Inside Social Games

Japanese anime, manga, comics are popular around the world. In light of this, online entertainment company, GCREST made its social MMO, TinierMe, available to English speaking audiences in North American and Europe.

The game is currently within open beta for the Americas and Europe, and its core game play is exactly what the title suggests: To create a tinier version of you. The web-based TinierMe has players jumping head first into a very manga/anime style virtual world, dubbed SELFY Town, with their whole goal being to create the perfect outfit and room for them.

Quite frankly, once you figure it out, the avatar customization was wonderful. With just the starting money the game grants you (more can be earned through normal game play; i.e. mini-games), it is possible to go from an outfit that screams “newb” to something that looks really cool. Moreover, the game also has a secondary, purchasable virtual currency, G-Coins, for users to spend on even more unique items. Of course, even if you do not spend real money, all of the outfits are all still very nice-looking and most are quite unique, ranging from things like a belt jacket to floating demon flames. Unfortunately, this ability to look so good early on is a double-edged sword. Yes, it is gratifying to get some sort of character improvement, but it is better to take smaller steps forward. If you look awesome right away, then what do you have to look forward to? Nevertheless, as time wears on and the clothing selections increase, this might prove to be a moot point.

Even if clothing becomes limited, players still have a room to decorate, and this proves most expensive. Most of the items worthwhile (chairs, tables, etc.) are about the cost of two or three clothing pieces, so a lot of time has to be spent earning money. However, some of them are quite nice, with interior designs ranging from traditional Japanese, to modern, to “feline” (cat-girl). Make them look nice too, because anyone can visit your room at any time.

While self-expression through avatars and rooms is the key draw, TinierMe also has a number of other basic social elements as well such as diaries, friending, mail, chat, and mood emotes. The MMO also has a few synchronous mini-games too where you can play with other users. One such game is Old Maid, which allows you to play cards with a couple other players simultaneously.

A second mini-game worth mention is the fishing game. When you actually get a bite, you have to “shoot” the fish as it darts about a small screen. You get limited tries, and if you don’t hit it enough, you don’t catch it. But when you do get it, everyone in the immediate area knows via a chat announcement.

Unfortunately, all of this becomes a little difficult to figure out because the game never tells you what to do. Thankfully it is not a complicated game. Furthermore, half of what you can do is from a Flash window, and the other half from a separate web page. This includes equipping items, buying clothing, finding help, and so on. It isn’t a huge deal, but it does break the flow of the game.

Beyond this, the only other major complaint is limitations. As it stands, the game world is very, very small, the clothing selection is moderate, and frankly, there isn’t a whole lot to do. Yes, you can earn new clothes, better stuff for your room, and even pets (eventually), but doing so feels repetitive (just playing the same games over and over to earn more money). Granted, this is a bit of personal preference, but the actually “play” part of this title feels a little lacking.

Regardless, GCREST states that its social MMO does have over a million users over in Asia, thus these opinions are just that. Opinions. The game isn’t bad at all. Quite frankly, the art style is very nice despite a slight variation between the avatar and background, the clothing looks great, the rooms do have a lot of options, and the mini-games are fun. TinierMe just feels like it could benefit from more of everything. The game is still in beta, so we expect to continue to improve.