Are you looking to get a solid Match 3 experience on your console? Then you’re in luck because Tina’s Toy Factory has arrived.
Tina’s Toy Factory is a classic match 3 puzzle game with the addition of local multiplayer. You break open crates by matching 3 in a row which releases toy parts. You then combine the toy parts to make complete toys.
You have three tools to help along the way:
Paintbrush Tool – Allows you to change the color of any crate.
Shuffle Tool – Reshuffles the board when you have few moves.
Crane Tool – Allows you to swap any two crates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmQqIaNFtWc
Welcome to the World of Tina’s Toy Factory. If you’re familiar with the Match 3 puzzle genre, then you should be right at home here. Think Candy Crush or Bejeweled. They have adapted the formula for home consoles and made it one solid purchase without microtransactions.
The basic premise is simple. You are presented with a grid of boxes, and you need to switch them to line up 3 or more boxes to make a line. When you do so the boxes will break up. Your goal is to build the toys that are required for each level. As you destroy the boxes you will see toy pieces on the map and you need to put them together to then drop them to the bottom where a crane will take them.
Along the way, there are powered-up striped boxes that are created if you line up four boxes at once. When you make them explode they will either take out an entire row or a column. If you can combine two of those, they will remove a column and row at once. You can also get a hammer that will remove all boxes of one color, and those can be combined with the striped boxes for even greater results with destruction.
The hook on these games, at least on mobile over the past few years, is that you get a set number of lives and every time you play you use one live. Once they run out you have to wait for them to recharge, or you can pay real money to get more lives or spend money to purchase other power-ups. The nice thing with Tina’s Toy Factory is that you get the addictive gameplay with none of the waiting. There are no microtransactions, and you can earn the power-ups as you play.
Some of the power-ups include a paintbrush tool that allows you to repaint a box which you can use to make a line if you are struggling. There’s also a shuffling tool that reshuffles all the boxes for you. Finally, the crane tool allows you to swap two boxes making it easier to make lines. It’s nice that the power-ups charge as you play which means they are available to you when you need them the most.
The game is addictive. It has 100 levels that allow you to get a lot of fun from the experience. When you finish those there is a local multiplayer option you can play with a friend. I had a buddy over one day and we did enjoy the mode a lot, so it is definitely something that others will get a kick out of.
I think the only thing I had an issue with was the presentation of the game. The game has a really cartoony look. However, it looks a bit basic. It doesn’t affect the gameplay, but it makes it hard to show off to your friends when they come over.
There are 12 trophies in the game – 1 Gold, 3 Silver, and 8 Bronze. Most you can get through the single player campaign, and a few you must get in the multiplayer mode. You can probably get all of them in a few hours if you focus on it. You are only required to play up to level 31 to unlock all trophies, which is weird since with a 100 levels there could have been more trophies along the way.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As someone who has enjoyed Match 3 games on mobile, I was excited for a Match 3 game on my PS4. I really liked the quick action and I loved the fact that there were no microtransactions, but the art style and presentation aren’t for everyone. If you are looking for something addictive that you can come back to regularly this is your game. I have a feeling you will be playing it for a while.
This review is based on a copy of Tina’s Toy Factory provided by Strange Games Studios.
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