Tunic

Genre: Isometric Metroidvania

Players: 1

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Review:

Tunic is an Isometric Metroidvania (I know there’s some dispute over this point, but screw it, I say it is) released on PC and Xbox One in 2022, and then on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch later that same year. Players take the role of a small anthropomorphic fox warrior who sets out on a quest to… free an imprisoned goddess… I think?

Much about Tunic is deliberately vague, unexplained, and somewhat open to interpretation, and this is a part of the game’s charm. The characters here don’t speak, and much of the game’s text is in a fictional symbol language that players are left to guess the meaning of based largely on context.

This filters into the gameplay as well, where players must sometimes deduce what they need to do by piecing together incomplete information and trying to figure out what the game is trying to tell you. This often involves a very clever gameplay element, an old Nintendo Entertainment System-style instruction manual that you collect pages of, gradually piecing together important bits of info to tell you what you’re supposed to do and how to do it. Again, half of this manual is printed in the game’s fictional language, so even a page that’s theoretically telling you exactly what to do is often only suggestive at best.

However, combining with this clever conceit is some truly excellent level design, with the game not only presenting players with an interconnected world to explore, but gradually revealing that this world is interconnected in ways they hadn’t realized. Quite a few times, I had to chuckle when the game revealed that there was a cleverly-hidden shortcut I could have been using the entire time.

Naturally, as they progress, players will gain new abilities that will give them greater freedom to explore and interact with the world around them. However, throughout the game, the combat remains consistently challenging, and I would actually say this is one of Tunic’s worse traits, as less-experienced players enticed by this game’s inviting visuals will likely find this combat to be well beyond their capabilities. I suppose at the very least this game’s menus do offer an option to reduce the combat difficulty, but that’s a feature that’s easy to overlook.

Speaking of those visuals, Tunic is absolutely gorgeous, and deceptively so at that. Initially, this game seems unassuming, with simple low-poly 3D characters and environments. However, this is clearly a stylistic choice and not merely due to laziness, as there’s a lot more detail to the world here, from bushes and foliage that move as you pass near it, water that animates smoothly as it pours down its blocky-shaped falls, and some absolutely stunning use of lighting and shadows. Tunic may not seem like a showpiece game at first, but soon enough it reveals that there’s a lot going on visually under the surface.

The music here is similarly gorgeous. This game uses a combination of piano themes and new age-style synthesized music to create a soft, relaxed tone that permeates the game and meshes well with the seemingly-quaint visuals. For some good examples, check out To Far Shores, The Weight of Rain, and Memories of Memories.

Overall, Tunic seems simple and unassuming, but there is a lot going on here that’s not immediately apparent, from the surprisingly beautiful visuals, to the deep and clever gameplay, to the well-crafted level design. Tunic repeatedly shows that it is a game not to be underestimated, and as this Metroidvania continues to unfold before your eyes, I expect most players will become increasingly thrilled at every new discovery this game has in store to delight you. However, I do say “most players”, because the challenging combat and unclear goals is bound to frustrate some who might otherwise enjoy this, particularly younger and less-experienced players. But everyone else should definitely give this game a look.

tl;dr – Tunic is an Isometric Metroidvania where players control an anthropomorphic fox on a quest to… well, you’re gonna’ have to figure that part out yourself. This game’s way of having players try to figure out what they’re meant to be doing from incomplete information is one of Tunic’s greatest strengths, and it has a lot of them, including clever level design, deceptively beautiful graphics, and a great soundtrack. Really, the biggest flaw I can point to here is that the challenging combat and confusing goal structure is likely to scare off less-skilled players who may find themselves otherwise attracted to this game’s approachable presentation. However, for most players Tunic will be an absolute delight.

Grade: A-

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