Tin Hearts VR

Tin Hearts is a puzzle video game developed by British developer Rogue Sun. It was initially released in 2023 to various platforms as a flat video game and then patched for PlayStation 5 in March of 2024 to include a VR play style. In this game, you encounter various puzzles throughout a Victorian-style home. In each level, your job is to guide the toy tin soldiers safely to their goal.  This interactive experience is a cross somewhere between Lemmings and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Interact with various blocks, cannons, and other objects around the room to change the direction of the tin soldiers.

The game has a wonderful story about an inventor Albert J. Butterworth and his emotional tale of his life, and is honestly one of the best parts of the game. This rich story keeps the player engaged between all 50 levels of this puzzler. The VR component works surprisingly well once you get a hang of the controls. Tin Hearts is a great example of how you can adapt a flat screen game into a worthwhile VR experience. The only downside I have for Tin Hearts is that it becomes a bit repetitive. There are some really ingenious puzzle designs throughout the game, but I couldn’t help but feeling that it needed a bit more variety along the way. The music sets the mood and provided a nice sonic atmosphere for this relaxing brain teaser.

When purchasing the physical copy of Tin Hearts, some extra goodies are included inside the package. This features a sticker sheet, flyer for a digital reward, and a special mental health message on the reverse side of the insert. Most physical games do not include an extras these days, so it is nice to see Rogue Sun and Wired Productions gift these to the purchaser. Overall Tin Hearts is a decent puzzle game with a great story attached. There is plenty of content to keep you busy, and well worth the price of admission.