Giving Tunic Another Chance

Tunic, an indie action/adventure game that takes a lot of inspiration from Zelda, is a very popular game. I know I expected a lot from it the first time I checked it out. I couldn’t get into it though. But now, I have a review copy of the game and tried it again. Did I like Tunic any better? Does it live up to the hype? Here is my review of Tunic for the Xbox Series S!

Tunic has been out for awhile now on the Xbox Series systems. I tried it once before but couldn’t get into it. Recently though, I received a review copy of the game and got a second chance to check it out. And I have to say that…

I can be really stupid sometimes. I didn’t give Tunic enough of a chance. I already knew that this game’s graphics were great, but the gameplay…oh my…the gameplay!

Tunic takes a lot of inspiration from the Legend of Zelda series while also offering its own spin of the action/adventure genre. The story unfolds as you go and Tunic doesn’t hold your hand at all. The game’s world is mostly open and free to explore. If you dare. Tunic is not an easy game. You can die very easily, especially when you start out with only a stick as your weapon. Once you get a sword, you’ll be able to take on harder enemies, though you’ll still find yourself dying a lot. The puzzles is this game are not easy. Its not always obvious where you have to go either.

One thing that does help in your journey are the instruction booklet pages you find here and there. They look like pages of an instruction book from the Zelda NES days. They are very detailed and give you clues as to how to fight, what to look for in the game, and more. My favorite of the pages is the awesome world map! I love how you can zoom into it and check out the details. The map also shows you where you are in the world with a fox emblem spotlighting you. You’ll also want to check out each page whenever you get them!

Tunic also has a lot of accessibility options. If you really don’t want the game to hard, it doesn’t have to be. There is an easy mode for Tunic and even a No Fail mode! The game is still really fun on easy or no fail (where you can’t die) because of the open world and general lack of direction in the game. The option section in the menu is very nice. Tunic is an amazing game overall.

As noted earlier, Tunic is a great looking game. The graphics look like a modern day take on games like A Link to the Past. The world is richly detailed with surprises around every corner. Tunic is such a great game.

Tunic offers an extreme challenge if you want it or you can just focus on the game’s exploration and puzzles. If you love the older Zelda games, especially A Link to the Past, then you must check out Tunic. I’m glad I got to check out the game again. This game is an absolute treat!

Tunic gets a 9.5 out of 10.

A digital code was provided for this review. Tunic is out now for the Xbox Series X/S and it is available via gamepass.