Somewhere between the new wave of the modern cozy and the classic level-based collectathon 3D platformers lies Misc. A Tiny Tale: an adventure about two tiny robots, Buddy and Bag Boy, made out of everyday items, trying to do better than the humans that left Earth long ago. Not that that would be a challenging task, seeing how we are doing right now, but they do not know that, so let them have some fun, yeah?
Misc. has a low level of entry and a high amount of heart, though I think the former tends to overpower the latter. It stands resolute on its messages, but the gameplay often meanders and lacks impact, somewhat diluting its strengths by spreading character interactions too thin. Like its world and characters, it too is a bit of a mess.
Structurally, it is most reminiscent of the many platformers that followed A Short Hike: Lil Gator Game, Smushi Come Home, etc.—open spaces with a few friends who need help, scattered collectibles, light platforming, finding secrets, and routing efficient paths. Misc. is one of the most expansive games of this type that I have played, featuring a good few playgrounds split into individual levels. In total, it took me twice as long as any other game of its ilk, finishing at around nine hours for 100% completion.
This size lets it expand its universe, but its lack of genre standards made me realize their value. There really is a reason for so many of them to include a glider—it gives you options that drastically expand your possibilities, enriching the path-planning process. It also fills a certain emptiness: once you reach a high spot, you can convert that momentum into a newfound path to other objectives. Here, verticality may provide a hiding space for a collectible and a small platforming challenge, but plummeting down to get to the next objective never feels as natural as getting up.
In the first few moments you spend up high you are likely to get struck with the unfortunate reality of Misc.’s blurry aesthetic. Objects lose focus quickly, even on the highest graphical settings, and objects outside the play area are always unnaturally blurred. Sights seen from heights leave little impact as a result. Locations feel really generic, and points of interest neither clash nor mesh with the environments. Compared to the creative designs of bots made up of all sorts of abandoned items, I was fully indifferent to the game’s look.
Despite signs of possible player expression, this is ultimately a very controlled experience. Each collectible has one intended way of reaching it, and you will not be sequence-breaking or performing daring leaps, which to me felt quite counterintuitive. You get the sprint, giving the very floaty double jump a bit of a boost, followed by the short hover using Buddy’s tiny propeller, with a dive to finish—you would think combining all these options would give you some nice options but the momentum fades fairly quickly after the first two jumps, and the distance between objectives is substantial.
The few optional platforming challenges created by a friendly raccoon with a penchant for mistaking your name, which do test the maximum distance obtainable using these tools, are similarly restrictive. They often place giant floating walls in your way so that you do not even think of jumping too far. I hoped to eventually get a level that would be a little tighter, but their similarities left me sprinting and hopping between NPCs in a repetitive loop.
Best parts of Misc. are its characters, playful cutscenes, and thoughtful story moments, and the more the game pulled me away from that, the more I stopped feeling. I picked up the ever-present trash so that I could recycle it for money, scrubbed the floors, and jumped on a few platforms to get gear, but I much preferred to be launched into my destination by an independent, reassuring cowboy bot via a scripted event.
Only on a replay, when I could truly plan out my approach, did I find a bit of a hook to the gameplay. These cozy collectathons instill the appeal of efficiency into their players, and it is a bit of a shame you get so little of that feeling on your first run through, where you are likely to just grab whatever you see around you so that you do not forget it later. As it stands, each point of interest feels isolated, and the initial playthrough lacks a natural flow.
Yet, in the moments of joyful interactions, in spite of any failings it may have, this tiny tale captured my heart. It does not stray from hard-hitting topics, and its stance is clear: everyone should be loved, nobody should be left behind, and differences should bring us together. I started out playing it slowly, but after a few play sessions, I knew I had to see it to the end as soon as possible.
These are good little bots. They deserve the best world. The road is not always easy, but when the going is tough, you should be able to count on each other, to trust the people you meet without prejudice. Misc. A Tiny Tale wants to believe we can get there, that if we instill it in us to be better, we can work together for unity, reach what we thought was unreachable.
Gentle, beautiful vocal songs, the noises of Buddy jumping around, him eventually humming to himself while cleaning or collecting cogs, stories of bots finding love and sharing both the best and worst moments with each other—Misc.’s powerful exuberance is why I do ultimately recommend it. It is such an undeniable mood lifter, and for anyone willing to put some effort in, I think replays can be plenty enjoyable with the right approach. Doubtlessly could still use some work, but I walked away from this tiny tale with the biggest of smiles.
Mateusz played Misc. A Tiny Tale on PC with a provided review copy.
