Tiny Thief is an new, adorable game coming out of Rovio’s new publishing label, Rovio Stars, that pushes some interesting buttons, and although it’s a simple game, it might be one you want to try out. Let’s take a look.
The premise of Tiny Thief is that you are a, well, tiny thief, who finds himself in a Robin Hood type position in this medieval world, trying to help the oppressed and hard done by with his sleight of hand. The stages will be laid out such that you will need to steal certain objects as well as find your squirrel/weasel friend and occassionally a mystery item as well. The core gameplay in the game is achieved with simply tapping where you want to move and tapping what you want to investigate. It’s almost criminally simple, but as you’ll see later, it’s also adorably so.
As per the premise, there is a little story going on here which is conveyed through silent comics that are wonderfully drawn in the style of the game and usually give some back story as to why you’ll be stealing the objects you’re tasked with stealing. While the early levels are a simple chore of tapping on the object you want to steal and escaping, as you progress to more difficult levels, you’ll encounter things like patrols and be challenged in finding appropriate places to hide.
There is also the added mini-game of needing to find your weasel/squirrel (I really can’t decide which it is) companion who will be hiding somewhere in the level. Tapping him will net you an extra star at the completion of the level. Some levels will also have the added task of finding hidden objects. These objects can be in plain sight, or they may require a series of thoughtful tapping, but if successful will reward you with yet another star. Compulsive completionists will find themselves well accommodated as some of these hidden objects can be hidden away quite deviously.
I absolutely adore the art style in Tiny Thief; I think it’s adorable, bright and refreshing. In the level select screens, it goes as far as giving each chapter an overarching theme and playing out that theme with a little puppet animation. The gameplay might be simple, but it does offer something a bit different with its cartoony graphics and medieval music. I might have been won over just by the look and feel of the game, but you only need to spend a few minutes with the game to get completely hooked by it.
Tiny Thief is currently available from the Google Play Store for $3.99, so if this is your cup of tea and you love a cute romp in medieval times, Tiny Thief is just the game for you.
Game: Tiny Thief
Price: $3.99
