3.0
Tamarin is a failed attempt to evoke nostalgia with an awkward combination of two gameplay styles that ends up feeling like two halves of different games yet poorly implemented. Truly a shame.
Tamarin
Chameleon Games · Sep 10, 2020
About
Explore, leap and shoot to save your family from the insect invasion! Leap with the agility of a tamarin as you journey into the Northern wilderness, in a world full of exploration, 3D-platforming and bug-splattering action!
Trailers & screenshots
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Critic reviews
- 3.5The story isn't that interesting, and the characters try to make it sound important but come off as pompous. The platforming is decent once you learn that you have useful moves, but the finicky nature of some elements and the slippery physics mean that asking for precision is inviting frustration. While the thought of resurrecting a Jet Force Gemini-style game is intriguing, the execution fumbles greatly due to it casting aside the advances that have been made in third-person shooters in the last 20 years. Unless you're craving an exercise in frustration, steer clear of Tamarin.
- 5.0On the surface, Tamarin is a cute, beautifully-made action game with the most adorable of protagonists. However, while the game succeeds in its colorful aesthetics and enticing music, it lacks in its depth and storytelling. There is ultimately too much monkeying around and not enough substance. The game gets an A for effort when it comes to creativity, but ultimately the frustration outweighed the enjoyment.
- Initially a fun and unusual game, with weird humor and nostalgic cliches, Tamarin quickly falls prey to overcrowded gameplay and inconsistent quality. Whether it simply relies too heavily on developer experience with games of their far past, or it was experimental ideas that didn’t quite click, the overall impression left of Tamarin wasn’t that of a company with experienced developer veterans spending years working on a game. Rather it was a final year project of some talented students in game design and development.
- 2.0I really hope Tamarin’s issues are addressed with patches. It’s possible, as the game was constantly pushed back from its original release date. But right now it’s almost unplayable, because of its camera pulling. It’s not possible to recommend Tamarin for anything other than the music at present.
- 3.0Overall, it's just not particularly well made; music will drop out occasionally, some collectibles aren't fully explained, the writing isn't good, and it's awkward to control. Add onto all that the strange dual design that has you happily catching fireflies one minute and shooting ants until they explode the next, and we're not sure who this game is for. You may derive some pleasure from its sheer oddness, but that's about it.
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