TUNIC
Personal enjoyment: 10/10
Honest rating: 9/10
Replayability: 6/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Engagement: 9/10
Would I recommend?: Yes
This review will contain mild spoilers!
This is a game I hold very dearly to my heart. For years since it's release, it's always been a source of comfort, inspiration, and enjoyment in my life, and I say that with as much genuineness as I can muster. The art style and level design is so charming, the combat is simple to master but feels great to pull off, the exploration is deep and rewards thinking outside the box and leaving no leaf unturned, and the puzzles are a surprisingly deep and complex challenge that feels like a whole new layer of the game. All in all, I'd say TUNIC is a fantastically designed game.
There's so many things I could go on and on about, but I'll try to keep it brief. Let's start with one of my favorite mechanics: that being the manual. Instead of the typical game tutorial holding your hand every step of the way, TUNIC takes a different approach in the form of subtle hints and knowledge barriers you cross as you collect the pages of the game's instruction manual. I feel that a large part of the game revolves around this manual, and that's great!! It's a cute reward for exploration and observing, and the puzzles you encounter later in the game that the manual hints at are mind blowing-ly cool.
I'm also very fond of the world of TUNIC, and it's worldbuilding, as subtle as it is. Each boss has a very interesting design that makes them distinct and fun combat experiences that force you to learn across several attempts. Every area you venture through in the game has a memorable vibe to it as well, and each has its own set of secrets and challenges.. I'm particularly fond of The Quarry and the areas that follow. That area provides some of my favorite scenes and moments in the game, and provides quite the challenge as well. I'd also like to briefly mention that I LOVE most of the puzzles in this game, and how creative and well incorporated they are. TUNIC is the kind of game where you'll discover something new every time you play! It's also worth noting that the game can be quite difficult at times, with some areas and bosses will take quite a few attempts to get down, but it never really felt unfair. It's a steep learning curve at times though :)
There's also (albeit somewhat shallow) strategies and different ways you can play TUNIC. The cards and items allow for different playstyles depending on what suites you best, and there's some combos and strategies you can pull off with the different magic weapons and tools you collect through the game. It encourages you to try new things to deal with different scenarios. Through the manual, you'll also learn about the game's more niche mechanics, which you can use to your advantage, especially if you do future playthroughs. There's also plenty of room to do the game in any order you want!
I only have a few negative things to say about TUNIC, and the biggest one is that the game can be a bit frustrating. It's not very intuitive, and it can be quite difficult at times. The puzzles are vague and most players won't notice them on their own, let alone figure them out. Though I personally enjoyed fighting through each of this game's challenges and spending hours deciphering cryptic puzzles, I recognize that this game isn't for everyone, and that's okay. I do think there could've also been more gear progression in the form of more weapon options and possibly another sword upgrade, though I think being able to raise your stats balances this out a bit. It's just fun to think about what else they could've done. One other small complaint I personally have is that I wish there were MORE puzzles, and that they were more spread out in each of the areas of the game. I'll forever be saddened by the lack of puzzles and more exploration in general, especially in The Quarry and The Rooted Ziggurat. It feels like such a missed opportunity :(
The last thing I'll cover is one of the aspects of the game that made me grow to love it the most... and that's the soundtrack. My music taste over the past few years has been shaped around this game's soundtrack, produced by the wonderful Lifeformed and Janice Kwan. It's just a beautiful sound font that fits the game so well, it really ties the game together. The sound design throughout the game is also absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend you check out some of the songs, preferably after playing through the game. I did a separate review of the game's soundtrack, and I figure I might as well include it here:
Of all of the games I've played in my days, TUNIC has the most beautiful soundtrack I've ever heard, and there's not much that even compares. It's quite a long soundtrack, but each song has this distinct style that fits the game so perfectly, and it encapsulates everything I love about the vibes.
This soundtrack can also stand on its own very well. There's a few songs here in there that serve more as short ambient tracks, but each of the actual songs is an absolute gem and they're each wonderful and unique to listen through. It's about 3 hours long, but every minute of it is filled with wonder and adventure, and it's well worth the listen.
There's a good mixture of calm, tranquil tracks, as well as some tense and emotional pieces sprinkled around. I cannot recommend it enough. Lifeformed always does a fantastic job of making sure each of their songs is crafted with care, and with the help of Janice Kwan, they were able to make what is in my opinion one of the most phenomenal ambient soundtracks of all time.
When playing the game, it's pretty easy to disregard the background music as ambience, and a lot of it can sound pretty samey if you aren't paying attention to it. I still highly recommend playing the game to get the full experience of this beautiful OST. It also makes for great music to play in the background while you work or relax :)
If you want some specific recommendations, I greatly enjoy Redwood Colonnade (5), Contours of War (12), Oceanic Glaze (23), Sageless (30), Carbon Harvest (32), Patron Saint of Astronomers (41), The Heir (46), and Flux is On (50).
Thank you for reading my lengthy review. I've got a lot to say about TUNIC, and there's still so much more I could cover. It's far from the perfect game, of course, but you can really feel the passion that was put into the game over its 8 year development cycle. Whether you enjoy it or not, I believe TUNIC is a truly special game that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves, and I'd recommend it strongly to anyone who's interested in action adventure/puzzle games. TUNIC has a lot of personal significance to me, and I can safely say it's my favorite game of all time (at least for now!) I hope you can get something out of it too :)
