If you think open worlds are too big, play Shrinko / if you think open worlds are too small, play Shrinko

The open world dislikers bundle through the door of Dr Shrinko’s office like mardy harlequins, fuming and shrieking in their oversized licensed gear. One is wearing GTA 6 brand trousers so long they reach to her eyes. Another sports an Elden Ring hat that extends to his ankles. “Doctor, doctor!” they wail. “The open world games are too big. They consume all of our free time. Why, it takes Yasuke 40-100 hours to get from one end of Assassin’s Creed Shadows to the other!”

Dr Shrinko leans back in his chair with a pleasant smile. “Solution is simple,” he trills. “Make Yasuke 40-100 times larger.”

No sooner has the physician spoken when the window of his office explodes. Another man clambers through the gap, straining to move easily against the friction from excessively tight, Sable-themed pyjamas. “Don’t listen to them, Doctor,” he gasps. “Open world games are too small. Why, you can get through Marvel’s Spider-Man in less than 30 hours, without skimping on sidequests!”

Dr Shrinko gestures impatiently. “Then make Peter Parker 30 times smaller.”

In case you hadn’t gathered already, Shrinko is an open world exploration game that lets you change your size. There’s a free, work-in-progress build on Itch.io. It’s the most delightful explore-me-do in a while. You play a grinning turquoise tripod who is searching for collectibles – “Stars, Bananas, Jiggies, and the secret Udders”. I don’t really understand the mammary symbolism here, but I’m too overpowered by whimsy to care. Consider: the music alters depending on whether you are unspeakably large or terribly, terribly small.

Some of the collectibles are found in deceptively plain rooms that harbour hidden immensities; others might require you to do a Gigantor and stomp around the skyline. If you’re worried about stepping on people while in kaiju form, take consolation in the fact that the game’s island setting is currently empty of life besides plants and mushrooms. Well, based on the 20 minutes I’ve spent in it, anyway. Perhaps the locals are just hiding. Sensible of them. Dr Shrinko has no time to watch his step. He will secure those udders by any means necessary.

The developer, ntesh, is conscious of some blemishes. “The camera is absolutely garbage, I know this, you know this, I am trying really hard, I guess it’s a difficult thing to fix,” they rant and rave on the Itch page. What’s more, “sometimes you warp to the ground really fast when running off ledges.” As if that wasn’t enough, “growing near walls can quite often launch you, especially in the city”. The final insult: “this game isn’t exactly optimized so there may be screen freezes or jitters”.

Please remove your hair shirt already, ntesh! You have made a game in which I can skydive into a birdbox while jumping over a valley. I think that’s more important than ironing down the frame-rate.

Thanks for finding it, Warpdoor.