Tiny Brains Scurry Onto PlayStation 4 Nov. 26

Originally set to be a PlayStation 4 launch title, the multiplayer puzzle adventure game, Tiny Brains, was mysteriously lacking from the Nov. 15 lineup Sony posted a couple of weeks ago. It looks like the game wasn't delayed too long, however, as the developers at Spearhead Games have now announced a Nov. 26 launch date.

I always get a kick out of gamers' reactions to “small” launch lineups. “Only 20-something games?!” How many games does one expect to play in just seven days, anyway? I'm cool with having the wealth spread around a bit, which is why I'm looking forward to more announcements like the one coming out of Spearhead Games this weekend. Originally set to arrive on Nov. 15, their first PS4 offering is now set to arrive on Nov. 26, giving gamers something to look forward to after a little bit of the launch day buzz has died down.

The (pardon the pun) brainchild of former AAA developers Malik Boukhira and Simon Darveau, Tiny Brains is the result of a couple of creative guys deciding that they wanted to step away from “big” games in order to forge their own path. That, of course, led to Tiny Brains.

“Tiny Brains is an upcoming action puzzle game that follows the adventures of four tiny (but super-powered) lab animals that have been experimented on by a mad scientist,” Boukhira explained. “Each 'tiny brain' has a unique physics-based ability and players must work together to combine their powers and escape the trick-ridden science experiment.”

Boukhira said Spearhead made the game to be a truly co-op experience, forcing players to work together in order to proceed.

“You and your fellow gamers can no longer just co-exist,” he explained. “You must truly cooperate, and it's easy for non-gamers to jump in and have fun.”

Having the game on the PS4 allowed the team to offer more physics-based objects, more destructible parts of the environment, and more baddies. The light bar on the front of the PS4 controller glows the color corresponding to your critter, too, and turns white while your unique power is recharging. A small feature, but a nifty one. The touchpad is also incorporated into the game, giving players the ability to “point” to an object within the game, when telling an online friend to do something isn't quite working. Instead of just saying “move that one box out of the way” and the other player assuming you meant a completely different box, you can now say “move this box out of the way” and have an arrow pointing to it on the screen.

“We're thrilled with the way Tiny Brains has turned out, as a joyously chaotic, intensely social game that can turn strangers into friends and friends into a team,” Boukhira said. “We can't think of a better medium for its gameplay than PS4.”