Why on Earth did we ever stop playing platformer games?

At LOOT, we like to buck trends, swim upstream, and wear our sunglasses at night. Which is why this game announcement does not introduce unshaven gravel-voiced anti-heroes, a vague plot involving paramilitary forces, a production budget roughly akin to the GDP of a small European nation, and a color scheme comprised of only blacks, whites, grays and reds.

Instead, we’re introducing you to a whimsical, colorful platformer. Made by Germans.

This, of course, is unprecedented. Picture the phrase, “German platformer game” in your head. You saw something roughly akin to Wolfenstein mashed up with Rammstein, didn’t you: slightly severe time trials, obscure rules, and somebody shouting at you.

Instead, you get Tinkerworld: lots of colors, friendly characters, and – whisper it – fun.

We play lots of games. You play lots of games. So when we played Mimimi Productions’ The Last Tinker for the first time, we knew we had to bring it to PlayStation consoles first, because THANK GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, IT’S SOMETHING FRESH AND DIFFERENT.

To be fair, PlayStation rocks because they’ve openly embraced indie developers – and that’s not just PR speak, that’s real. This is awesome, because it means that hidden gems like The Last Tinker suddenly get to bask in the console-exclusive glow as part of the PlayStation family. And the game’s hero, Koru, knows how to bask. Look at the sideburns, man. And the scarf.

The catch, of course, is that because so many fantastic indie games are being showcased, you really do have to have something especially cool in order to stand out. So, in no particular order, here’s why you should check out Tinker:

So the trailer you just watched talks about bringing harmony back to the fractured districts of Colortown, right? But there’s this whole other story involving a malevolent force called The Bleakness, and it’s taking over the world, and SPOILERS—

There are some really cool puzzles in this game. At one point, you even have to conduct a symphony…

The fighting mechanics kick ass; as you gain the power to wield each of the different colors against increasingly tough opponents, you have to learn when to finesse your way forward rather than trying to button-mash to victory.

This game has parkour, yo.

Sometimes a game surprises you. Like grabbing a bag of Cool Ranch chips at the store only to get home and find out it’s Spicy Nacho and then finding out you actually really like Spicy Nacho, The Last Tinker starts off as Cool Ranch and turns into Spicy Nacho with Sriracha. Gobs and gobs of Sriracha. Trust us on this. We went deep there for a reason.

Starting on August 19th, discover Tinkerworld on the PS4 for yourself. Have any questions about the game? Shoot us a comment below. See you in Colortown!

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Find out about the happy Germans who made the game (schnell!): http://www.mimimi-productions.de/team/

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