Tunic Reviews

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TUNIC has been around for a while already but it's finally available on PlayStation consoles so let's see what all the hubbub is about.

A beguilingly beautiful and practically pitch-perfect mixture of Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls mechanics, Tunic is a boundlessly charming and highly challenging adventure that gets so much right that it borders on ridiculousness.

Tunic harkens back to the 16-bit era with a challenging adventure full of discovery and wonder.

And yet, despite its obvious muses, Tunic manages to rise above mere flattery, by paying deeper homage to the medium itself.

Tunic is an isometric action game where players take on the role of a small fox on a big adventure in an unforgiving world. It might look cute, but it is far from soft, presenting a unique, cleverly mixed fusion of Souls-like combat and Zelda-like exploration and puzzles.

Join an adorable fox on a daring adventure.

Tunic had a lot to live up to after years of built up expectation, and it doesn’t just meet them, it shatters them and stands out as one of the most joyous gaming experiences I’ve had in years. It takes a little while to feel at home in Tunic’s gorgeously rendered world, but once it clicks and the secrets of the masterfully constructed in-game manual start to reveal themselves, the resulting game is up there with the likes of Zelda in terms of exploration and discoveries.

With its inviting, colorful and simple art and back-to-basics mechanics, Tunic appears to be nothing more than a chill Zelda knockoff. But looks are deceiving. There’s a lot more to Tunic than you expect. But are Tunic’s secrets worth discovering?

A friend of mine posted in a Discord the other day that they were trying to run through Tunic for a review and felt it was too opaque. They, as I did at several points, missed one of the game’s very subtle breadcrumbs and as a result, like me, spent a good hour and a bit wandering the overworld getting frustrated. There is one particular step in the main quest, which as far as I can tell has no signposting. You could argue from a thematic point of view it would make sense for you, taking on the role of a fox, to go and do this, but in a game where your little fox is speechless it’s hard to take a beat and ask "what would this little dude do after going through all that crap". As far as I can tell, at this point, Tunic expects you to Google where to go next. More specifically it expects you to ask a friend. The most answered question in the reviewers’ Discord was directing lost players at this exact point. Someone in there figured out this quest step and then slowly, so did all the rest of us. We didn't fail and have to ask for help. We didn't get lost. We didn't get stuck. We talked.

It’s time to go back to the 90s.

TUNIC is both an incredible and incredibly frustrating title. The combat lets down what otherwise is a masterpiece. If you can look past it or feel fine using the accessibility options it is worth checking out. Gorgeous graphics, incredible music, and intriguing lore just may be enough to carry you through, and being available day one on Game Pass on PC and console certainly doesn’t hurt either.

Tunic surprises and delights. It doubles down on its environmental storytelling which may put off those looking for a cruisy experience, but true adventurers will be well pleased with the little fox and his quest.

Announced many years ago as Secret Legend, TUNIC follows a cute little fox who explores a land full of secrets, ancient powers, and aggressive monsters. The isometric adventure game looks and plays similar to the classic The Legend of Zelda experience and last year’s Death’s Door. The solo developer behind the game, Andrew Shouldice, has used that inspiration to creatively design this Metroidvania so intuitively it may be a new fan favourite.

I don’t really care about any of that, because Tunic stroked my ego from start to finish. I frequently found myself muttering, “you devious bastard.” It speaks the language of games gone by while injecting both modernity and its own personal twist. It’s brilliant enough to stand apart, and this is one garment I recommend you slip into. Maybe with some leggings. It would look nice!

Tunic is more than a Zelda clone and will win over many players — those who enjoy the art style, the relentless challenge, the sense of exploration and discovery. But people picking up the game should be aware that it is a niche title that some gamers simply won’t have the patience to complete. Those who do take up the gauntlet will find an enjoyable, albeit sometimes frustrating, experience that fully deserves praise.

“Tunic offers players an adventure full of mystery, but delivers a purposefully obtuse world that's impossible to sort out.”

Tunic was definitely worth the wait. I honestly can’t remember when a game has gripped me the way Tunic has. For the past two weeks, I haven’t stopped looking into certain puzzles, finding new secrets, and thinking about what I could’ve missed. It’s just amazing that the small team behind Tunic has created a game with this much depth.

Tunic sits among the pinnacle of indie titles and is just as fun as it is cute and colorful. There are an astounding amount of secrets to discover in the game and, once you’ve found everything, you can easily play it again and again to do things in a different order using your knowledge. It’s a delightful experience that I just can't get enough of.

Tunic has felt like a long time coming with it being five years after the initial announcement at E3 2017. However, it is understandable considering it is made by a single developer, Andrew Shouldice. Tunic immediately caught my eye with its art direction and bold color palette, but most of all it was the inspirations to one of my favorite franchises, The Legend of Zelda. Well, it’s finally here (despite some of my team still not believing it), but I can confidently say that the wait was ce...

Tunic brilliantly captures the feeling of that special childhood title that made you fall in love with video games. Using a virtual simulation of an old-school guidebook, the game masterfully balances telling players almost nothing with giving them all the information they need. The result is a game brimming with genuine, triumphant discovery.

Drawing inspiration from classic Legend of Zelda titles, Tunic makes heavy use of its in-game instruction manual, but the mysterious language can sometimes prove to be restrictive.

Tunic is a fantastically clever adventure that kicks off in familiar Zelda-esque fashion before branching out to become its own thing entirely. There's an exquisitely designed world to explore here, a great big puzzle-box to probe and prod at as you progress through a story that's got just the right amount of mystery and intrigue about it to keep you hooked in. Combat can be a little clumsy at points early on but it improves as new powers are introduced and the game develops and grows into a surprisingly big, surprisingly challenging experience that's absolutely one of our favourite games of 2022 so far.

An isometric homage to Zelda that is loyal from top to bottom.

Tunic has been in the works for a while, but every second has apparently been worthwhile in this oblique adventure gem

Every once in a while, a true indie gem comes along. A classic for the ages lauded by critics and players alike. One inspired by classics, taking their best mechanics before refining and crafting something wholly unique and simply unforgettable, for better and occasionally, for worse. After more than 15 hours of deciphering cryptic clues and losing myself in its meticulously-crafted, mysterious world, Tunic has cemented itself in that bracket of all-time indie classics, and one that you simply have to play.

At first glance, Tunic might look like your typical breezy indie adventure. How wrong you’d be to think that. Underneath its cute exterior lies a tough-as-nails experience, designed to truly test your mettle. But here’s a game that also sports some of the most thoughtful, wonderful design elements you’ll ever find, all laid out in an interconnected, sprawling world that begs to be explored. Better yet, a range of accessibility options mean that absolutely anyone can experience Tunic, regardless of their skill level. And by god, they should. It really is something special.

A gorgeous art style, phenomenal gameplay, and old school game design make TUNIC one of the most enjoyable indies in years.