Should I buy Tunic? – Tunic Review

Tunic is an epic adventure starring an adorable fox exploring a mysterious and dangerous world. It wears its Legend of Zelda inspiration proudly and mixes elements from the Dark Souls series. As you progress through the game, you partake in a charming world and uncover what dark past has led to its ruin.

Charm for miles

The art and music of Tunic must be congratulated as it is both visually and audibly beautiful. Geometry plays an important role in the game and has shaped nearly every aspect of its design. While the world is ruined, the visuals make the world feel vibrant and exciting despite its loneliness.

The score for Tunic ranges from relaxing beats in the overworld to spooky ambient tones while exploring a new dungeon and, of course, thrilling battle music when you are facing a dangerous foe. It is quite easy to let yourself get lost in the beautiful world and fantastic soundtrack while searching Tunic's strange world.

Related: Where to get the sword in Tunic

Set your pace

One of Tunic's most important aspects is exploration. The world is littered with secrets, puzzles, and other discoveries. But it is up to you to find these secrets. You can find in-game manuals for Tunic, and these hold many clues toward your objective. Visual indicators on the screen also help you as you progress.

The greatest sense of accomplishment comes from figuring out these secrets and puzzles on your own, an idea that's reminiscent of solving puzzles in the Legend of Zelda games. You are rewarded for exploring every nook and cranny, whether it be a chest of gold or a power-up item.

Double-edged Sword

Unfortunately, due to the nature of Tunic's self-guided exploration, it is easy to get lost and frustrated. We found ourselves making circles around the map because we missed one not-so-obvious clue. There is little guidance on where to go after completing an area or objective.

Tunic also suffers in its combat. Throughout the game, you find items to help you, but combat boils down to the same three-hit combo with a combination of dodging or blocking. Outside of bosses, most enemies in the game aren't challenging or unique in their attack patterns.

This comes to a climax at a point in the game where the difficulty spikes dramatically. One area features enemies and terrain that can permanently drain your health until you rest at a statue. Shortly after, you face waves of enemies that require near-perfect skill or cheese strategies to win. This event would be fine for an optional challenge, but it gates off the rest of the game until completed.

Verdict - We recommend

Overall, Tunic is a fantastic game, and we recommend it. Aside from the lackluster and frustrating combat and how easy it is to get lost, Tunic's charm and mystery make it a worthwhile experience. Its visuals go a long way in setting the tone of the world. This, combined with the pleasing soundtrack, makes it delightful to explore the world and discover its secrets. Tunic is certainly a title worth pursuing to the end and will leave you with a sense of accomplishment.

For more information on Tunic, check out How to recover your items in Tunic and How to set your checkpoint in Tunic on Pro Game Guides.