Size Matters

My first reaction to Size Matters was confusion about what genre it actually belongs to. The Steam tags throw 'Racing' in there, but strip that away and what you have is a first-person time management puzzle set inside a laboratory, where the ticking clock is your own body slowly disappearing. You play a scientist who accidentally drank a shrinking formula and now has maybe ten minutes to synthesise an antidote before the game simply ends. The hook writes itself, and it does land. The core loop is busier than it first appears. You need to hunt down scattered formulas - some on clipboards, some scrawled on chalkboards, some hidden in drawers - and then sequence your use of the lab equipment correctly. The Chemical Processor, Code Combiner, Reverter, and Antidote Producer each handle different stages, and since every machine has a processing delay, routing your tasks efficiently is genuinely the whole game. Getting that order right the first time is satisfying in a way that feels earned. The wild part is what happens as time runs on: counters and desks that were at chest height are now above your head, so you start improvising ramps out of keyboards, chairs, and whatever else is lying around. It sounds chaotic and it absolutely is, in a good way. Difficulty is the main conversation point in the community. On Beginner, Normal, and Hard the timer is forgiving enough that players report clearing first attempts without much stress. The game tells you upfront how many ingredients and formulas exist, which takes most of the mystery out. Dedicated players who want a real fight have Tiny mode available - a stripped-down, brutal run with a ten-minute hard cap that reviewers describe as bordering on impossible - and a fully customisable mode where you can set your starting height, jump count, machine processing times, and total time limit to whatever punishment you choose. That customisation range is the game's most practical feature. Six different laboratories rotate the layout so the formula locations stay fresh across runs, and since they appear to be procedurally placed, raw memorisation does not scale into permanent mastery. The honest downsides are short and specific. This is a solo experience only - no co-op, no split-screen, nothing for your Saturday night crew. One reviewer put it plainly: they would love a multiplayer mode because the premise is perfect for chaos with a friend watching you shrink in real time, but that option simply does not exist. Object controls can feel clunky when you are carrying items, particularly on higher difficulties where dropping something mid-run stings harder. And once you reach a comfortable skill level, the game's replayability lives mostly in achievement hunting and self-imposed challenge runs rather than fresh content. A few runs on a lazy afternoon and you have probably seen most of what it offers. Who is it for? Casual players who want something genuinely weird and low-stakes for an hour or two will get the most out of it. Achievement hunters will find a meaty list to work through. Streamers and content creators who can lean into the physical comedy of a scientist improvising ramps out of office chairs have an obvious angle here. If you are holding out for a proper multiplayer game-night title, though, this one is not it.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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