Outerwear Reviews
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need to know
What is it? Isometric Zelda with a cunning hero.
expect to pay $30/£25
developer Outerwear team
Publisher Finge
audit date Intel Core i7-11700K, GeForce RTX 3070, 16GB RAM
multiplayer game? Do not
association Official website
On the surface, Tunic’s pleasing art style and captivating tone bear a striking resemblance to the Zelda franchise. But beneath its delightfully disarming exterior lies a game designed to test your resolve. Tunic’s seemingly hospitable world is full of enemies, all of whom are more than willing to knock your stuffing out of you. Prepare to die. a lot of.
Aside from the abrupt opening that sees our fox friend washed up on the beach, there’s little in the way of storytelling. The plot that Tunic has is rarely intentionally vague. The wider mysteries of this world are a great addition to the game, not a compelling reason. Just diving into its enchanting surroundings, battling pesky inhabitants and uncovering its layers, is an intriguing story in itself. This beautifully constructed isometric world is a delight to explore. The overworld and many of the dungeons in the game offer intricately designed and varied environments. Some are filled with dangerous obstacles, such as the life-consuming slime of a quarry, while others offer more straightforward treasure hunts, shortcuts, and a path forward.
(Image credit: Finge)
In true Metroidvania fashion, you need the right tools and abilities to reach certain areas. Many of the game’s locations can be explored directly from the beach, but neither the difficulty nor the lack of equipment will prevent you from straying too far from the game’s intended path. For example, you can enter the Tomb of Darkness very early, but without finding the lantern first, good luck solving its pit of skeletons and spikes. I love revisiting areas with expanded inventory, which allows me to claim previously unavailable treasures.
While the green costume and simple sword and shield might make Tunic’s anthropomorphic fox look like a furry red Link, many of the game’s mechanics are taken directly from the Souls series. Strange Statues provide a place to replenish your health potions and magic, but they also respawn enemies. You drop your gold when you die, and to get your lost wealth back, you have to take it back to where you fell. Interacting with your Fallen Fortune also creates an area effect attack that deals damage to enemies and knocks them back, sometimes making tactical death your best option. The prospect of losing gold adds a surprising level of tension, as you’ll not only need a lot of cash to buy items, but upgrades as well. Leveling up has a big impact on your survivability in Tunic, and each level up adds a little charm to our cunning heroes.
There’s a sense of meaningful progress as you expand your arsenal to include bombs and magic. But since everything else is of limited use, a lot of the time, you’ll be relying on your trusty sword to defeat your in-game foes. Combat requires careful timing of the swing, and attention to using stamina when dodging enemy blows to find the right time to attack. Enemies are not easy to deal with just because the furry guy is cute. They were more than willing to kick his tail back to the last checkpoint. Each of Tunic’s enemy types has been carefully crafted and varied well from start to finish. Fast and snappy crocodiles deal massive damage if they bite you, while fairies – floating walls – freeze you in place using explosive abilities.
(Image credit: Finge)
When it comes to combat, though, the real highlight is the boss fights. Every encounter is a spectacle, although you won’t have much time to appreciate the artistry as you dodge powerful slam attacks and escape devastating lasers. You’ll shout things that don’t fit Tunic’s naive tone as these fearsome foes beat you countless times. They need patience, but they also work out very happily – overcoming each one feels like an achievement.
Every encounter is a spectacle, although you won’t have much time to appreciate the art.
Some games go to great lengths to explain the ins and outs of their mechanics and then let you roam freely in their worlds, but Tunic doesn’t. One of the most important lessons you’ve learned – probably after your little fox has lost hopelessly for a lot of time – is that the game does provide guidance in an enlightening way, allowing you to collect an old-fashioned guidebook manual. While the first few sections are easy to ignore, you’ll quickly discover their importance. If you’re confused about where to go next, or need some guidance on how a specific mechanism works, these beautiful pages are there if you look closely. The manual itself is an enigma, and its cryptic design is a clever way to tease out the inner workings of the game. This makes unpacking more appealing than traditional tutorials.
(Image credit: Finge)
Thankfully, Tunic’s trivia is as small as its obscure protagonist. All your offensive abilities can only be mapped to three buttons, which is fine at the start, but limited when you want to use a range of consumables in battle with your sword and magic. Sometimes isometric levels can take significantly longer to load than you might expect from a game of this type when transitioning between regions. Enemies also occasionally move through the environment, and flying enemies will often back up where you can’t reach with your sword swing, which annoys them quite a bit until you can use ranged magic attacks.
While it draws inspiration from many of the greats in gaming, Tunic has a unique and unique feel to it. Its simple yet colorful graphic style and focus on good old-fashioned fun create an undeniably captivating experience. At the same time, the contrasting challenges it presents add extra immersion and satisfaction, making this captivating adventure one you’re unlikely to forget anytime soon.
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