First Posted: 7/29/2013

In times like these, it’s good to see someone fighting for the little guy, even if he is a little guy himself. “Tiny Thief” is the newest downloadable game from Rovio, the studio that created “Angry Birds.” This game is much different than “Angry Birds,” however; “Tiny Thief” is a point-and-click adventure game with light RPG elements, stealth gameplay, and a very charming visual art style.

In “Tiny Thief,” you play as a little criminal who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, just like Robin Hood. The thief is always getting into trouble, but he is doing it for the greater good. There isn’t much more story than that, but you don’t really need it. “Tiny Thief” is all about the really gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and the polished point-and-click gameplay.

For the most part, “Tiny Thief” is 2D side-scrolling game where you tap where you want your thief to go and tap the items you want to interact with; it’s just that simple. The gameplay is very simple to learn, and after the brief tutorial section, you should be stealing look like a true professional.

“Tiny Thief” isn’t the most action-packed game. It is a bit slow and methodical like a stealth game, but the puzzles are really fun to solve. Each level is a static game board to interact with, and you have to find the loot and defeat or distract the guards to continue. There are many ways to do this, such as hiding in barrels, climbing ladders, setting traps, and countless other ways you will find throughout the game.

Just like collecting stars in “Angry Birds,” each of the levels has three objectives: you want to collect the treasure, find your ferret friend, and complete the main goal of the level. A lot of the levels are straightforward, but some of the puzzles are real brain teasers. If you are a more casual player, you can just collect one star on a level, which is fine. Completionists will want to collect all of them, which is rather difficult. If you do get stuck, there is a hint system you can use that will help point out the puzzle solutions.

“Tiny Thief” is one of the most charming games I have played in a while; the visuals are brightly colored and lighthearted. The music and sound effects are catchy and silly. There isn’t a whole lot of dialogue, but the story plays out with a lot of physical slapstick comedy, which can be downright hilarious. In between each of the levels, there are cute little animated scenes that tell most of the story. Another thing that makes the game interesting is the cast of characters; there are several you can interact with, and meeting new characters makes you want to keep playing to see who you will meet along the way.

For only $2.99, this game is actually quite substantial. There are six quests to choose from, each of them containing five levels inside. Some of the levels are easy, and others will make you think for a while. The game has a good amount of replay value if you want to go back and collect the everything. If “Tiny Thief” is anything like “Angry Birds,” I am sure they will release expansion packs and extra content in the future, which I am pretty excited for. If you are looking for a fast-paced action game like “Angry Birds,” this won’t be a game for you, but if you are a hardcore puzzle fan, you will definitely want to check this game out.

If you are a fan of old school point-and-click games, you are going to love this game, and if you are new to the genre, this might be a good jumping off point, with its slick and easy to use controls and beautiful visuals. “Tiny Thief” is a cute, fun, and challenging game that will keep you keep you playing for a while to come.

-Robbie Vanderveken is the digital operations specialist at The Times Leader. E-mail him at rvanderveken@timesleader.com.