The Miniatures demo from Other Tales Interactive may be one of the shorter demos on the Wholesome Games Steam Celebration roster, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in story and visual direction. In the demo, we see the beginning of one of the 4 stories planned for full release. It only took me 10 minutes, but in that time, I got a taste of beautiful, hand-crafted visuals and charming minigames that tell a slighter darker story of childhood wonder without a single word of dialogue.  

Subtle Gameplay & Handcrafted Visuals That Just Work

The gameplay we saw in the demo follows the traditional tyle of a point and click adventure game. The mini games were simple, such as sorting screws, nuts, and wood pegs in 3 different jars or rolling some hex nuts across a table. But in a way it’s the simplicity of the gameplay that makes Miniatures work.  

There is no tutorial in Miniatures, that is largely because it’s a game less about how the player interacts with the game and more about how the game interacts with the player. By foregoing gameplay complexity Miniatures instead opts for a focus on abstract storytelling with simple minigames to create an immersive visual novel experience.  

Visual and auditory clues are a major part of Miniatures gameplay, so it’s no surprise that the graphics look straight out a children’s storybook. The visuals on each level are accompanied by vinyl scratch background noise and sound effects that feel as nostalgic as the story theme of family, frustration, and the problems that can arise from poor communication. 

Final Thoughts

I’m giving this demo a 4 out of 5 stars for being a bite sized treat of fiction that delivers a powerful message in such a small package. 

The Miniatures demo was a short and sweet look at an abstract, interactive storybook adventure that isn’t afraid to tackle tough themes. The demo does a great job of eliciting a powerful emotional response without saying a single word. Although the full release run time is said to only be about an hour long, I still feel like there is something here for players to enjoy.

Miniatures is coming later this year to Steam for Windows, macOC, and Linux. For more news on Miniatures and other games by Other Tales Interactive you can follow them on Twitter or join the official Other Tales Discord server.