A Tiny Tale does indeed breathe life into a fascinating storybook adventure of whimsical characters and morally ambiguous strands. And you know what? It does it all stupendously well, all things considered.

I suppose, if I were to compare it against another title, I’d probably slot it into the same box as The Gunk. The only difference here, of course, is that you don’t vacuum the world’s litter, but instead partner up with your loyal companion to recycle whatever leftover materials you miraculously find during your globe-trotting exploits. With a bite-sized locale to explore, I suppose you could also say that it’s reminiscent of Grounded, particularly the setting—a backyard that houses swathes of human-sized garbage and other monolithic objects. Add a bit of that beloved WALL-E DNA into the cauldron, and you’ve essentially got the premise from which Misc. A Tiny Tale builds on.

So, is Misc. A Tiny Tale worth grabbing the robot-powered vacuum for? Stick with us a while and we’ll talk about it.

Waste Not, Want Not

At the core of Misc. A Tiny Tale is a beautiful third-person eco-friendly collect-a-thon that has all of the refreshing charms of a well-orchestrated adventure. The experience itself, while not particularly bursting at the seams with original gameplay, contains all of the touch-and-go elements of a classic platforming affair—a timeless voyage that includes the familiar tropes that will no doubt appeal to anyone with an avid heart for enchanting, albeit not-so-epic tales. It has gunk to collect, items to recycle, and more than enough mechanical upgrades to keep you doubling down on the world and all its components. There’s more to it than that — but you get the gist.

Misc. A Tiny Tale sees you embarking on a quest to eradicate the scrap from a swathe of villages, each of which fosters its own inhabitants, stories, and snug challenges. For the most part, your job is simple: collect trash, and recycle it in exchange for various perks and mechanical improvements to aid your future cleanup efforts. There are also several side activities to engage in, brief encounters to bathe in, and a lot of intimate moments that, I don’t know, just feel organic and therapeutic to witness as a petite protagonist who yearns to help the world return to its former glory. Again, like The Gunk, but with more robotic goodness and heartfelt humor.

A Heart for Healing

The story itself isn’t anything short of predictable, I’ll admit. In short, it essentially portrays the coming-of-age tale of two robots, both of whom share a common desire to heal the land in the aftermath of a world-shattering explosion. Armed with several gadgets and gizmos that grant them access to the waste and gunk that shroud the backyard and other surrounding areas, the duo take it upon themselves to venture out and, well, clean, as well as right a few wrongs along the way, naturally. And that’s essentially all that you’re doing here: gearing up to tackle copious amounts of trash, and using coins from the trash that you recycle to unlock better, more efficient ways to deal with even greater burdens. A simple concept, for sure — but one that feels awfully satisfying to shovel through all the same.

Sure enough, fans of old-school platforming games are more than likely going to get a kick right in the feels with this touching adventure. Although decades apart from its PSX counterparts, the game itself still remains as equally loyal to a lot of the same tropes—nodes that often involve jumping, crouching, and gliding. It also features a simple, albeit timeless hook for a progression system, with each village that you explore possessing a series of generic collect-a-thon features and the occasional “special” item—a Golden Cog, of all things—to unearth. Suffice it to say here, then, that if you enjoy organic progression and a somewhat steady workflow, then you’ll probably love bolting about in the cute and cozy villages that flesh out this ode to timeless classics.

Verdict

For those of you who enjoyed sponging the gloop and tar from the ultraviolet spectrum in The Gunk, Misc. A Tiny Tale is arguably one of the next best steps that you could possibly take. Granted, it can feel awfully repetitive, rinsing the villages of all their trash and making small amounts of progress in exchange for a ton of manual work. Yet, where it does often fall short of mainline incentives, it does make up for in other areas, with notable fixtures that include heartfelt encounters with certain NPCs, or intricate details that tuck into the crags and crevices of the world and its otherwise sprightly colored boroughs.

The Gunk is one thing, but Grounded, in all fairness, is another thing that ought to be brought to the table here. Simply put, Misc. A Tiny Tale merges the two of these together to formulate its own synergy—a pairing that accommodates the peculiarities of a larger-than-life universe and the satisfactory nature of a do-good robotic accomplice. If either of these two things are to your liking, then there’s a strong chance that you’ll find everything that you’re looking for here. Love mopping up trash and making a notable difference? Misc. A Tiny Tale has you covered.