Trouble in Tin Town Review

By , on January 18, 2011

Trouble in Tin Town
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Easy to pick up turn-based strategy.
  • Three unique factions with various units to earn.
  • Fun campaigns and clever dialogue.

CONS

  • Strategy lacks depth; relatively one-dimensional 'attack and win'.

VERDICT

While it'd be nice if there was more to do, Trouble in Tin Town still manages to provide an interesting, if uncomplicated, campaign to complete.


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With so much variety available on the App Store, it's odd that more turn-based strategies haven't cropped up. Developer Jovian Minds has clearly seen an opportunity in the lack of strategic titles and has paired their game with a retinue of witty wind-up toys that are just itching to jump in to a fight.

Though perhaps calling it 'strategy' is stretching things a little bit as the game often boils down to punching ranged units with your melee units and shooting melee units with your ranged units. Earning new characters adds a bit of variety to the proceedings, but often it's a simple matter of massing toys and using single-hit kills (thanks to environment hazards) to overwhelm the enemy. Cash is earned for killing units and collecting treasure on levels, which can in turn be used to purchase new units to reinforce those you already have, but money saved at the end of levels can be spent on upgrading your characters and also carries over to new levels in the campaign.

There are currently three different campaigns to complete, each with their own set of unique wind-up toys and environments to enjoy. The game is also highlighted by clever dialogue exchanges that are in keeping with the toys and characters they represent, resulting in a fun storyline that's enjoyable from start to finish.

The real keyword here is 'simplicity' and while for some the lack of deep strategic elements may put them off, there's still plenty of variety in the combat to elevate the gameplay above a simple brawl. While it would have been great to see some sort of multiplayer option, Trouble in Tin Town is still a great single-player experience and a fun change of pace from the usual fast-paced arcade releases.

Screenshots

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