Tiny Glade is a unique indie game developed by a small team called Pounce Light. The game features a simple and charming gameplay loop where players can build and arrange castles, villas, or cottages using a flexible building system. What sets Tiny Glade apart is its impressive custom technology, including ray-traced global illumination (RTGI) and reflections, all of which run smoothly even on older GPUs like the GTX 1060. This game surprises players with its technical execution and user experience right from the start. With its tiny size of 1.8GB, Tiny Glade loads quickly and allows players to start creating within seconds of launching the game. The use of proceduralism ensures fast load times, making it easy to switch between scenarios and create something new instantly. The game’s attention to detail is evident in the way buildings morph and align with the environment, adding to the overall charm of the game.
One of the standout features of Tiny Glade is its rendering technology, which uses a Vulkan renderer with zero shader compilation stutter and extensive compute shaders for rendering. The diffuse global illumination and reflections in the game create a warm and visually appealing atmosphere, with light bouncing between objects and creating realistic shadows and lighting effects. While the game does have some graphical limitations in indoor areas and with reflections on surfaces like water or ice, the overall visual quality is impressive and holds up well. The game’s use of ray tracing and depth of field effects further enhances the immersive experience, making it feel like players are interacting with a real diorama rather than a video game.
Despite its technical innovations, Tiny Glade maintains a rock-solid 60fps even on low-end hardware, showcasing the power of custom technology and bespoke game engines. The game’s performance and sound technical decisions reflect the dedication of the development team and their commitment to creating a unique and enjoyable gameplay experience. As the studio continues to expand and develop the title, players can look forward to more content such as new palettes, archetypes, and larger map sizes in the future. Overall, Tiny Glade is a game that demonstrates the potential of indie developers to push the boundaries of game design and technology, offering players a refreshing and engaging gaming experience.
