Tunic

 

I have a love/hate relationship with this game. Its resemblance to Zelda games, specifically 2019's re-release of Link's Awakening is an obvious attention-grabber for me. The gameplay is quite similar to Zelda games. You start in an overworld filled with enemies. Much like BOTW, you start with a stick as a weapon. You quickly find a sword, however, and as you progress through the game you pick up other items that are helpful for your journey - a shield, a hookshot-like device, the ability to teleport short distances, etc. Acquiring these items allows you to access previously blocked areas of the map. All of this is very much like old school Zelda games and was a nice return to classic gameplay as BOTW and TOTK have deviated from this a bit.

The newer Zelda games do a good job of explaining the story. The older ones, however, are a bit more mysterious. I still remember A Link to the Past and how it started you off in Link's house with almost no explanation on what to do. Tunic gives no explanation on what you are supposed to do. In fact, even after finishing the game I wasn't sure I understood what just happened. I read a few plot summaries and I think I got it now, but the game is very vague. In fact, there is essentially no written words in the game, and there are no spoken words at all. The signs in the game are written in a made up language and thus cannot be read. The only real communication or explanation that you get comes in the form of a digital instruction manual. The pages are scattered throughout the overworld, which you are able to collect as you progress through the game. Even the instruction manual provides just vague explanations. In general I'm OK with the game being vague, as putting together the pieces of the plot puzzle can be fun. However, it can make it a bit challenging to know what to do next or where to go next. I found myself watching strategy videos a lot as a progressed through the game. 

I'll do just a quick plug for the music and graphics in the game. The overworld has a very simplistic look. As mentioned above, it is very reminiscent of 2019's remake of Link's Awakening, though Tunic is a bit less vibrant. Overall it has a fine look but nothing to write home about. However, some of the stages, especially later in the game, are quite stunning. The Quarry and Monastery are two locations that come to mind that are fantastic looking. The game has a bit of a depressing feel to it, honestly, and the music fits this theme quite well. Although none of it is overly memorable, I remember thinking on several occasions while playing that it sounded appropriate and fit the scene quite well. I think the music that stands out the most for me is the song that plays in the background as you face the game's final boss, the Heir. This could be because I had to fight the Heir about 40 times before I beat her, however. Which leads me to the part of the game that contributed to the hate part of the love/hate relationship.

Tunic is really hard. I don't mind a challenge or hard game, but at times Tunic was frustratingly hard. I've already mentioned that there wasn't always clear instructions on what to do or where to go next. This in itself can be frustrating. But what pushed my frustration over the edge was how dying was handled. When you die, you spawn at your last save point and your life/potions and magic are restored. This is fine and mostly standard across other games. However, any special items you used, such as bombs or bottled magic, does not restock. This puts you in a real bind when fighting bosses. If you use your special items and fail, it can be very tough to beat the boss, as your supplies no longer exist. I found myself needing to try several times to beat the bosses, so many times that on a handful of occasions I contemplated quitting the game. 

I hate comparing Tunic to the Legend of Zelda as much as I did because it truly does stand alone as its own individual game. The comparisons are inevitable, however, as the similarities between the two games are great, right down to the appearance of the main character. Overall I enjoyed the game and would recommend it. It is frustrating, however, that the game can be so unforgiving that I thought about quitting. I think Tunic could have been challenging but a bit more forgiving when you die. At least give us our special items back when we respawn!