We've seen indie PC game Tiny & Big before. It looked pretty good! So when I found out it would be playable at Gamescom, I made sure I could go check it out. Cut some rocks up. Shoot a cactus with a rocket. That sort of thing.
To recap: Tiny & Big is a game that's all about physics. You use physics to move places, you use it to stop or evade bad guys and you use it to solve puzzles. This is done using a variety of tools at your disposal, which you can see in the video above: a grappling hook lets you pull things, a rocket can push things from afar and a laser can slice almost any object (floors excepted) in the game in half.
I played through three levels, each emphasising a different aspect of the game. The first, the tutorial level seen in the video above, lets you get to grips with all your gear and the concepts behind the game. The second was a platforming level with its fair share of puzzles and the third a sort of boss fight, as you cross a bridge while some bastard throws giant rocks at you (which, in a nice touch, you can slice in two with your laser like a tiny little samurai).
I really liked what I saw/played. It was a blast experimenting with all the different ways to complete a challenge, especially since the game's physics are so realistic. Imagine, if you need a crude reference, that it's an entire game built of the fleeting "oh wow" moments of world manipulation from Red Faction: Guerilla.
Tiny & Big is due out early next year on PC (Windows & Linux), with other platforms hopefully to come.