Tails of Iron

Tails of Iron could go deeper on the story and lighter on the backtracking, but if it ever gets a sequel I hope it maintains obvious love seen in the art direction and design.

From milking bugs to slaying frogs with jetpacks, Tails of Iron is an off-the-walls, brilliantly intuitive sidescroller, but it has a heart and keeps you gripped from start to finish as you slaughter a conveyor belt of would-be challengers. It’s not about avenging your father, not entirely - it’s about family and community. Vin Diesel would be proud. Sadly, it’ll probably get lost in the busy end-of-year shuffle among the triple-A powerhouses. But in the downtime between releases, make some room for Tails of Iron - it’s one of 2021’s best.

Superb visuals, distinctive atmosphere and a punishing Dark Souls-inspired combat system resulted in an engaging action RPG and one of the best indie games I played in 2021. [12/2021, p.42]

Thanks to its enchanting art, well written story, heroic rodents and satisfying combat throughout, Tails of Iron stands apart from the seemingly endless wave of Soulslike ARPGs. It modifies the combat formula just enough to make it interesting and couples it with characters that are full of warmth and wit, battling forces that are competent yet fairly matched foes. Not every task and mission is equally interesting and some of Tails’ movement mechanics feel slightly unresponsive, but those are small dings against an otherwise very enjoyable rat-centric game, and we don’t have nearly enough of those.

Charming, funny, detailed and a great presentation are key aspects of this little gem. We would have hoped for more things to do, a bigger map and some more quests, but let's stay here until the sequel comes.

Although Tails of Iron is made with care, exploration and player freedom could be emphasized much more. Thrilling combat, meagre optional content and some simplified quests strewn over a small gameworld comprise a game of contradictions. We hope it is successful enough so that we can see a more ambitious sequel at some point.

Tails of Iron offers challenging combat along with some exploration touches with a shy metroidvania personality and some 2D platforming. And despite its little variety and a guided narrative, it offers an enjoyable game experience with some peaks in difficulty that represent quite a challenge. All this with an absolutely charming audiovisual presentation.

The small smudges reported up to this point do not compromise the experience as a whole. In the approximately 10 hours of gameplay required for completion, to which another handful is added to complete all the secondary ones left open, Tails of Iron constantly keeps the player's attention high, just like Redgi's shield. We are far from the complexity of a full-fledged souls-like, but the production of Odd Bug represents an engaging, at times exhilarating challenge, which will certainly keep even the most demanding players busy.

Even if Tails of Iron has some flaws, starting with its back and forth and its combat system that lacks evolution, the title is simply charming. Helped by its panoply of charismatic characters, its sumptuous visuals and its successful fights requiring precision and coordination, the creation of Odd Bug Studio offers a magnificent journey that we can only recommend ... at least, if the difficulty does not suit you. Don't be afraid.

The combat in Tails of Iron excels. The brutal, methodical mechanics never stop being satisfying, but I wish that I felt like I was doing it for more vital reasons. I can appreciate the artistic choice behind keeping things dialogue-free, I just wish the rest of the game felt as vital and interesting as the melee does.