At Gamescom 2026, we sat down with the developers AREA35 and had the chance to get a hands-on on Tiny Metal 2 in a fun 2v1 match against the AI. The series that started as a spiritual successor to Nintendo’s famous Advance Wars series with Tiny Metal 1 and its follow-up Full Metal Rumble, quickly evolved into its on thing. Tiny Metal 2 immediately felt bigger and more polished, and the game finally introduced naval combat to the game, which was also a central part of the match, I played.
Additionally Tiny Metal 2 introduces new multi-commander mechanics, an impressive soundtrack by the anime legend Go Shiina and has a stacked voice cast with all kinds of famous voice actors, breathing live in the commanders and the new story mode.
Taking the Fight to the Ocean
The franchise that started with land and air units before, introduces naval combat and units as a theater of war. Even in the half hour we fought the computer enemy, I could tell that adding naval combat, doesn’t just mean more units. It fundamentally changed the map design. Bridges, production facilities, new units that could easily ambush land and air units from the sea, new chokepoints to manage. It adds a lot to the already well-rounded gameplay.
In the demo, I have seen multiple different battleships and frigates, submarines and transport ships, that played crucial roles to attack and defend my units on the land. Transporting infantry units with transport ships, also meant I could cut off critical supply from the enemy.
The game also felt super snappy thanks to its UI and looked gorgeous. From the cel-shaded and chibi designs of the units to the commander art and pixelated unit icons on the side, it’scertainly a looker!
Combat and Coop
While you can play dedicated player vs player matches solo and in teams, you can also play cooperatively and share the decision making, sharing your economy and facilities. So, commanders in campaign and skirmish modes can share income and captured factories and cities and decide dedicated team roles. If you are good with money, you can pump out more units, and your friend can lead the attack. Or you specialize in ground units, while you friend is fighting with naval or air units on another front.
Shared Economy and Controls are not all there is to coop. Focus Fire returns from the original game, where you can lock on enemy units in a place with units, granting other units immediate damage multipliers without direct counter-attack damage.
Commanders also combine their unique passive buffs and ultra powers to sway the battle towards their favors.
An Impressive New Scope
What got highlighted at all times, was the scope of Tiny Metal 2. Honestly, the Tiny in the name is a proper imposter. Nothing about this game is tiny anymore. From adding Naval Combat, to maxing the lobby size from 2 players to up to 8 players in multiple constellations (1v1, 2v2, 4v2, 8 player free-for-all and multiple coop variants) to a game with a fully fledged and well-presented campaign with a packed voice acting cast and the soundtrack by Go Shiina. It is just impressive. But it doesn’t end there.
To increase the replayability and variety, the game comes with over 15 commanders, all with active and passive abilities and upgrade trees and if you are a fan of competitive play, this time around you get proper ranking and custom lobbies.
Tiny Metal 2 set its launch window on PC for Spring 2027, and it is shaping up to be a beast of a turn-based strategy game. By combining cel-shaded anime looks, deep combat decisions and an impressive presentation, I can’t wait to get my hands on it in the future. And if you crave for more Tiny Metal, check out steam for news on Playtests and there is also an anime coming out in the future that expands on the Tiny Metal lore!
BONUS: Project Blitz – A Fast-Paced Arcade Chaos in the Tiny Metal Universe
After putting down the controller when we were done with Tiny Metal 2, the developers showed us another game. Project Blitz, still in the very early stages of development, is a fast-paced, top-down multiplayer arena shooter that takes the familiar aesthetics of Tiny Metal and completely flips the script. Instead of strategic, turn-based planning, Project Blitz leans fully into the arcade party chaos, delivering a Bomberman-like multiplayer experience that quickly became one of my favorite moments of the show.
Designed to up to four players (and it really should be 4 players), we checked out two modes. In the first mode we had to hold zones and then capture a tank and lead it out of the map, the other was more death match like.
What makes it so much fun is the ultimate chaos that ensures when 4 players fight for it. Arenas are small and filled with destructible obstacles and game-changing power-ups. The momentum can swing wildly, depending on the weapons you have or who is trying to kill who. From grenade spamming to charging laser cannons, nearly everything kills you with one shot. And if you feel save, suddenly the map gets drowned in water and you are slowed down, barely escaping the bomb next to you.
Project Blitz felt like the perfect refresher after Tiny Metal 2, as early in development as it was, it already showed a lot of potential to become one of these fun party games, you and your friends pick up on a gaming night and just having a good time! As it is still in early development, I can’t wait to see what other ideas the developers bring to the game and when we can get our hands on it!
