Tiny Thief
| Tiny Thief | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | 5Ants Abylight(Wii U) |
| Publisher(s) | Rovio Stars |
| Platform(s) | Android,iOS,Microsoft Windows,OS X,Wii U |
| Release | Android, iOS
|
| Genre(s) | Point and clickadventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Tiny Thiefwas a 2013point-and-clickadventure video gamedeveloped by 5Ants and published byRovio Entertainmentthrough itsRovio Starsprogram. The player controls a thief who goes on a quest to steal items from enemies. Players can interact with objects to progress through each level and achieve the targeted item. Enemies are present throughout, and players must avoid getting caught by utilizing the game'sstealth mechanics.The game implements athree-star performance system,with each of the star corresponding to goals completed.
Tiny Thiefwas developed by a team of two under the name 5Ants. The game went through several setbacks, mainly regarding its animation. Rovio further supported its development and released the game under their third-party publishing program Rovio Stars. The game was released foriOSandAndroidon 11 July 2013 and forWindowsandOS Xon 16 December 2013. The game was later ported to theWii Uin November 2015. Following an announcement made by Rovio, the game was discontinued and removed from app stores in February 2016.
The game received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its animation and level design but noted its short length. It won the People's Choice Award at the 10thInternational Mobile Gaming Awardsand received a nomination forBest Animated Video Gameat the41st Annie Awards.
Gameplay
[edit]InTiny Thief,players control a thief who attempts to steal items from enemies.[1][2]Players progress by moving the thief to accessible areas and interacting with objects, while evading enemies that he encounters.[1][2]Players may avoid enemies by distracting, defeating, or hiding from them.[1]
The game consists of six quests, each with a different plot, set in a vaguemedieval period.Along the way, players will encounter enemies such as pirates, bakers, sheriffs, as well as the dark knight. On each quest, there are five levels.
The game uses athree-star rating system;therefore, players can receive one, two or three stars depending on goal completions. The central star is given when the thief successfully steals the main object, which is required to complete the level. The left star is given when the thief steals multiple hidden objects in a level. The right star is given when the player taps (or clicks) the thief's hidden pet ferret. The game also include achievements that can be obtained by completing certain tasks.
Development
[edit]In May 2013, Rovio announced their plans on making a project calledRovio Stars,where they would publish games made by third-party developers as an effort to boost their game lineup.[3]
Two months later, Rovio Stars releasedTiny Thief,a game developed by Barcelona-based studio 5Ants on iOS and Android. It was their second game released from the project; with the first one beingIcebreaker: A Viking Voyage.[4][5]
In November 2015, Abylight Studios alongside 5Ants developed the game on efforts for it to be released on theWii U.On a blog posted by Abylight, they stated that "Art, graphics and gameplay over 30 different levels, 50 unique characters, 3000 unique animations and over 100 hidden objects, have drawn the attention ofNintendo Japanfor making a Wii U title ".[6]The game was later available on the JapaneseWii U Nintendo eShopfor a price of 800 yen.[7]
Rovio discontinued development ofTiny Thiefand removed it from app stores in February 2016.[8]
Reception
[edit]| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | iOS: 86/100[9] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| TouchArcade | iOS: [10] |
Tiny Thiefreceived favorable reviews on the aggregate review websiteMetacritic;the game attained an overall score of 86 out of 100 based on 21 reviews.[9]It has been presented with the "Editor’s Choice" on theiOS App Store[11]and won the People's Choice Award at the 10th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards.[12]
References
[edit]- ^abcClarke, David (18 July 2013)."'Tiny Thief' Review: The Point-And-Click Adventure That Stole My Heart ".TouchArcade.Retrieved13 August2023.
- ^abJasko, Joe (16 July 2013)."Tiny Thief Review".Gamezebo.Retrieved13 August2023.
- ^Albanesius, Chloe (14 May 2013)."Angry Birds Maker Releasing Third-Party Games Via 'Rovio Stars'".PCMag.Retrieved24 August2021.
- ^Moscaritolo, Angela (11 July 2013)."Rovio-Backed 'Tiny Thief' Released for iOS, Android".PCMag.Retrieved24 August2021.
- ^Corriea, Alexa Ray (10 July 2013)."Tiny Thief is the next game handpicked by the studio behind Angry Birds".Polygon.Retrieved24 August2021.
- ^"Nintendo, 5Ants and Abylight working together to take forward the Wii U version of Tiny Thief".abylight.com.23 November 2015.Retrieved25 August2021.
- ^"Nintendo brings 2013's Tiny Thief to the Japanese Wii U eShop".nintendoeverything.com.12 November 2015.Retrieved25 August2021.
- ^"Why Isn't Tiny Thief Available In App Stores Anymore?".Rovio Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2016.Retrieved7 February2018.
- ^ab"Tiny Thief for iPhone/iPad Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Retrieved20 September2013.
- ^Clarke, David (18 July 2013)."'Tiny Thief' Review: The Point-And-Click Adventure That Stole My Heart ".TouchArcade.Retrieved8 August2018.
- ^Yong, Esaint (27 August 2013)."Tiny Thief: Less is Clearly More – The UrbanWire".The UrbanWire.Archived fromthe originalon 15 September 2018.Retrieved30 August2013.
- ^"The Winners".Imgawards. Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2014.Retrieved17 April2014.
External links
[edit]- Official website(Archived viaWayback Machineon 14 September 2013)