Tunic GI Review 9.75: A well-deserved treasure

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Tunic cleverly captures the feeling of a video game in your childhood memories that takes you into the pit. By simulating a virtual old-fashioned guidebook, the game strikes a precise balance between "not giving instructions to the player" and "giving the player the information they need", culminating in a game that is incredibly sincere and encouraging to explore.

Every pixel of Tunic contains a tribute to the medium of gaming, and players who have been deeply influenced by traditional games will find that following their instincts pays off as they explore this beautiful world. Tunic also combines the charm of a classic game with the sensitivity of a modern piece, which is quite impressive. As an equal-line-of-sight action-adventure game, Tunic refers to many early works in the Zelda series and many works in the Soul series, which can be said to be a winning combination.

The game's combat system requires me to find a window to attack the enemy while keeping an eye on my endurance bar. Every slash, dodge, or block consumes a lot of stamina. Kindly enough, low endurance doesn't make me incapable of attacking, but it does take more damage at 0 endurance. Light-hearted music contrasts with tough battles, pleasant BGM dissolves the pain of being brutally defeated, and the world's simple, beautiful aesthetics do the same.

Death means losing a portion of the "hard-earned money" I've earned in previous victories, but the beauty of Tunic is that you never lose everything. So, you can choose to rush directly to the place where you fell and pick up what you lost, or you can choose to spend the rest of the money first and create some advantage for yourself.

For those who don't like this gameplay, Tunic also offers a variety of ways to fully enjoy the combat system, such as accessibility options that include invincible mode and unlimited endurance settings. The game's Souls style of fighting is quite intense, but the challenge comes with satisfaction rather than frustration (though a few bosses do give me a headache later). Each boss battle has a unique combat experience, with different attack modes for players to learn, but most of the shows are similar. On a closed battlefield, a tall challenger tries his best to defeat you, a battle you can't escape.

Tunic's combat section is excellent, but the exploration session is probably the most impactful element of the game. The adventure process itself is linear, but it contains countless branches, which in turn will continue to split into more developments. Whichever direction I decide to go, I will eventually reach an important location, and some roads will unexpectedly lead me to new goals or undiscovered post-game areas, making the world feel like an endless world, which is a commendable design for a game with a strictly fixed route.

Each route is filled with things waiting to be discovered and an astonishing number of treasure chests, many of which at first glance are unreachable until I catch a glimpse of an inconspicuous hidden passageway, or a clever combination of props that will help me get there. Tunic doesn't succumb to tedious decryption, but makes me proud of my decryption skills in the process, and even if I get rewarded, the joy of exploration will not disappear.

Some of the things in the game are quite conspicuous (like a sword or a very "Zelda" style key item that is used to unlock new areas or let me pass certain obstacles). Other parts, however, are a complete mystery (and I'm not going to spoil it here). One of my favorite moments involved an eerie object that at first seemed useless, but then when I was on my way, I suddenly had an epiphany in my head. While thinking "I must have thought too much", I still practiced my theory and unexpectedly succeeded. I rejoiced at my work and really felt the developer's clever design.

However, the game is not entirely "free-range" players, and tunic's gameplay is inextricably linked to the fragments of guidebooks scattered around the world waiting to be collected. Although most of this nostalgic style manual is unreadable hieroglyphs, as long as you read it carefully, the book can still convey the relevant knowledge that players need to know.

This page may be about a demonstration of the battle mechanics, that page may be about a map, and another page may be a veiled revelation of the game's plot. As I turned the pages, I realized that there was actually an entire chapter about the plot. But these basically unreadable words don't help me sort out the whole story.

Despite some ambiguity, Tunic paints a compelling blueprint for a story that gives me an idea of what's going on right now, while leaving room for my own interpretation, which I love.

I took a closer look at the instructions and soon realized that there were plenty of handwritten insights in the margins of the page. It made me feel as if I had gotten the game and the pamphlet from an older cousin, a friend, or a second-hand shop, and had inadvertently learned the secrets. I took a closer look at the official printed version of the manual, and the hints scribbled in ink, which, though obscure, were of great help.

The design of the game is constantly rewarding me for this dedication, and if I'm stuck at any point, the answer to the question must be in these pages, and I quite like the design of the game to fit the player into its META narrative. Tunic's ingenious design awakened my childhood memories of inheriting games from others and incorporating these real-world experiences into the gameplay, making me even more connected to the game.

While I'd recommend Tunic to all players, the uniqueness in game design can also be very irritating. Most of the time (especially in the early days of the game), good design makes it easy to find answers or find another way out while leveling. However, when I was nearing the end of the game, I couldn't directly change the path to continue, and the overall progress was slowed down.

However, this was only a rare exception in the overall remarkable experience, and when I finally found that the secret I was looking for had actually been hidden in the pamphlet, the irritability turned into admiration, and the attention to detail and the dedication of the developers to these pages was commendable.

I'm always going off the beaten track and going after something else, or exploring a newfound path, so it took about 20 hours to get through. Still, I know there's a lot to do with the game, and I'm excited to revisit it, dig into every secret, and fully experience this beautiful world. Tunic is an amazing piece that celebrates the best of nostalgia while being refreshing and a must-play masterpiece.

Translation: Night Cat

Edit: Zoe