Twisted Metal: Small Brawl

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl is a lighthearted spin-off of the series that, instead of regular cars and trucks, builds on motorized toys driven by children acting as the drivers. Instead of street demolition, the battles take place in oversized children's rooms, gardens, or toy stores, where giant furniture, building blocks, and construction sets serve as arena backdrops through which small vehicles race around at a scale the series had never seen before.

Development was handled by Incognito Entertainment, and the game was deliberately aimed at a younger audience as well as parents who were bothered by the cruelty and dark humor typical of the numbered entries in the main series. The weapons are styled as harmless toys, explosions resemble fireworks and colorful confetti rain more than destruction, and the story animations are told with childlike exaggeration and without any bloodshed. The vehicle roster includes shrunken versions of the series' iconic machines, each with its own special weapon adapted to the toy-themed setting, and the gameplay remains fast and accessible even to less experienced players thanks to simplified controls and shorter, clearer arenas than in the main line of games. The difficulty was noticeably lowered compared to the numbered entries, and fewer battles are needed to finish the story, so the game also works as a first introduction to the series' principles for players who wouldn't yet dare try a full-blooded Twisted Metal. The visual style keeps the series' recognizable vehicle models shrunk down to a toy scale, complemented by a more pastel color palette and lighthearted music that, instead of the dark atmosphere of the numbered entries, evokes more the feel of a Saturday-morning cartoon. For parents who wanted to let their children play a game similar to the one they knew from the main series, but without its bloodier elements, Small Brawl offered a clearly readable and safe compromise in this regard.

Why play it: For families and younger players who want a taste of the series' vehicle combat without the raw violence, and for collectors who want to see an unusual departure from the standard Twisted Metal formula.