Tiny Troopers Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: September 25, 2012

Tiny Troopers carries arguably the most important principle of video games – having fun. Controlling a squad of tiny soldiers resembling vinyl figures more than anything else, you shoot your way through 30 simple and short missions. While the majority of them are straightforward, the fun element remains attached. The feel of the game stays on the lighter side due in large part to the charm that the characters give off – even when enemy soldiers lay dying in their own pools of blood.

Missions start with your squad being dropped off with objectives already provided. The missions become more complex as you progress, but the beginning ones could be considered a prolonged tutorial due to their simplicity. Controlling your soldiers is as simple as pointing and clicking where you want them to go and shoot. Add the occasional use of Ctrl to throw grenades or use bazookas to take out enemy buildings. Take advantage of the grenades, as your little soldier can launch them with precision across the entire screen.

Action can get hectic as you click to move your characters away from incoming fire while shooting at soldiers at the same time. I found my squad standing still more often than not during firefights – which is a clear way to get them killed on higher difficulties. Command points act as a currency to purchase upgrades as well as specialized soldiers such as a grenadier. Killing enemies and collecting dog-tags littered across each mission are the best ways to earn CP. Medals, on the other hand, are much rarer and provide permanent upgrades to your troops. Each trooper acts as an individual, with death being permanent. You may have upgraded two of your original soldiers, but one mistake on a later mission can wipe out all of that progress.

As it stands today, Tiny Troopers does not support all of the features that Steam offers, such as Steam Cloud. The latest patch for the iOS version has added a survival horde zombie mode – undead chickens included. The mobile version has more content and still only costs $0.99, while you'll be paying $10 to play Tiny Troopers on your PC. I wouldn't rule out that zombie mode won't come out for the Steam version, as Kukouri has already patched in "WASD" controls upon request. Is the extra $9 worth it if you own an iOS device? Probably not, but it's still a fun little title to play on occasion, even if it is well overpriced.

Simply Put

Tiny Troopers makes no attempt to hide that it started as an iOS title. The minimalist graphics aren't anything to write home about, but the simplistic silly style still works on PC. The missions are short, lasting only a minute or two at most, but now that you aren't on a handheld device and are sitting in one place, it doesn't translate well into a long gaming session. I found myself doing a few missions at a time when switching between games or just wanting a lighthearted gaming session.