Remember when Lemmings were all the rage? It’s hard to imagine that the studio that went on to develop the monumentally successful Grand Theft Auto franchise made such an unusual little puzzle. Lemmings was a damn good game, spawning multiple expansions and sequels over the years. Honestly, it’s a little surprising that the franchise hasn’t seen a (re)release on the Switch yet.
Enter Tin Hearts. Created by exFable developers from Rogue Sun, Tin Hearts is a heartwarming blend of environmental storytelling and Lemmings-like puzzle gameplay. Indeed, the entire premise of the game requires you to lead a troop of “naughty tin soldiers” through increasingly complex paths from their starting position to their final destination.
Much like Lemmings, tin soldiers only move in one specific direction, so it’s your job to manipulate the environment to ensure they stick to the most optimal path. This is primarily achieved by strategically placing triangular toy blocks in their path, causing them to collide with the blocks and change direction. If you don’t, the soldiers can fall from the edge of the table to the floor and shatter into tiny pieces. Fortunately, you also have the ability to manipulate time.
As you progress through the early stages, Tin Hearts gradually introduces new ways to change the weather. First, by touching the clocks located in each room you can speed things up, making waiting for the toy soldiers to reach their destination a little less arduous. Later, you are given complete remote control over time, so you can pause, rewind and fast forward on the fly. Pausing is particularly useful as it allows you to see the intended path of the toy soldiers, so you can move objects into place without worrying about the well-being of your ceramic friends.
You could argue that quality-of-life mechanics like that make Hearts of Tin a bit also simple, and yes, there are times when you can effectively solve a puzzle within a few short minutes simply by pausing and placing all the objects in the correct places. But actually finding the most efficient route is actually where the real joy lies in Tin Hearts.
The game starts out pretty simple, with blocks containing certain icons cut out of the wooden structure, making it easy to place them in the right place. Later, however, you can place completely empty objects anywhere, so you have complete creative freedom in how you solve the puzzle.
That’s not all either. The developers introduce even more new elements as you progress, including toy trains that you can move along the tracks and a wonderful mechanism that attaches colored balloons to each of your tin soldiers, allowing them to float safely above the gaps. Heck, there are even dastardly Jack-in-the-Boxes that will eat your soldiers if you’re not careful. Granted, your tin troops won’t dig their own tunnels or build their own stairs like Lemmings, but that’s not necessary here. There’s plenty to sink your teeth into, and some of the later puzzles are sure to have you scratching your head.
We haven’t even mentioned the presentation yet, and for the most part it is absolutely superb. As you work your way through the puzzles, the game tells the surprisingly honest story of Albert J. Butterworth, a Victorian inventor. We won’t go into what exactly happens with the story, but we were enthralled nonetheless. Wisely, the story is told mostly through visions that unfold during gameplay, so you can focus on solving the puzzle while keeping an eye on the characters in the background. This is surely the best way this story could have been told without breaking the flow.
Still, from a technical perspective, the game could use a few improvements, at least on the Switch. The frame rate, while consistent, is unfortunately intermittent. While this is certainly not a problem for a puzzle game of this nature, a smoother experience would be welcome. Additionally, since you essentially ‘own’ the object when you start moving it, the camera moves dramatically to communicate this, and the sudden change in perspective can often be a bit jarring. This is not an excessive problem, but you should definitely be careful.
The biggest star of the show for us is the music. It’s simple wonderfully. Focusing on gentle piano melodies and moody melodies, the soundtrack is perfectly suited for this type of game and makes the emotional beats of the story even stronger. We can’t fault it, honestly.
Conclusion
Tin Hearts is a lovely little puzzle that is equal parts catchy and emotional. It takes real inspiration from Lemmings, but manages to stand on its own two feet with a unique visual style, clever mechanics, and a beautiful story told effortlessly while playing. Technical difficulties hold it back from true greatness, including erratic frames per second and shaky camera movement, but if you want a relaxing puzzle game, this isn’t also taxing on the old leg, then you really can’t go wrong with this one.
