blustrkr's Tunic Review Xbox Series X|S, 20-50 hours played

I haven't beaten this yet but I'm quite far into it, and I already know this game is just perfect. It gives me pretty much the same feeling I had when I played Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time way back when. I got to play it for "free" as it was included with my Game Pass subscription, but I will probably end up buying it eventually anyway because it's so awesome.



You play as a nameless fox hero. The Zelda-esque vibes are strong, but it fits so well. The visuals are kind of cartoony, but in a way that's very pleasing to the eye (to me at least). I love this kind of aesthetic with the isometric perspective, light rays shining through the trees, and simpler textures. I haven't tried this on PC yet but I bet it's smooth as butter.



The music is fantastic and very relaxing, and my wife and I have listened to the soundtrack many times when we're away from the game. It has some seriously lush and wide pads with some unison and chorus filters, with simple yet very interesting notes and chord progressions. Some of the songs are very clearly inspired by Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy, Zelda, etc. I really dig the similarities. Check it out for yourself:







The game has plenty of puzzles hidden throughout, with very satisfying animations when things "fall into place" after solving a puzzle. It doesn't tell you much at all, which I also like. It kind of just lets you off into the world, with nothing but strange symbols to describe what's where. Those symbols will slowly reveal their true meaning as you progress through the game, potentially helping you figure out where other secrets may lie. A lot of games these days hold your hand throughout the whole experience with tooltips everywhere, so the mystery in this game was a huge breath of fresh air. I just loved it.



In fact, I have so many more beautiful screenshots of this game (as I'm sure others do!), but I just can't bring myself to upload them all because I don't want to spoil all of the areas. You should really discover everything for yourself as it's a huge part of the magic. I didn't really look at any guides or videos or anything during my playthrough for this reason. That kind of felt like when your dog took your Legend of Zelda guide back in the day!

Overall it's a "simple" game that you'll probably get 20-40 hours from (Depending on how much you want to complete. Don't cheat and look at a guide!), and I really enjoyed every moment. You can tell the sole developer Andrew Shouldice and the composers Lifeformed and Janice Kwan were all very passionate about this project. I am both looking forward to, and dreading finishing the game. I want more!

Highly recommended.