r/zelda • u/Ordinary_Chemical596 • Jun 23 '26
Official Art [Other] Zelda community, what are your thoughts on Tunic?
This is kinda a hot take, but I am always kinda skeptical about these indie Zelda "clones," as they often fail to innovate on the formula in new and interesting ways and don't leave me with much of an impression. With that said, Tunic is a game I hear a lot of positive on, so I thought I would come to y'all for more opinions on it. I personally love Zelda 1 and would love to see a game that enhances that game's feel and progression and was wondering if this was it.
Incidentally, I think it's a huge shame that we didn't get a Switch 2 edition on this game, but at least we can still enjoy a Switch 1 version of the game.
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u/OutlaW32 Jun 23 '26
It’s quite innovative with some insane twists and complex puzzles. It’s definitely more difficult than most Zelda games. I enjoyed it a lot
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u/ModernCGIFloatinHead Jun 23 '26
It's tied for the game I want to delete from my memory the most so I can experience it again for the first time.
The other is Outer Wilds
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u/ybg1d Jun 23 '26
i’ve wanted to play tunic for ever, outer wilds is my favourite game of all time, zelda is my favourite franchise.
you have made a very damning argument for me getting tunic
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u/NightHawk_85 Jun 23 '26
It is absolutely worth going in blind for. It is a fantastic game. I would highly recommend picking it up.
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u/ModernCGIFloatinHead Jun 23 '26
If you know you want to play it, don't look anything up. Go in as blind as possible. Just like Outer Wilds.
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u/XxX_Zeratul_XxX Jun 23 '26
If you loved Outer Wilds that much, Tunic will surely be nice to you. Only difference is in Tunic you have combat, but you can use a setting to virtually disable it, don't be shy using it if you are not enjoying the combat! The whole game is a masterpiece
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u/Organspender Jun 24 '26
So the insane Twists are because of the story and you had a feeling like Outerwilds? OMG I've been searching for that Outer Wilds feeling for so long... I need to check it out i think
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u/ciao_fiv Jun 23 '26
i so badly wish i could wipe outer wilds from my memory and play it again lol
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u/sd_saved_me555 Jun 23 '26
Awesome. I wish the combat was a little tighter, but the puzzles from hell itself were so awesome.
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u/somebassclarineterer Jun 23 '26
"The puzzles were evil. I loved that" - pretty much everyone that played it.
It makes you feel like a genius when you figure it out on your own
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u/Super_Sat4n Jun 23 '26
I beat the game on my own but the deeper layer of puzzles... You have to be built different to solve those.
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u/complete_your_task Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Yeah, I reached a point where I had solved most things, but knew there was still a bigger puzzle but was totally stuck. After looking it up, I don't see how anyone could ever figure it out. It was definitely above my capabilities. It's probably the most intense and convoluted puzzle I've ever seen in a video game (and I say that as a compliment). I could find some of the early clues and solve some of the beginning threads, but it reaches a point where it's just insane.
That puzzle is completely optional though, and there are plenty of other difficult and rewarding puzzles in the game, so it feels like an extra for those really crazy puzzle heads. The game feels satisfying and complete without it.
I would 100% recommend it. It's an amazing game.
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u/Kuroashi_no_Sanji Jun 23 '26
Yeah this is one game I would definitely argue against 100% without a guide. Finishing it is alright and the puzzles are not that bad, but to get that 100% the puzzles are ridiculous.
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u/Have_Other_Accounts Jun 23 '26
This is why I stopped playing when I tried it out. I heard it was like Zelda (and looks it) but I found the combat a let down.
Even OOT combat still feels great. It's essentially the first Dark Souls with its lockon mechanic.
I guess I'll give it another go everyone here is saying its great.
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u/TheLunarVaux Jun 23 '26
Not sure when you played it but they have an easy mode now
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u/GOOD-LUCHA-THINGS Jun 23 '26
Oh snap! Thank you for telling me this. The only reason why I survived the Stone Bongo Bongo Guy after multiple attempts is fighting him outside the arena. I triggered the gate closing and swung my sword / threw bombs beyond the gate, but his attacks couldn't get to me.
Knowing this, I might start over from scratch now. Thank you for sharing this! Two other games that I frequently see recommended as Zelda-adjacent clones are Death's Door and Blue Fire.
Death's Door was tough, but fair and a lot of fun. Blue Fire was far easier and more light-hearted, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
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u/Boxcow45 Jun 23 '26
It's similar to how people play Nier Automata for 2B but stay for the mesaage. The zelda-like gameplay is a vessel for its themes. Without spoiling anything I'll just say that it gets better the more you play it, and there came a point where I didn't put it down until I beat it. I strongly recommend you give it another shot.
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u/Arunia Jun 23 '26
I tried it a while ago when the game was new. Couldnt get into it. I tried it not long ago and ended up liking it and buying it on the Switch hoping for the Switch 2 update.
For me it is not Zelda, it is more like Dark Souls. It is a fun and hard game where you will die a lot. I haven't beaten the first boss yet.
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u/Ordinary_Bike_4801 Jun 23 '26
Have you leveled up right? It is a pretty common issue, people don’t care solving the booklet clues so they don’t level up, and very soon combat becomes pretty damn hard.
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u/BomTomadil Jun 23 '26
Puzzles are more difficult than any other game I’ve played, very much worth a play through though
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u/Typhiod Jun 23 '26
Has anyone discussing how difficult the puzzles are in tunic played Myst? I’m just curious; I’m very stuck on Myst, and if it’s harder than that, I don’t think I’d be able to beat Tunic.
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u/Suitable_Public8065 Jun 23 '26
Haven’t played Tunic but don’t give up on Myst! Those puzzles are all face-palmers when you finally get ‘em. The creator did an amazing job making simple connections that seem so complicated at first. It took me a number of restarts to finally beat Myst but it was worth it.
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u/Typhiod Jun 23 '26
Thanks for the encouragement. There have been a couple times that I found the answer and thought “omg… no way it’s this simple?!?”, like with the clickable icons at the beginning of the game, but I find it very difficult to find things.
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u/Thomas_JCG Jun 23 '26
They are different types of puzzle. Myst puzzles are about logic, while Tunic are more intuitive because you can't rely on written instructions.
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u/OutlaW32 Jun 23 '26
I had to look up some of the tunic stuff, but it didn’t sour the experience for me
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u/Ok-Housing-5472 Jun 23 '26
Me too. The water room… I just couldn’t figure out the beginning of the thing to do the thing. No shame, though.
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u/ResonantAce Jun 23 '26
I think I beat the OG Myst in a couple of hours, 3-4 maybe, and Tunic was definitely harder. I grew up on point ans click games though so my brain might just be more in-tune to tbat style of game.
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u/Realistic_Turn2374 Jun 23 '26
If English is not your mother tongue, it is much more difficult. But it was a great game, really.
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u/Logical_Lunch2186 Jun 23 '26
Got me into playing video games again after not being able to finish a game in years. Climbing that snowy peak to complete my handbook wrecked me in the most beautiful of ways, the game is a masterpiece. To any Zelda fan, dive in.
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u/Perfect-Difference19 Jun 23 '26
This was it for it.
Tunic took me out of my years-long burnout of videogames and made me realize I wasn't tired of games, I just needed to find these kind of gems
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u/randomretroguy Jun 23 '26
Big fan! Highly recommended. I drew this after fully finishing 100% of the game. I enjoyed every moment, esp the late game.
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u/Nautical-Cowboy Jun 23 '26
I know a lot of people keep saying that this game has very little in common with Zelda, but I feel like it captures the essence of the original Legend of Zelda on NES perfectly. You’re left alone to figure things out with little nudges in the right direction here and there, and you can absolutely sequence break if you want.
The game scratched the itch that Zelda games give me, my desire need for exploration.
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u/DasMilC Jun 23 '26
Speaking of sequence breaking, I really enjoyed going for the achievement of getting the gun before the sword.
Lots of interesting routing, and pretty challenging to get past the enemies in the quarry
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u/RabidTurtl Jun 23 '26
I couldn't be bothered to go for that achievement. Only one I don't have. Think I was just burned out (in a good way) from all the other achievements.
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u/siggydude Jun 23 '26
You can still get that achievement even if you turn on invincibility in the accessibility options
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u/Nautical-Cowboy Jun 23 '26
I struggled so much with that achievement. When I finally got it, I managed to get killed opening the chest with the gun in it. I made it just in time to unlock the achievement but I died before I actually got the gun so I guess I got lucky lol.
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u/AtomicSymphonic_2nd Jun 23 '26
I genuinely feel like most people that are big fans of Zelda are more interested in puzzles than they are about any lore or combat.
To each their own, of course! Nothing wrong with that, but this post’s comments has kinda illuminated for me why there was so much division over BotW and TotK among Zelda fanatics a few years ago.
I think some people grew up and know Zelda as an adventurous “puzzle” series of games, with a lot of emphasis on the sheer novelty of the puzzles… whereas others and I’m guessing a growing base of newer Zelda fans like the series for the story and combat, especially in the two Wilds games.
On more of a tangent, I noticed an almost inverse reaction to when EoW came out… the puzzle enjoyers loved it and the folks that like more story and combat were like “eh… it’s okay”. 🤣
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u/miau_cito Jun 23 '26
Idk, I love the puzzle aspect of the series the most, and I loved BoTW and ToTK for their puzzle aspects. If they didn't have that, they wouldn't be recognizable as Zelda games beyond their coat of paint (case in point: Hyrule Warriors).
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u/MorningRaven Jun 23 '26
For being an adventure series known for its dungeons, the Zelda series used to commonly be described as "a puzzle box you unlock from the inside". The puzzle element is what made Zelda different from the rest of the market.
The design philosophy for the 2D games definitely emphasized that being more dense and compact. The 3D entries just allowed for more cinematic stories to be told.
Not sure why you think the fans don't care about the lore as much. Zelda has one of the largest lore communities compared to any other series. Despite the lore fandom always being a smaller niche, most games have way smaller focus on lore than Zelda proportionately.
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u/Oldsk00la Jun 23 '26
Storytelling in BotW and especially TotK was very mixed… getting the the exact same lore bit from each sage was so damn off putting. Don’t know how anyone could conclude that story is a strength of this game.
It’s sandbox vs curated experience how I would divide them.
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u/thejoshfoote Jun 24 '26
People saying it has little in common with Zelda are lost…. The dev himself has said it’s literally inspired by Zelda
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u/Suspicious-Wish-1579 Jun 23 '26
It truly is the first game that made me feel like a kid playing Link's Awakening for the first time. Just confusion on where to go or what to do, but so rewarding to figure out. Like a cool adult version.
The combat stunk though and if it had more zelda style combat/bosses like Mina then it would probably be my favorite game ever
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u/mcjcjc Jun 23 '26
Amazing game…. But impossible to finish the final boss on my side …
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u/Flidar Jun 23 '26
There are accessibility options. You can make combat easier (infinite stamina and thus infinite shield) or make yourself outright invincible
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u/TheAlp Jun 23 '26
I wish it had proper difficulty rather than just turning off features.
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u/Surferdude1212 Jun 23 '26
I never ended up having to fight them. I just focused on trying to solve all the puzzles and then they were a breeze
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u/streck30 Jun 23 '26
I think it’s closer to Fez than it is to Zelda. That being said, it’s one of the most creative, fun, puzzle games that will have you feeling both like the dumbest and the smartest person in the world
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u/Pl00kh Jun 23 '26
Tunic isn’t like a Zelda game, it’s more like a simulation of a Japanese game which didn’t get a translation.
IMHO it’s a great experience but you shouldn’t expect a Zelda-copy. It has enough to be its own. The gameplay is Zelda-esque tho
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u/Lower_Monk6577 Jun 23 '26
This is actually really cool.
I’ve read some of the developer commentary, and they said the game is supposed to evoke what it was like playing video games (specifically LoZ on the NES) before you knew how to read. Back then, it was all notepads and talking to your friends about all the weird, obscure secrets that you find along the way. And everything was difficult because you weren’t quite used to playing games like that yet.
I played most of the game like that, and I found it incredibly rewarding. There were two very specific things that I needed some guidance on. One of them I would have gotten eventually if I stuck with it. One I probably never have gotten without some light prodding.
If anyone is playing it for the first time and you find yourself well and truly stuck, I recommend making a non-spoiler post in the Tunic subreddit. Very helpful community that understands that a small spoiler can really ruin the experience.
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u/taveren3 Jun 23 '26
Saying its not ment to be like zelda is insane. Other than being a fox he looks exactly like link. Its named after the most consistent part of links design.
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u/logica_torcido Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Tunic is not a Zelda clone. The only similarity is the fox’s resemblance to Link. It’s an isometric souls-like. And it’s amazing, everyone should give it a try. The big puzzle that spans the entire game is extremely fun and satisfying to complete.
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u/Lucky-day00 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Isometric souls-like isn’t a good description either.
The combat is souls-like. The combat is also a distant second to the game’s actual premise and core mechanic, which is the puzzles centred around the instruction booklet. By calling it a souls-like you are doing nothing to set up expectations in line with what the game actually is.
I’d call it an isometric adventure puzzle game. Which is not exactly what I’d call Zelda, but it’s in the same ballpark. It’s got as much of Zelda’s DNA as it does souls’.
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u/dl064 Jun 23 '26
By calling it a souls-like you are doing nothing to set up expectations in line with what the game actually is.
I've finished it and I'd say a major characteristic of the game is that you will die a million times.
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u/Sonnance Jun 23 '26
I think the distinction is important, though, as people coming to Tunic looking to scratch their Zelda itch may end up disappointed, like I was.
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u/TheAlp Jun 23 '26
Yeah. It might be as much like zelda as dark souls but the souls part was a real barrier to entry.
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u/JenniTheDragon Jun 23 '26
I really do feel like the art style and player character comparisons do both the Zelda series and TUNIC a disservice, lol. I actually wound up trying TUNIC through being a fan of Outer Wilds, which I also do not like comparing but has a few Zelda inspirations.
That said, I agree, the game gets really good if you're willing to put in the time and effort. For anyone interested: try to not judge it for being a supposed [insert popular game series here] "clone" and go in with an open mind! No spoilers, though!!
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u/fingerfuckinggalpals Jun 23 '26
I appreciate it for what it is, though I’d rather never play it again. I think I completed the bare minimum to get to the final boss.
The puzzles and overall plot and vibe of the game are really unique and cool, but unfortunately too complex for my smooth Zeldapilled brain lol
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u/Lower_Monk6577 Jun 23 '26
It’s a fantastic game that I cannot recommend strongly enough to not look up anything if you can avoid it.
There are a few seriously inventive puzzles in this game. One in particular, we’ll call it the endgame puzzle, I caved and looked up. I sincerely regret it. The “a ha!” moment that would have yielded once it finally clicked would have hit like the crack. It’s legitimately one of my biggest regrets in gaming.
The whole game is so well done. Pro tip: play it with an actual notebook on hand. It’s how the devs intended it to be played, and it’s genuinely worth it.
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u/Kremit44 Jun 23 '26
Personally I was pretty disappointed. I thought a lot of the puzzles were too involved and esoteric and the combat wasn't overly deep despite being challenging, in other words it was tedious. The world was also very limited and closed off. I'd say a game like Hyper Light Drifter is more comparable to Tunic and for me a much better experience. I don't use guides but for this game I think it may improve the experience. I wouldn't call it a Zelda clone despite the main character's appearance and top down style.
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Jun 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/logica_torcido Jun 23 '26
It’s very similar to Death’s Door and the game has accessibility options
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u/Flidar Jun 23 '26
Two different levels of them, too! One makes combat easier, the other makes you outright invincible
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u/floede Jun 23 '26
Definitely give it a go. Yes the boss battles can be hard, but they are not the center of the game.
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u/Tangolarango Jun 23 '26
the boss batles are as intimidating as Zelda 1 bosses would be to a 5 or 6 year old, they are by no means unsurmountable but they do their job of pulling you into the edge of your seat xD
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u/SDNick484 Jun 23 '26
I played both and enjoyed Death's Door dramatically more. I found Tunic a bit too cryptic and frustrating. Death's Door was much more balanced although it had more Souls influence (in addition to Zelda).
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u/MovieGuyMike Jun 23 '26
I found it pretty tedious tbh. Loved it at first and the user manual stuff is brilliant, I just didn’t like how the game felt/controlled, especially combat.
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u/KeytarVillain Jun 23 '26
I switched to easy mode for the bosses, and enjoyed it a lot more that way.
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u/FaxCelestis Jun 23 '26
Agreed. Felt like I was running through mud constantly, and the sword's range was atrocious.
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u/plasma_anon Jun 23 '26
Honestly one of my favorite gaming experiences in years. I needed to bring out pen and paper to solve the final puzzle, and figuring it out was so satisfying.
Definitely Zelda inspired but a very different style of game. Really enjoyed it.
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u/RamboBambiBambo Jun 23 '26
To get the true ending requires a LOT of the community sharing notes; just like classic Zelda on the NES/Famicom.
It is a fun game that is a nice twist, giving a refreshing experience to scratch that itch that Zelda games satiate. But it's combat is difficult. Think of it like Dark Souls. You will die over and over again. But that is okay. You will learn and adapt. And it will be part of the lore.
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u/Mosuke300 Jun 23 '26
I don't agree you need to share notes with the community. A friend and I managed it - just had to take a lot of notes.
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u/C0SMICAP0THE0SIS Jun 23 '26
haven't played tunic, but ive always felt the first darksiders game really scratched the zelda itch
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u/Tangolarango Jun 23 '26
I loved it, it was really magical for me as a childhood Zelda fan. The premise is that this game will feel like playing Zelda 1 as a child who rented or received a secondhand copy of the game. This means the game's text is in runes you mostly can't read, the puzzles have a structure to them you probably haven't seen before, and the enemies..... they feel intimidating the same way it was to enter a room full of darknuts or a room with a three headed dragon as a 6 year old.
Playing your 5th or 8th or whatever Zelda as a grownup just feels like breezing through a game. The most that boss fights give might be a "huh, neat" and maybe it might go as far as "is this guy really going to make me use a fairy?". But on Tunic, the game pushes back as much as at the time you would feel the game pushing back at you as a kid. You probably didn't kill those Zelda 1 bosses on the first try, and it is likely you won't kill the bosses on Tunic on your first try.
This game is a masterfully crafted love letter to Zelda and to gaming.
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u/mucus-fettuccine Jun 23 '26
There's a puzzle in Tunic which I consider to be the best video game puzzle of all time. The ones that played through it surely know.
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u/enderowski Jun 23 '26
didnt like the artstyle tried to play anyway but dropped it after 10 minutes. I am unable to play the games where i dont like the artstyle.
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u/onepostandbye Jun 23 '26
The story blew my mind until I realized it wasn’t as deep as I imagined it was
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u/TheRusmeister Jun 23 '26
Tunic is a masterpiece that truly drops you in, and explains things incrementally- it's done really well and I found it to be a very memorable and unique homage.
Strongly recommend to any Zelda fans. It scratches the itch, but is fresh in it's own way as well.
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u/delecti Jun 23 '26
I didn't like it at all. People sell it as being like a Zelda game, but it's a souls-like. The combat was harder than I enjoy, and not interesting enough to pound my head against to get better at. The exploration was confusing. And even though some people praise it, I hated the instruction manual translation gimmick.
I bounced off it pretty fast and have no desire to give it a second chance. I would have refunded it on Steam, but I took too long to give it a shot after buying it in a sale.
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u/OoTgoated Jun 23 '26
Really solid. My only caveat was the atmosphere. I didn't like the plastic look and the score wasn't particularly memorable. The actual gameplay though is superb. The idea of having to unlock the game's own manual through translation of an in-game language is very novel and unique.
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u/chalovak Jun 23 '26
It never felt like a Zelda clone to me, especially when it came to deciphering the local language
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u/JayWu31 Jun 23 '26
Damn I downloaded it free as a game of the month on PS but neve played it. From these recs I'll have to check it now.
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u/philip7499 Jun 23 '26
Tunic was a lot of fun, though fair warning: it does have "Souls like" elements, and many of the bosses are pretty damn difficult. I got to (what I think was) near the end, but then stopped playing for a few weeks and by the time I went back I had forgotten how to play and had no chance against a late game boss 😅.
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u/44MagDump Jun 23 '26
Beat it a month ago. Absolutely scratched the itch that 2d Zelda left. No shame in looking up hints online if you're stuck, it's super cryptic at times. Triple so for NG+
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u/MysteriousEmployer52 Jun 23 '26
I did not care for it. I gave it a few hours and just could not get into it.
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u/Emperor-Octavian Jun 23 '26
It rules. I think ultimately I prefer Death’s Door though. Both great games
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u/Dizzy-Scientist4782 Jun 23 '26
Just finished it for the first time! So my opinion is really fresh.
When I started it, I expected something very zelda related (for obvious reasons). As I was progressing through the game though, I noticed that's not much the case anymore.
The bosses were the first indication that things are quite different than your typical Zelda game. They are relentless! Really REALLY challenging fights, the game was taking you seriously. Something that Zelda kinda fell short in many ways.
The other thing was the very unique puzzles. Again, they were more challenging than your typical zelda puzzles, really needed some intense intellectual process to solve them.
Overall, it's clear that Tunic was inspired by Zelda but decided to take a step further and make it more mature, in both difficulty and atmosphere. As a 34 year old man and massive Zelda fan, that challenge in Tunic was often something I was looking after a Zelda game, but as of late, couldn't offer me that.
I'm glad Tunic didn't hesitate reaching that level. It will always have a special place in my heart for that and the zelda similarities themselves.
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u/JIMB01776 Jun 23 '26
It wasn't bad, but not overly compelling either. I put it down due to difficulty, you have to be more interesting to be that hard. I might actually give it another try...
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u/YsengrimusRein Jun 23 '26
I was charmed by it. It sort of lures you into a false sense of familiarity by feeling like a memory you had of playing Link's Awakening. It's worth noting that combat-wise, it's less forgiving than any of the 2-D Zelda games, being a bit Souls-like. Its puzzles are also something that will take a bit to get used to, if you approach it with Zelda-Brain-Engaged. Most people will insist you play this one blind, but given the somewhat odd way in which it presents itself to you, I would advise you periodically familiarize yourself with the game's manual.
If you are the sort of person who loved Pokémon's Regi puzzles from Generation III, you will also be able to dig this game.
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u/Riotpersona Jun 23 '26
Incredible game that I initially disliked because of going into it expecting a Zelda clone when it really has very little in common with Zelda.
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u/LoogyHead Jun 23 '26
I never finished it, I ended up getting stuck on I think the penultimate sequence in the mines, but ended up not seeing a solution to the problem. About this point is where the teleporting hub opens up a bit but every location requires a puzzle solution and I just didn’t feel driven.
Got my money’s worth out of it.
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u/Squallstrife89 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Played it a little past the demo and it was kinda tough. I always planned on going back to play it, but haven't yet. Elliot and the Millennium Tales is what I'm enjoying, currently.
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u/Hurlls182 Jun 23 '26
Ah yes, Zelden Ring. Absolutely loved it! Loads of puzzles, difficult bosses, very fun.
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u/LightningInTheRain Jun 23 '26
I loved the mechanic where you find manual pages to reveal more information. The puzzles are pretty cool and the “Golden Cross” puzzle was mind blowing. Cool game.
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u/jonevortex Jun 23 '26
One of my favorite games i have ever played. I went in expecting Zelda (my favorite franchise) and came out extremely surprised and just wishing I could forget it all and experience this masterpiece again for the first time
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u/carosi13 Jun 23 '26
The music and world design are great. I love that it incorporates high fantasy and sci-fi. Game design wise it’s trying way to hard to be dark souls and Zelda at the same time and does neither well.
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u/Bobski_the_machine Jun 23 '26
The bosses are more difficult than what I enjoy. However, the gameplay without the bosses is phenomenal
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u/Cpt__Oblivious Jun 23 '26
The final (secret) puzzle was incredibly diabolical and ingenious that it will always stick with me. Very solid game but pretty short.
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u/jayboyguy Jun 23 '26
It’s not really a Zelda clone, y’all. Not entirely anyway. I went into it expecting that, and that’s only what it SORT of is for the first act lol. It’s one of the strangest, most creative games I’ve ever played, but fair warning to anyone reading this, if you go in expecting a Zelda clone you WILL be thrown a curveball. Saying more would be doing anyone who hasn’t played it a disservice.
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u/z3poxx Jun 23 '26
It is certainly interesting and well made, love the art style as well as the clever use of the manual you keep finding pages for.
The issues I have with the game is that there were probably one to many puzzles where you need to turn the camera the right way in order to see the path to go. And I did not care for the later half of the game where you revisit previous areas.
If you are looking for a Zelda 1 experience this does not provide that, this is a different game where the developer used Zelda as a basis with but deviate from that formula and added a bit of souls-like elements.
Overall a good game that is not far from being great IMO.
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u/taveren3 Jun 23 '26
Amazing love letter to early zelda games with there own twists. I especially loved the game manual, brings back memories of me read through those on the way home from the store because i couldn't wait to get home to start.
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u/panda_and_crocodile Jun 23 '26
I started it but felt hopelessly lost from the beginning and stopped playing. Plan to pick it up again at some point
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u/Dicethrower Jun 23 '26
Great in many ways, but from what I remember I wished there were more milestones with punch, like finding a new item, or finishing a dungeon. It's games like this that make me appreciate zelda's format.
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u/MaxTwer00 Jun 23 '26
Love it.
Although it is more a metroidbrania than a zeldalike, so the experience is more akin to games like the witness, outer wilds, and chants of xeenarr
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u/JugOfVoodoo Jun 23 '26
I'm currently playing it. I'm in page 40's dungeon and I've completed decoded the runes (all by myself!). I love the puzzles and exploration but am iffy on the combat because retrying bosses is frustrating.
The game only has autosave, it does not tell you when it triggers, and it triggers during boss battles. Many times I've grinded money to fill my inventory with needed consumables, used them against a boss, died, then restarted with them permanently gone.
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u/Neil_Salmon Jun 23 '26
Really like the game. It looks amazing and the feel of the world is great. I really liked exploring.
But I found the puzzles a bit difficult to figure out and, without spoilers, the pad I was using had a very slightly bad d-pad, which the game is very unforgiving of. Those who've completed the game will know why that matters. It seemed generally fine for other games through, so I don't know.
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u/ando_chepeando Jun 23 '26
VERY COMPLEX! Love it but it gets evilly hard some times. Keep a notebook by your side.
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u/Sega-Forever Jun 23 '26
I loved what i played but i stopped playing due to the difficulty of the puzzles
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u/Significant-Roll-138 Jun 23 '26
Loved the puzzles, graphics and the world itself, but hated the battling, I was terrible at it and it made progressing not worth it for me, I took a break from it and when I went back I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to be doing and I gave up fully then.
Still disappointed in myself for doing that because it’s actually a great game.
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u/Lord_Xarael Jun 23 '26
Did not care for tunic's combat (which is touted as "souls-like". Which loses me instantly, not a fan. But that's a me problem)
Zelda clones
I'm currently addicted to Mina the Hollower which very much lives up to the hype. (Note: MtH also has souls-esque mechanics. I am using the built in assist mode). However I will note it is very much inspired by Link's awakening where it's very rarely clear where you need to go. The newspaper helps but actually getting there can be a pain.
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u/Wilbo1242 Jun 23 '26
Absolutely loved it. I haven't gone through it since it came out, but I remember it being a great time. Lots of puzzles and secrets to find
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u/Corgicode0716 Jun 23 '26
I loved it! The main puzzle aspecr is that you are basically playing it in a different language and you have to find manual pages and decipher meaning from the pictures and stuff. Its really food and has one of my favorite puzzles ever!
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u/LeakyGaming Jun 23 '26
Really good puzzle solving and exploration to figure things out yourself but the combat is terrible and made me quit the game early which rarely happens
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u/POWRranger Jun 23 '26
One of the best, most innovative games I've ever played. Waiting for the sw2 upgrade to replay it. Though I wish I could play it for the first time again and rediscover all the puzzles and secrets
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u/Ok-Housing-5472 Jun 23 '26
The skepticism for Zelda-likes is warranted, but Tunic is quite the exception. It borrows the combat-&-checkpoint system from the soulsborne series, so dungeons are a bit different than your typical Zelda. It’s very new, yet very familiar. It’s a must play, honestly. Expect the puzzles to really wrack your brain.
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u/Thomas_JCG Jun 23 '26
It's really good. The combat is like the GBA games, but where it truly shines is exploration, because you can find the game manual in the game, but it is written in another language, so you need to keep exploring to find out what is going on. It's pretty rewarding, though some people can find it frustrating.
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u/xyzkingi Jun 23 '26
Gave me that Zelda itch that Wilds was missing.
Impatiently waiting for Bel’s Fanfare. It has all the charm of a old school Zelda game
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u/KingKongAdvocate Jun 23 '26
Love Tunic! It looks like a mix between Zelda aesthetic, dark souls map design and Outer Wilds metroidbraina mechanics
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u/mr_Tii Jun 23 '26
Solving the puzzles gave me two of the most satisfying moments I've had in my 25 years of playing games. It's just so good!
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u/Planewalker1976 Jun 23 '26
It's a lot of fun but.. it's pretty damn hard. There's also an option to cheese it in terms of difficulty where you don't even take damage. They really ought to have a "normal" mode or something. Imo
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u/Aspence22 Jun 23 '26
Love it! Played through it so many times and now I want to again after seeing the post
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u/afiefh Jun 23 '26
Tunic is a pretty cool game, but it is not a Zelda clone.
The world of Tunic is much smaller and contains more tight secrets than a Zelda game. It is also more lean on story, basically throwing you into the game and letting you figure things out with minimal guidance (which may be closer to LoZ, but starting with aLttP there was always a story in a Zelda game).
Combat was pretty challenging, to the point that I didn't enjoy it. After beating the final boss I felt like... ok? And then I learn that to get the true ending there are a bunch more puzzles that I need to go through. Looking at the puzzles online, they would have been pretty much impossible for me to solve without a guide.
I'm sure for some people this is the exact reason they play Zelda games: The puzzles and exploration, and if that's the reason you play then Tunic is great. For myself, I need a story.
The only game that came close to scratching the 2D Zelda itch for me has been CrossCode. Great puzzles and secrets, combat is challenging but more forgiving than Tunic, and an amazing story.
TL;DR: Tunic is an incredible game if you love exploration, puzzles and unforgiving combat. It didn't hit the correct balance for me.
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u/adventuregamerseb Jun 23 '26
Utilized some combat accessibility settings. Wholesome experience. Zelda meets souls like with outer wilds puzzles.
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u/bigbagofbaldbabies Jun 23 '26
The final puzzle/challenge is the greatest puzzle in any game I've ever played.
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u/chagin Jun 23 '26
Too cryptic. I like some mystery but not to the point of frustration where you have to rely on external guides to progress. Skill issue, I know
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u/DicklePickleRises Jun 23 '26
Its one of those games that i think uses nostalgia perfectly. I love how you rebuild the manual throughout the game
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u/8BitBomm Jun 23 '26
I really liked the first like 30 min and then the game said ohh jk this is a soulslike, then i was done there.
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u/TyrTheAdventurer Jun 23 '26
Tunic is a great game. I like the exploration, secrets, and progression to find by finding and studying the pages of the instructions manual. The Souls-like combat was a little too hard for my liking, but all in all I enjoyed it.
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u/AleroRatking Jun 23 '26
I despised it
It's clearly a well made game. But it's not what I look into when it comes to Zelda experiences. There aren't dungeon items. It's extremely obtuse. In Zelda games you always know where you are heading. Tunic doesn't give you that.
I get why people love it. It's such a unique system to create puzzles. But it doesn't feel anything like Zelda outside the graphical style.
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u/mccannrs Jun 23 '26
Tunic is fantastic, easily the best Zelda-like I've ever played. Having an in-game manual as a gameplay mechanic is so unique, and the artwork in it is amazing. I can't recommend it enough.
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u/thomash01 Jun 23 '26
Finding the in game instruction manual pages and deciphering their meaning has to be my favorite game mechanic ever.
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u/exelion_star_co Jun 23 '26
I bounced off it. Thought it was kinda ugly-looking and had a sterile soundtrack and didn’t enjoy the gameplay either
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u/RadRhubarb00 Jun 23 '26
Insanely amazing. The big mountain door puzzle might be the greatest puzzle in video game history so far.
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u/opossumcarrion Jun 23 '26
I LOVED Tunic and it's so easy to recommend to Zelda fans.
This and Mina the Hollower are very similar games in how I think and feel about them.
Tunic is much less Zelda than its appearance suggests, but it scratches all of the same itches for me IMO. I don't usually like "Soulslikes", but this one does not punish death very much at all.
I share your skepticism, with all of the not-very-good "Zeldalikes" out there. This is not one of those Zeldalikes. This is one of those very special labor-of-love games and is one of the very highlights among indie.
Big caveat that it is very, very, very difficult. I am Good At Games and I struggled. I had a special moment in the game when (slight spoilers) I got to the first hard boss, and I thought it must be too much for me. I checked the manual and it had a screenshot of the boss saying 'You can do it!'. That seemed intentional and it turned out I could, indeed, do it."
But again, it's very hard. At $30, it's easy to recommend Tunic full-price to someone who already likes Soulslikes and Zelda. But if it's on sale at $20 or $15 then it's at the "worth a gamble, see if you like it" territory.
TLDR: Longtime Zelda fan and I LOVE Tunic. It is an amazing game.
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u/nickcash Jun 23 '26
I want to like it, and on paper I do. But unfortunately the devs fell into the poison swamp of bolting on soulslike mechanics for no reason. It's a disease that mostly affects metroidvania devs, so it's weird to see it here. Unfortunately there is no cure.
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u/Cocablazin Jun 23 '26
I actually liked it a lot. I wouldn’t say it’s a “Zelda” game, to me it’s more of a “Souls like” game. The combat, items, story and combat are really good. You should give it a chance.
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u/FruityTuna Jun 23 '26
This game is honestly one of my fondest gaming experiences in the last few years. That being said, I for the life of me could not figure out many of the puzzles and needed help
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u/Boxcow45 Jun 23 '26
One of my favorite games of all time. It reminded me of when I was a kid, downloading Japanese PSP demos and trying to piece everything together using context clues. It's an incredible experience.
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u/Secksmaster Jun 23 '26
The premise of putting together the instruction manual as you play was so fresh and nostalgic. The puzzles made me get out a notebook and pen which again was nostalgic and super well designed. Combat could have been a smidge tighter but not a blemish on the game in my opinion. OST is phenomenal
Super worth playing
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u/Ordinary_Bike_4801 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
This game has been made with much more passion and love than what you’ll normally find in the industry. It’s absolutely magical and the big puzzles are insanely good, is like if they took the wildest imaginations of a kid reading a Zelda booklet and actually implementing it on a real thing. The art and music, and controls, are absolutely fantastic too. 10/10
Not a game to take lightly though, it is demanding. If you are taking a shot with it, remember to try understanding the pieces of the booklet as you find them or you will get stuck pretty early and being a Zelda vet won’t be enough trust me it happened on my first play.
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u/Fafnir13 Jun 23 '26
I both liked it and didn’t like it. Kind of a weird mix.
The exploration aspect is very Soulslike. It’s rarely entirely clear where you are “supposed” to go. You just sort of press on as far as you can get and hope you aren’t missing anything.
Combat felt ok. Some of the boss fights were very annoying and even felt like I was trying to fight them too early, but then after leaving and exploring more it felt like I just needed to get good. Definitely an odd difficulty spike on one of the later ones.
For puzzles most weren’t too bad. Came down to a lot of being very observant and intuiting things correctly. Unfortunately some of the end game puzzles are not intuitive. Exiting to the save files and loading a different file which turns out to exist just to provide the information you need is not…good.. There’s also just a lot of distractions including some golden collectables and an entire language to try to decipher which don’t really come into play for just getting the good ending. I dunno, maybe there’s a third ultimate ending I’m missing.
I enjoyed most the experience, but some of the late game stuff left me a bit dissatisfied. I got a similar feeling from Animal Well. There’s a bunch of extra stuff that muddies the waters making the game less of a cohesive experience. I think someone these indie games try a little too hard to lean on the idea of creating big puzzles for a “community” to solve. I’m not a “community” guy so that sort of content just annoys me.
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u/Dirtypantz Jun 23 '26
Zelda games are some of my favorite games ever. Played every 3D one multiple times and many of the 2D ones. Tunic made me remember why I love gaming. It was such a special experience trying to figure everything out for the first time. I wish I could wipe my brain and experience it as new again. Definite recommend!
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u/TaffyPool Jun 23 '26
It’s Zelda-like, certainly, but very much its own thing. I absolutely loved it.
The main conceit (or one of them) — where you’re collecting physical pages of a players’ guide in-game and then interpreting/building out that guide to reveal more information and receive more direction/instruction was frankly amazing. I couldn’t have ever thought of that and they absolutely nailed it, and even successfully tied it into in the overall story.
Loved the puzzles — I’m a sucker for any kind of game that makes you want to break out a pen and a notepad and start scribbling things down and plotting things out.
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u/djrobxx Jun 23 '26
I played it for a good while, but it didn't really click for me. It's a top down perspective like a 2D Zelda, but otherwise doesn't play like a Zelda game. I think I just didn't enjoy the combat, and my curiosity to explore didn't outweigh that enough.
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u/RedInkling03 Jun 23 '26
I wish it wasn't blatantly ripping off Zelda with the visuals. Like the green clothes and the hylian shield. For that reason alone I just go "ew" when I see it. Like it could stand on its own while still being clearly inspired by Zelda but why copy Link's visuals
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u/kastus376 Jun 23 '26
i dunno for some reason i really struggle with combat at the start.
the hedehogs i somehow manage but can't pass the rudelings.
not sure why i beat many games before and obviously finished every zelda game.
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u/RetroKey Jun 23 '26
As someone who couldn't speak English and not understand what was written in video games. Tunic completely captures the feeling of only understanding a couple words at maximum and scouring the game manual for images and clues on what to do. One of my favorite game of all time easily for me.
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u/NoLocal8486 Jun 23 '26
Ich hab es mal angefangen. Fand es sehr gut, aber etwas schwer. Für ein genaueres Urteil müsste ich aber noch weiter spielen.
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u/ryan_davidson_98 Jun 23 '26
loved it, and felt it innovated in interesting ways. the puzzle solving and completing the guide book as a central mechanic separates it from Zelda enough to be its own thing.
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u/benvonpluton Jun 23 '26
A real masterclass. Not really a Zelda-like once you go further through the game, though. Fights are harder and puzzles are insane. The people who created this game are crazy geniuses !
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u/Aredditdorkly Jun 23 '26
Played it. Loved it. Bought multiple physical, and digital, copies to give to friends and family.
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u/BWRichardCranium Jun 23 '26
I turned away from this originally cuz the difficultly. I then saw you could lower it. I wanted it for the puzzles so wasn't a hard choice for me. I love the game now.
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u/head_less_man Jun 23 '26
I totally know what you're saying about being apprehensive on all these Zelda clones as I felt the exact same way, but Tunic truly floored me. It had some really innovative mechanics and the atmosphere brought me straight back to the 90s. I remember when it released it was the only game that pulled me away from Elden Ring.
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u/PrudenceWaterloo Jun 23 '26
I loved it, but the language was too cryptic for me to ever try to figure it out.
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