Tunic Review – A Wonderful Zelda-like Gem (PlayStation And Nintendo Switch Release)

Tunic Review – A Wonderful Zelda-like Gem (PlayStation And Nintendo Switch Release) – In this Tunic Review, we will take a deep dive into the Isometric Zelda-like Action-Adventure as it becomes available for PlayStation consoles and the Nintendo Switch on September 27, 2022. It features familiar gameplay mechanics but with challenging twists and turns that will keep you on your toes. How does Tunic’s exploration compare to Breath of the Wild? Is it worth playing on day 1? We will answer all of these questions and more! The game was developed by Andrew Shouldice and published by Finji. It was initially released on March 16, 2022, via PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and macOS.

Tunic Review – A Wonderful Zelda-like Gem (PlayStation And Nintendo Switch Release)

Tunic Review – Story and Setting

Tunic takes place on a fictional and unknown island filled with secrets and a treasure locked away somewhere. Similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BOTW), you have no recollection of the events that came before and how you got to this magical place. What’s immediately apparent is the lack of tutorials or any sort of hand-holding. Like Elden Ring and other Soulslike games, the player is pretty much left to their own devices to put together every part of the story through exploration.

Playing as a tiny and lively fox, whose green outfit resembles that of Link from Zelda, you defeat monsters who try to stand in your way while discovering essential items. These not only unlock additional gameplay elements but also reveal bits and pieces about a poignant yet unforgettable tale worth knowing.

Being patient and curious will greatly reward you when it comes to uncovering cryptic messages, including the meaning behind what the island holds. These are the qualities that truly make Tunic special because they encourage you to keep going. There is also no need to worry since you will not completely fumble around. Eventually, you gain access to a Sacred Book whose missing pages you acquire in your adventures.

The Sacred Book

Every page contains various instructions, descriptions, maps, and lore but the catch is that not all of these are written in English. Instead, specific events and clues are described through rune-like symbols, which you understand further as you progress in the game. This is an effective storytelling device due to the added layer of depth and complexity behind deciphering Tunic’s true meaning.

What makes this Action-Adventure all the more impressive is how its narrative flows naturally even without the presence of dialogue. The player’s complete understanding will depend on their willingness and determination to piece everything together. And the moment you realize the truth, you are either left satisfied or wanting more.

Tunic Review – Gameplay Mechanics

Tunic will have you explore an island to essentially ring the East and West Bells. Not much is revealed in the beginning as to why you have to do so but it may be connected to the treasure you will eventually get your hands on. Exploration is not as straightforward as it seems since you have to either go around or unlock passages. Sometimes, you even have to find paths, which are hidden behind obscure walls, as well as solve puzzles to go from point A to point B.

Alongside your adventures, you will encounter creatures that need to be dealt with including peculiar oversized Crabbos and Frogs. If you die, you drop the coins you have collected. However, unlike the majority of Soulslike titles, you only lose a certain percentage, not all of it. So dying is not as punishing… unless you keep getting beat, of course! You will then respawn at a recently activated rest point or fox shrine.

Tunic Review – Character Progression

Tunic’s character progression depends on the items you find through exploration. These include weapons you can configure with 3 buttons, a shield to block incoming attacks, and a lantern to guide you through dark places. Some examples of the weapons you can wield are the Sword for melee combat, a Magic Staff to deal ranged damage, and a Magic Dagger to freeze targets in place. On top of these, you can obtain and purchase consumables such as potions and explosives from fallen enemies and the shopkeeper, respectively.

Additionally, the game will also make certain collectibles up for grabs to improve your character’s attack, defense, potion effectiveness, HP, SP, and MP. SP stands for stamina, which is primarily depleted when you are rolling around to evade hits, whereas MP stands for the mana you consume upon using magical weapons. To boost your stats, you will have to offer the collectible and spend coins in front of a fox shrine.

Tunic Review – Exploration and Puzzles

Tunic is a gorgeous isometric action-adventure that is rife with challenging puzzles and rewarding exploration. These are the main focus areas as opposed to Death’s Door, for example, which is geared towards defeating bosses to progress further in the story. Think of it as an homage to classic games where the mechanics are not immediately obvious. As such, the player will have to invest a couple of hours in figuring out how something works. Just like before, you are only given an instruction manual whose scattered pages you acquire around this dreamy and complicated world.

Discovering a Missing Page from the Instruction Booklet

In addition to maps and descriptions, these pages contain hints to prepare you against tough creatures and bosses while aiding you to decode various puzzles. It isn’t enough to simply read them, you must link the ideas together to understand what they stand for and mean. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea due to the added layer of difficulty but it is certainly familiar territory for those who miss N64 games, which are initially shrouded in mystery.

Moreover, it won’t be enough to collect most of the Instruction Booklet’s pages since they are not all written in plain English. The developer of Tunic has opted to mix the language with runic symbols created especially for this game to make every step of the discovery process much more satisfying. Getting lost and figuring things out on your own is part of what makes it extremely charming. And so I highly dissuade you from the temptation of searching for solutions to the problems you are confronted with to get the full experience.

To make matters more fun, you will need to revisit the places you have been to as more tools become available at your disposal. This is due to the gated levels, which you need to remember to go back to later on. For instance, the two-pronged metal jutting out of the ground may seem vague at the start but after several hours into the game, you learn to make sense of what its purpose is. And what about the golden squares on the ground that look mighty important? Without spoiling anything, and trust me on this one, they also serve a higher purpose.

Mysterious Two-Pronged Metal

Puzzles are not created equal either. Some are intuitive whereas others will leave you scratching your head for hours on end. But when clues begin to click and you gradually identify how everything cohesively fits into the game’s bigger picture, you experience a sense of captivating wonder that’s not as common today. It is the same magical feeling of awe that I have felt in BOTW the more I ventured forth in Hyrule. Tunic may not follow the same open-world scale as Zelda but it certainly holds a candle in terms of cultivating a strong sense of curiosity and wonder with an added dopamine rush for the player without feeling unfair.

Tunic Review – Combat and Accessibility

Tunic’s combat is exhilarating when it comes to the combinations of attacks you can experiment with. Initially, your standard equipment is the Sword and Shield, which lets you slash enemies into pieces as well as block or stun them. You then gain a Magic Staff to cast fire rays from afar or use the Magic Orb to suddenly bring them beside you and then perform the final blow with your Sword. These are just some of the things you can do to efficiently destroy your foes.

They are not super important in regular encounters but significantly more useful against imposing bosses that pack huge and painful punches. So it won’t be enough to bring your Sword and Shield, you must bring explosives and utilize crowd control techniques with magical weapons.

Learning any creature’s attack pattern by letting them act first is the key to victory. Similar to Soulslike games, you need to be cautious when engaging with them, otherwise, you can easily get overwhelmed especially in group fights. Furthermore, Tunic features a Stamina System, which is another bar that needs to be managed. This resource is only depleted when you execute dodge rolls or deflect incoming hits with your Shield, not the attacks nor sprints you perform. If your stamina level reaches 0, your defensive actions become limited and you take 1.5x more damage so be careful.

Like Steelrising, Tunic has an Accessibility Menu that not only lets you tweak the difficulty of the game but also adjusts the visual settings to reduce motion sickness. For example, you can opt to turn on the No Fail Mode to be immune from taking damage in order to focus on solving puzzles. Or activate No Stamina Restrictions to easily dodge attacks to your heart’s delight.

Tunic Review – Audio, Visuals, and Design

Tunic fosters a greater sense of discovery in the player because of its effective and excellent overall design. Right from the start, the game doesn’t pretend to be simple, although it deceptively looks like it from the lighthearted visuals of the places you visit to the charming and calming music. Most secrets will also leave you in awe due to the sheer creativity behind them. Every time you uncover a hidden passageway, you cannot help but pat yourself on the back for figuring it out.

Going back to the visuals, Tunic features unique and colorful dream-like sequences that will make you look back at the fondest memories of your childhood. But beneath this seemingly peaceful and vibrant exterior is an unspeakable truth, which will surely change your view of this captivating game.

When it comes to the audio, you can expect nothing less as this considerably elevates your overall experience to a whole new level. Multiple background tracks seamlessly weave together to bring life into the environments you are exploring. Cutting through bushes,  swinging from one hook to the next, or fighting against the terrifying Garden Knight do not feel ordinary as a result. Instead, you feel that everything on the island has meaning and purpose behind them no matter how small its footprint may be.

From a technical standpoint, the only minor issue I encountered was the occasional stuttering while exploring. Aside from this, no game-breaking bugs appeared during my playthrough.

Replayability and Pricepoint

Tunic’s main campaign can take approximately 10 hours to finish and about 20 hours if you decide to collect all pages of the Instruction Booklet. However, there isn’t much room for replayability should you unlock the game’s secrets in one go.

For PlayStation consoles and the Nintendo Switch, you will be paying USD 29.99 to gain access to the game. The price is a bit steep also considering the shorter than usual gameplay, and it could probably go down to USD 20 or USD 25.

Final Thoughts

Tunic is a marvelous isometric action-adventure game that is reminiscent of challenging and unforgettable titles of yesteryear. What makes it special is the consistent exploration and puzzle designs, which are satisfying to discover and solve. These are further exemplified due to the beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous visuals of an island with a dark past and its unique cast of characters.

If you are searching for a title like BOTW that presents fair challenges while creating moments of wonder through discovery, then this is the title for you. Tunic launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch this September 27, 2022.

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out our Torchlight Infinite Overview: Closed Beta Hands-on Gameplay Impression and Steelrising Review – Soulslike Automaton Uprising Done Well.