Tunic

Tunic on PS5 is fantastic. Charming level design, creative puzzles, surprising challenges, along with a lush world to explore and decipher all merge to create one of the best adventure games in recent memory. There’s so much to uncover, including multiple endings, optional side quests, and collectible trophies, along with a New Game + mode that adds further challenges, that most players will find countless hours of entertainment.

Tunic, like all good Zeldalikes, is really about the hero’s journey, from a shaky start to the savior of a mystical island in tiny increments. With every stumble and fall, a lesson is learned; each new page of the manual, every new piece of equipment, and every little victory slowly amounts to something much greater. It in some ways a meditative game, but it’s also one packed full of satisfying challenges and hard-fought battles. If you have fond memories of adventuring in a green tunic, I couldn’t recommend slipping on this particular garment enough.

The fact that this charming game was created by a single person is astounding. Tunic delightfully combines what we loved about games from our childhood with modern day influences. With tons of challenging enemies to encounter, cryptic puzzles to solve, and secrets to uncover, this game will ensure you won't regret embarking on the adventure of this cute little fox. There’s simply no better way to play this game than on the PlayStation 5, with the intuitive Game Help feature and flawless performance.

If you’re a fan of exploration and puzzle-based adventure games, then playing Tunic is a no-brainer. While it does have elements of Souls games, it has more elements from The Legend of Zelda series and lots of elements from other genres as well. What makes Tunic unique is the way it gives the player items and abilities, without fully explaining them at first, and allowing the player to experiment while exploring its world. Retro players who love cryptic NES titles of yesteryear take note, this might be a GOTY contender for you.

TUNIC is a great indie game that will get its hooks in you as you try to decipher its incredibly elaborate game world and once you feel like you've seen everything, you'll keep discovering more and more to the point where it's hard to not think about this wonderful game.

Tunic can appeal equally to those seeking a solid challenge, and those who want to be able to cruise through the experience. Both will find a great game. [Issue#21, p.94]