Non-RPG General News - Tunic Review @ Destructoid

Destructoid checked out the puzzle-adventure game TUNIC:

Review: Tunic

Ow, my brain

I’m of the opinion that no era of video games is really better than the rest. You’ll find some argue that it peaked around the 16-bit era and others who insist that video games get better and better. My thoughts on this are that certain aspects of design have fallen out of fashion as the market has diversified. However, that only makes them different; not worse.

One such aspect of design that has changed is leaving it up to the player to plumb a game for its secrets. Think The Legend of Zelda, which was packed with secrets both optional and required for you to complete the game. The sub-genre that sprung up around Metroid was very much about chipping away through exploration, and not all of it was communicated in an obvious manner. Sometimes, sometimes you had to crack open the instruction manual to discover information that the game itself wasn’t going to tell you. Castlevania never told you that you have to hold Up and press the B button to throw your secondary weapon.

Tunic doesn’t just include this antiquated slice of design, it’s actually about it. Forget that it looks like Zelda and plays like Dark Souls, what it really is underneath is a celebration of long-forgotten design practices.

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What’s amazing about Tunic is that I can’t count any misstep. I fell into the world a few times, big deal. The penalty for death is paltry and they’re bugs that can be squashed. Once, a sound queue got stuck playing continuously, and I found myself pondering its significance in futility. I only noticed it wasn’t supposed to be happening when it continued through to the main menu. Sometimes things get in the way of the camera. There was nothing major enough to drag down the experience.

I don’t really care about any of that, because Tunic stroked my ego from start to finish. I frequently found myself muttering, “you devious bastard.” It speaks the language of games gone by while injecting both modernity and its own personal twist. It’s brilliant enough to stand apart, and this is one garment I recommend you slip into. Maybe with some leggings. It would look nice!

Score: 9/10

RPS: 7 Reasons Why You'll Fall In Love With Tunic

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Thanks Redglyph!