Tunic
Released: March 16, 2022
Game Length: 20 Hours
Grade: C
Prelude
Introduction: Let me come out and just say it: Tunic is really hard. Those four words pretty much sums up my whole experience. This game is nowhere near as generous as Hollow Knight or pleasant like Death's Door. It is built to stack the deck against you at every turn. I'll be covering each of these avenues below. You'll find out that (1) the game's mechanics are punishing, (2) enemies are excruciatingly difficult because some of the tools that would make things easier are made available later on, (3) nothing is directly spelled out to you as you try and decipher the game's systems from the smallest of hints, and (4) receiving a proper ending will require finding all the ridiculously super-secrets hidden in the world.
Game Mechanics
Stamina: Similar to how Star Wars: Fallen Order felt very awkward to me, Tunic seems to also suffer from a list of things that felt out-of-place. Perhaps the biggest problem is how stamina is handled. You essentially are allowed three rolls before you enter "tired" status. This prevents you from rolling again until it fully replenishes. Being in this critical state increases the amount of damage you receive. Trying to roll before it reaches maximum will drain the bar without a roll. If that wasn't bad enough, using your weapon will freeze the bar in place. Guarding will still drain the bar at half the speed. If you feel that these things are too much for you, there is an option to enable Infinite Stamina.
Inventory: There will be no doubt you will obtain all kind of gadgets and gizmos. The problem is that you can only equip three at a time. Will you equip a potion when you need your tool to get around? One slot will obviously require your weapon. I once tried switching out a couple things in the middle of a boss fight - bad idea. The game doesn't stop because you decided to swap things around. You also have to be aware that consumables used are gone for good. If you die, you won't get them back. Since there is a limit on some of these items, it can be a devastating problem if you run out.
Enemies
General Creatures: The world is filled with small creatures that can deal some good damage to you. Surprisingly, the game offers you all kinds of things to make your experience better. All you need to do is defeat the enemies first, then you can get the item that makes it easier the next time you come around. Unfortunately, the game also allows you to explore the more difficult areas without finding those tools first. There have been reports of people who have attempted to do battle with the first major boss without having any upgrades or finding the shield. Things grow even worse when the game temporarily removes some of those bonuses from you half-way through the game. Some environments and enemy types can also lower your maximum health until you visit a checkpoint. Of course, you may hit an altar to "reset" your character, but this would also cause all enemies to respawn.
Bosses: I don't think I'll ever find people complaining about how hard the landscape enemies are for almost any game. It will always be about how difficult the bosses are to fight. These bosses, and even some of the sub-bosses, can be excruciatingly difficult. You'll also need to defeat waves of enemies in a gauntlet run. You might have obtained all the hidden bonuses, upgrades, and tools but still be unable to defeat them. The early "garden boss" that the game warns you about had me rage quit for a good week. If you feel like I did about these bosses, don't be ashamed to enable No Fail Mode. It's there for a reason.
Game Systems
Instruction Manual: When it comes to playing a game, I usually spend some time checking out what everything does. I like to see overhead maps. I also like to know what I'm getting into. This game provides all these things... with a huge catch. You literally have to go catch the pages floating in the world. There's also another problem: it's in another language. You'll be able to get the maps fairly quickly before exploring the various areas and it will also present a fox icon to show where you currently are. This guide is essential for practically everything. There are markings all over the manual that will help fill in your gaps of knowledge. You'll find hidden passages, chests, and items to make things easier for you as you progress.
Environment: The game has this way of hiding things behind the landscape. Important things will generally be out in the open, good things will be seen but require some navigation skills, and slightly beneficial things (generally currency) are completely out-of-sight. Hidden objects like ladders can usually be found by hugging the boundaries and looking for a button prompt. Unfortunately, much of your interaction with the world will require very specific input codes. That's when the manual comes into the picture again. These codes are hinted at by the visual drawings and you'll be able to know what it says if you feel determined enough to translate the language. The problem is that a lot has happened since the manual was created, so don't get too annoyed when you come to a broken bridge or a route has been blocked off by rocks.
Secrets
Collectables: Growing to understand how to upgrade your character is all par of the course with this game. However, there is one thing that drove me crazy. In order to receive "the true ending" of the game, you must extend yourself in collecting several of these hidden objects. There are 56 pages in the manual. By the time I received the "clear ending" of the game, it told me I was still missing 5 pages. I had no idea what kind of rabbit hole I was getting into. There were 20 secret fairies and 12 secret (golden) treasures. I didn't even know they existed! Probably because I was so frustrated by everything else at that point. That's after I found all 8 hero items. One of the treasures can only be discovered with the cover page that can only be obtained after discovering something called the "golden path" in the manual. If by some miracle you figured out what the game wanted you to do, making sure you input all 100 button presses correctly is a whole 'nother matter.
Beyond the Game: But wait, there's more! You see, the game doesn't just simply end because you received the good ending. There will come a time when you are able to visit the Glyph Tower. The runes that display there will lead you to a crazy website with a weird sound playing in the background. Downloading and checking that file has a secret message that essentially says "Thank you for playing."
Summary
Review: Anyone who first looks at Tunic is going to think that this is some cute game that was developed as a homage to the first Zelda game. Don't be fooled. The game is brutally difficult with secrets on top of secrets that would make the game of Myst blush. Hardly anything is explained and the game mechanics will constantly punish you for making any wrong move. For those who don't want to have a frustrating experience, stay away.
6-21-2022