StarTopic TUNIC |ST| 🦊 🗡️🛡️ | Manual Transmission | Please Tag Spoilers! |

[Nabbit]

Holy shit this music

I listen to the full OST all the time. It's such a great soundtrack. When you beat the game, you might really enjoy the heartwarming story of the couple that made the soundtrack:

The Sound of “Tunic:” A Video Game Music Love Story

Terence Lee and Janice Kwan worked side-by-side on the sprawling and lush soundtrack for the "Zelda"-inspired game for two years. Then they fell in love.

daily.bandcamp.com

 

[Phabh]

Super pleased with this port. I only played for 15 minutes in handheld mode but it looks and runs great to me.

 

[bloopland33]

Tempted to buy this even though the rest of the year has plenty coming up for me. Roughly how long is it? I've checked HLTB but I like hearing firsthand accounts too

 

[Earthbounder]

Tempted to buy this even though the rest of the year has plenty coming up for me. Roughly how long is it? I've checked HLTB but I like hearing firsthand accounts too

I'd say 10-15 hours if you are not going for full completion. If you want to find all secrets, you will be looking at more than 20 hours. Maybe even more than 30 if you tackle it without any sort of guide, because some optional secrets are tough to figure out.

 

[jariw]

How's the resolution seem docked?

My guess (based on just playing it) would be that it ranges in resolution between something like 500 and 1000 depending on the scene and context. The resolution clearly is dynamic. Some places (like the very start) look kind of blurry, but other places look really crisp.

Anyhow, the port plays well and is responsive, and I haven't any big frame drops or similar things. Great game!

 

[Nabbit]

Tempted to buy this even though the rest of the year has plenty coming up for me. Roughly how long is it? I've checked HLTB but I like hearing firsthand accounts too

I'd say 10-15 hours if you are not going for full completion. If you want to find all secrets, you will be looking at more than 20 hours. Maybe even more than 30 if you tackle it without any sort of guide, because some optional secrets are tough to figure out.

Just wanted to second this, the last scenario was our experience. We played at least 40 hours counting all of the time we spent puzzling over everything optional.

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

I finished it after 26 hours on Xbox. Didn’t go for full completion, just the main game. Probably took me longer because I was stubborn and didn’t turn on any of the assists. So I retried some boss fights a LOT.

 

[Magic-Man]

This might be my GOTY if Mario + Rabbids disappoints. My first impressions are that good.

 

[bloopland33]

I'd say 10-15 hours if you are not going for full completion. If you want to find all secrets, you will be looking at more than 20 hours. Maybe even more than 30 if you tackle it without any sort of guide, because some optional secrets are tough to figure out.

Just wanted to second this, the last scenario was our experience. We played at least 40 hours counting all of the time we spent puzzling over everything optional.

Thanks everyone! Yeah definitely not looking for 25+ so I'm glad 10-15 is an option

My guess (based on just playing it) would be that it ranges in resolution between something like 500 and 1000 depending on the scene and context. The resolution clearly is dynamic. Some places (like the very start) look kind of blurry, but other places look really crisp.

Anyhow, the port plays well and is responsive, and I haven't any big frame drops or similar things. Great game!

Are you saying 500 as in 500p?! I know that's just a guess on your part but damn lol. 500p is low. I'd be surprised (glad to hear there are some crisp places in there though)

 

[Nabbit]

This might be my GOTY if Mario + Rabbids disappoints. My first impressions are that good.

So glad to hear you're enjoying it so well, Magic-Man. It will for sure be my GOTY. I absolutely loved Kirby, especially 100%ing it, but this edges it out for me as an all-time great.

Thanks everyone! Yeah definitely not looking for 25+ so I'm glad 10-15 is an option


Are you saying 500 as in 500p?! I know that's just a guess on your part but damn lol. 500p is low. I'd be surprised (glad to hear there are some crisp places in there though)

Oh yeah you can totally do it in 10-15, even without looking anything up, if you're focused mainly on completing the game.

 

[bloopland33]

Oh yeah you can totally do it in 10-15, even without looking anything up, if you're focused mainly on completing the game.

Yeah the thing is it's very hard for me to 'skip' content in a game, although I'm getting better at resisting the urge to do everything. So hopefully I can keep this down to a more manageable time.

 

[jariw]

Are you saying 500 as in 500p?! I know that's just a guess on your part but damn lol. 500p is low. I'd be surprised (glad to hear there are some crisp places in there though)

You have to consult sources like DF if you want hard numbers on this, because it's hard to even guess. There are so many visual and lighting effects going on (and the game using the same visual focus+unfocus style as the Link's Awakening remake) so it's hard to know what's effects (or the artifacts from effects) and what's output resolution. The port has never looked "bad" anytime yet IMO, but it looks inconsistent. Personally, the 30fps/60fps jumping in Link's Awakening disturbed me much more than the differences in appearance in Tunic.

 

[KingOnion]

Picked this up today and I’m honestly a bit mixed on it. Collecting the manual pages is a cool conceit though, like everyone else has said. And exploring the world is fairly enjoyable because the world map pages are toned down so you can actually discover things as opposed to following markers. But it honestly doesn’t feel that great to play and I swear to god if it’s 10 hours of no story followed by some meta textual ending I’m never playing an indie game ever again lol. Also don’t care for the music .

Cute lil’ fox though. I’ll probably play through it.

 

[Nabbit]

Picked this up today and I’m honestly a bit mixed on it. Collecting the manual pages is a cool conceit though, like everyone else has said. And exploring the world is fairly enjoyable because the world map pages are toned down so you can actually discover things as opposed to following markers. But it honestly doesn’t feel that great to play and I swear to god if it’s 10 hours of no story followed by some meta textual ending I’m never playing an indie game ever again lol. Also don’t care for the music .

Cute lil’ fox though. I’ll probably play through it.

Hope it grows on you if you stick with it but if the gameplay doesn't feel good to you, it may not. Just depends how much the solving and exploring grab you

 

[TheQuietone]

I feel like I am stupid or something? Because the combat and enemies are bullshit. I am having no fun at all playing this game to the point where I am actually getting upset. When I win I don't feel any sense of accomplishment I feel a sense of oh God that bullshit is over with finally, only to find the next area is worse. Also I love how the items don't tell you what they are oh look a candle! Boom you're dead and the item is now gone from the inventory. To the point I just looked up what each item does online. Which doesn't help as I wasted a lure because I didn't know how it acted.


Also this area I am trying to pass right now is supposed to be only three enemies but it keeps glitching where a fourth one spawns out of nowhere already aggroed and running straight for you as it spawns. Which just aggroes the other three. Even if my dodge works on one it's not dodging the other three. So dodging doesn't work, fighting doesn't work, running doesn't work, and cheesing the game's AI doesn't work. I also find the game map very confusing to the point I think it's easier to play Zelda NES back in the 80s with no internet to look anything up. The dodging seems broken and never works half the time, most of the time the sprite doesn't even dodge at all and just stands there. I'm no stranger to hard games, I had some fun with Death's Door, loved the usual NES games, I adored Metroid Dread, but this game...Either I am missing something obvious or this game is just bullshit.


Another complaint is the consumable items are gone after death when I'd prefer if they stayed in the inventory. Like why is it making a new save upon death when it could just load the previous save? Or at least give us an option? I haven't been this disappointed in a game in a long time. I want to like it but I feel it's best I drop this game.


Sorry for venting about this game but I need this venting.

 

[Nabbit]

Sorry to hear about your frustrating experiences with the game, @TheQuietone one. I haven't played the Switch version but I did wonder if 30 fps would impact gameplay so I'm wondering if that's part of what's impacting the experience. I'm not sure what the deal is with the dodge though, the dodge worked for me when I played on Xbox; granted, enemies still came after me but it generally worked and it sounds like it's not really working so I'm not sure if that's a glitch or what but it sounds frustrating. It sounds like regardless the game isn't your jam and I think it's great to drop a game when it doesn't jive for you. Heck most games aren't my thing so I really feel you. Anyway, just wanted you to know your venting was heard.

 

[T.Rex In F-14]

Another complaint is the consumable items are gone after death when I'd prefer if they stayed in the inventory. Like why is it making a new save upon death when it could just load the previous save? Or at least give us an option? I haven't been this disappointed in a game in a long time. I want to like it but I feel it's best I drop this game.

This is something that is taken from the Souls games that I will never understand. You are actively punished for trying items out and then failing. No reason to not just load a previous save like you said except to make things even harder. (This is me mostly criticizing the Souls games, I am only a little bit into Tunic and am playing in damage-less mode or whatever it is called)

 

[ITSMILNER]

Picked this up on Switch last night, playing handheld on an OLED and I’m really liking it so far. Only an hour in but it plays and looks fine to me, soundtrack is very chill as well.

 

[SammyJ9]

This is something that is taken from the Souls games that I will never understand. You are actively punished for trying items out and then failing. No reason to not just load a previous save like you said except to make things even harder. (This is me mostly criticizing the Souls games, I am only a little bit into Tunic and am playing in damage-less mode or whatever it is called)

I think one of the main things Tunic is trying to get you to do is "try things out". You're supposed to experiment, mess around, see what works and what doesn't, discover new interactions, and so on. And some of the consumables disappearing on death is actually encouraging that: You're expected to die quite a bit, so why not try out items and see what they do? Because if you don't they might be gone soon anyway. Tunic is not a game for hoarding items. There's actually a mechanic in the game specifically designed around using items in a way, but I won't spoil it unless you want more info.

 

[Nabbit]

I think one of the main things Tunic is trying to get you to do is "try things out". You're supposed to experiment, mess around, see what works and what doesn't, discover new interactions, and so on. And some of the consumables disappearing on death is actually encouraging that: You're expected to die quite a bit, so why not try out items and see what they do? Because if you don't they might be gone soon anyway. Tunic is not a game for hoarding items. There's actually a mechanic in the game specifically designed around using items in a way, but I won't spoil it unless you want more info.

Well said! I was trying to put my finger on how to articulate this and you said it was better than I ever could have. Tunic is definitely about testing things out and being okay with dying a lot. The cost of death is fairly low and you can always get more s.

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

Well, I broke down and bought the Switch version. Figured since it’s my GOTY and I played it on Game Pass, the developer deserved my money.

Played about 90 minutes and made some progress -

Spoiler

and

. I think I found some treasure chests I didn’t find the first time. I’m playing in handheld mode and think it looks pretty good. I know I’m going to be frustrated at the difficulty at points again, but I’m loving it so much I’ll tolerate that. I’m also using items more - trying to be less precious with and

 

[Nabbit]

Well, I broke down and bought the Switch version. Figured since it’s my GOTY and I played it on Game Pass, the developer deserved my money.

Played about 90 minutes and made some progress -

Spoiler

and

. I think I found some treasure chests I didn’t find the first time. I’m playing in handheld mode and think it looks pretty good. I know I’m going to be frustrated at the difficulty at points again, but I’m loving it so much I’ll tolerate that. I’m also using items more - trying to be less precious with and

I know you already know but the game will

Spoiler

reward you

for that last thing! Glad to hear it's been a good experience in handheld. I think a new lower difficulty modifier has been added as a sort of in-between the no fail and default modes. That might be a handy frustration saver in a pinch. You know this guy will come in handy too:

Spoiler: Friend

 

[ITSMILNER]

In terms of performance, there is only one thing I notice when playing handheld on Switch. When you save at a statue (it might be everytime the game loads a new area tbf but this is the time I notice it most) when it comes back from the loading screen, the image comes back really bright then the sunlight/atmospheric light pops back in twice until lighting is as it should be. Really bad at explaining it but has anyone else noticed that?

Aside from that I’m really enjoying the game, I quite like finding the manual pages and it explains how you interact with objects in the world that you have already seen but had no clue what to do.

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

Wow, I've just been sailing through this thing on Switch. I just defeated the Boss Scavenger for the 3rd key

Bosses that took me a dozen attempts on Xbox and multiple hours, I'm defeating after a couple tries this time. I'm playing a little differently - stocking up on items and using more ranged attacks rather than trying to sword and dodge everything. I'm also more relaxed because I already beat them once and know it can be done. It's not just bosses - I'm getting through tough areas quicker, too. I'm sure I don't have any of the assists enabled. Maybe they patched a few things over the summer and the game is a little easier now?

It also could be my setup - On Xbox I played on my LG OLED with the wireless controller. Pretty sure I have it calibrated well for games, but maybe not. On Switch I'm only playing handheld. While there are times when the action completely freezes in the middle of battle for a second or two, playing on Switch does feel more responsive to button presses than I remember on Xbox.

Or maybe, I played this game a lot and got better at it

I know you already know but the game will

Spoiler

reward you

for that last thing!

Don't assume I know anything! I'm pretty dense. I didn't really understand that you get bonus firecrackers for using firecrackers the first time playing. I noticed that I had some bonus ones but didn't make the connection. It was only after reading a guide online this time to see what the items all did that I learned that.

I also didn't fully understand how to open the doors with the maze pattern. I had opened some last time because a manual page showed what directions on the d-pad to press, but it wasn't until this time I realized how to figure out the pattern

Still loving the game, and it's really great on Switch.

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

Just got the true ending and wow was it worth it. I won't go into spoilers here, but after finishing it on Xbox this spring, I'm amazed at how much more there was, and much of it hiding in plain sight. There are some things I just never would have thought of, but I exhausted as much as I could do before looking things up. Very rewarding experience. There are still a few things I could go looking for. Not really playing anything else right now, so I probably will.

Question for @Nabbit if you know - how do I read the game time on my save data? I totaled up my play time from the Parental Controls app and got 19 hours. So I know that's about how long I played the game. But the save data clock says 03:07:05.

 

[Suswave]

huh. so uh

Spoiler

I ended up doing the “true” ending first and was surprised there wasn’t… like… a big final fight.

like I get what they’re going for but I think it would have felt more complete if they had. weird that I have to backpedal if I want a final showdown.

I enjoyed the game for sure, don’t get me wrong. but I’m also unclear about some things?

Spoiler

like I’ve only read translations for part of the manual, but why is the corruption pronounced at night? if you go back to day, it’s chill again. so… it’s not a before / after sitch?

and why was the cathedral boss… not a boss?

is the energy going weird part of the cycle? or is something going wrong this time??

will some of this be explained if I beat the game the normal way?

 

[afternoon delight]

Would really love to see a cart release of this.

 

[Suswave]

Weird question for those who have played both games....

Death's Door or Tunic?

definitely Death’s Door

I enjoyed Tunic and all the cleverness was fun, but the combat felt a little slow.

and Tunic was beautiful, but the heavy lighting effects making it blurrier were a little annoying.

all of that I can abide, but then… the last third of the game, maybe, I didn’t like as much. I liked where I thought it was going but then it never really went there. and one area really could have used a substantial, unified boss — even telegraphed one, I thought, but then did something else entirely.

and regarding the ending:

Spoiler

really disappointed that if you do the “true” ending, which I did first because I got sneaky and ahead of myself, there’s no final boss. at all. would have liked more finality, more resolution, more explanation for certain threads.

Death’s Door, however, was a blast the entire time for me. The conclusion is satisfying. Combat felt smoother to me. And it’s beautiful beautiful beautiful. The music is also truly great.

if you start Death’s Door and aren’t sure about it, make sure you get past the first couple areas — I was a little unsure at first, but once I got outside the starting area, it really all came together for me.

 

[MRC-OSF]

definitely Death’s Door

I enjoyed Tunic and all the cleverness was fun, but the combat felt a little slow.

and Tunic was beautiful, but the heavy lighting effects making it blurrier were a little annoying.

all of that I can abide, but then… the last third of the game, maybe, I didn’t like as much. I liked where I thought it was going but then it never really went there. and one area really could have used a substantial, unified boss — even telegraphed one, I thought, but then did something else entirely.

and regarding the ending:

Spoiler

really disappointed that if you do the “true” ending, which I did first because I got sneaky and ahead of myself, there’s no final boss. at all. would have liked more finality, more resolution, more explanation for certain threads.

Death’s Door, however, was a blast the entire time for me. The conclusion is satisfying. Combat felt smoother to me. And it’s beautiful beautiful beautiful. The music is also truly great.

if you start Death’s Door and aren’t sure about it, make sure you get past the first couple areas — I was a little unsure at first, but once I got outside the starting area, it really all came together for me.

Great stuff here, @Suswave . Thanks really appreciate the response. I've been so busy I havent played either one yet but from everyone's responses I know I'll be happy and frustrated (lol) with both games!

 

[ITSMILNER]

I’ve got 2 of the 3 items I need now and am now in the

Spoiler

Quarry, is this the right area for the 3rd item? Am I also missing an item as I keep getting my health drained?

Can’t say I am loving this tbh, at first I was liking it but it’s not really clicked for some reason. It can be a little too obtuse? I don’t mind some obtuseness but this feels like it’s a bit too much. The bosses can present big difficulty spikes as well, I have used the no fall mode to get past them if I can’t get past in a few try’s.

 

[Yoshifan31]

I’ve got 2 of the 3 items I need now and am now in the

Spoiler

Quarry, is this the right area for the 3rd item? Am I also missing an item as I keep getting my health drained?

Can’t say I am loving this tbh, at first I was liking it but it’s not really clicked for some reason. It can be a little too obtuse? I don’t mind some obtuseness but this feels like it’s a bit too much. The bosses can present big difficulty spikes as well, I have used the no fall mode to get past them if I can’t get past in a few try’s.

Yes and yes but you’ll get it there

 

[Cubs017]

Weird question for those who have played both games....

Death's Door or Tunic?

Deaths Door is quite a bit better to me. It depends though - DD has way better combat, Tunic has better exploration and puzzles.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Any word on a potential patch coming to improve performance (NSW)?

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

and regarding the ending:

Spoiler

really disappointed that if you do the “true” ending, which I did first because I got sneaky and ahead of myself, there’s no final boss. at all. would have liked more finality, more resolution, more explanation for certain threads.

That's an interesting perspective on the endings I didn't think of. They probably expect that

Spoiler

most players face the heir after they regain their abilities and don't collect all the manual pages right away. After you defeat the Heir, the credits roll and the game tells you how many pages you're missing and to try again. Last night, I thought I had all the pages, defeated the heir, and was told to go find one more. I found it and went back to the heir, started fighting again, then noticed I could press (A), and well the rest is history.

 

[Magic-Man]

Weird question for those who have played both games....

Death's Door or Tunic?

Both games are great, but Tunic is better IMO

 

[Deleted member 540]

What's the possibility of a physical release?

 

[bloopland33]

What's the possibility of a physical release?

Very high I’d imagine. Could definitely be a while though

 

[Yoshifan31]

Yeah I’m in the endgame right now and I feel like it might be time to look things up, wanted to do the whole game without looking up anything but some of these hints seem way too vague. Also I’m not sure if it’s expected or not but I have no idea how to decipher the language. So essentially:

Spoiler

I have no idea on how to get back the attack and potion upgrades since I can’t go back to the forest or quarry. Then there’s the ending B stuff. Come to think of it should I do ending A first? Does it matter, can you keep playing after? Do you need to reach it so you stop being s ghost and the world goes back to normal? From the top of my head here’s the unsolved mysteries I noticed:

- I discovered the dpad sequence that is supposed to lead you to fairies but even after getting to the point where the three lights converge, nothing happens

- There’s a part in the cathedral map that I never explored, around number 6 or so

- There’s a monument near the start of the game that shows four lines of text when examining it, no idea what’s the deal with it

- No idea how to get that lone chest in the first area, the map hints to a passageway leading to it but can’t find it

- That windmill dpad hint, no idea what to input or even do

- There’s suddenly a new save file that has maxed out everything but has half your page count. Playing it has a top down perspective. Has a golden ? Icon next to the save file. I guess this might be a hint for a dpad sequnce but I have no idea how it comes up

 

[Magic-Man]

Just got to THAT point in the story. What the fucking fuck.

Spoiler: Vague spoilers

Those poor foxes

 

[Nabbit]

Yeah I’m in the endgame right now and I feel like it might be time to look things up, wanted to do the whole game without looking up anything but some of these hints seem way too vague. Also I’m not sure if it’s expected or not but I have no idea how to decipher the language. So essentially:

Spoiler

I have no idea on how to get back the attack and potion upgrades since I can’t go back to the forest or quarry. Then there’s the ending B stuff. Come to think of it should I do ending A first? Does it matter, can you keep playing after? Do you need to reach it so you stop being s ghost and the world goes back to normal? From the top of my head here’s the unsolved mysteries I noticed:

- I discovered the dpad sequence that is supposed to lead you to fairies but even after getting to the point where the three lights converge, nothing happens

- There’s a part in the cathedral map that I never explored, around number 6 or so

- There’s a monument near the start of the game that shows four lines of text when examining it, no idea what’s the deal with it

- No idea how to get that lone chest in the first area, the map hints to a passageway leading to it but can’t find it

- That windmill dpad hint, no idea what to input or even do

- There’s suddenly a new save file that has maxed out everything but has half your page count. Playing it has a top down perspective. Has a golden ? Icon next to the save file. I guess this might be a hint for a dpad sequnce but I have no idea how it comes up

Hey there @Yoshifan31!

I'm going to reply bullet by bullet in spoiler tags with as little spoilery info as possible.

Spoiler

-Do ending A first. I believe that's the intended order, that's what the manual directs, and if you progress and decipher your way through the game as it appears to intend, you would be unlikely to get ending B until it's your very last thing to do in the game, especially going for 100%.

Yes, you can continue your save after seeing ending A.

You do not need to do ending A to return to make things go back to how they were. If you'd like a hint how to do that, I recommend you check out the second page of the hints section in the manual. I think it's around page 20. You'll want to look at the notes and hints carefully and it may help if you're a bit tired.

This should also aid in going back to the other areas, but it may also help you to look closely at the pen and ink notations on certain pages, like the very well-hidden one on the warp spots page. Also, honestly I don't quite remember where these specific upgrades are but these hints should help generally send you in the right directions.

-You're really close on the fairies. Try doing that same sequence in one of the translated locations listed on the second fairy page. It's a spell to point you in the right direction in certain places. If you try it somewhere where there are no fairies, it will do something different than if you try it somewhere with fairies nearby. Those local truths will get you every time.

-Good catch on the Cathedral map! It may make a bit more sense when you can read the manual. Yep, you can decipher it using only hints from what you're given in the game. The second to last page of the manual gives the biggest hint to deciphering the language. It's very tricky IMO and took me and my spouse multiple days to figure out even with the hint. Between this part and the hidden puzzles in the game, a small will be helpful.

-Being able to read the language will make the writing on the monument much clearer.

-If I'm thinking of the same chest, I think there's some kind of obscured path or bombable area to get towards it. I may have to get back to you on that.

-The windmill hint(s) are one of the hardest puzzles in the game, so give yourself more time, grace and puzzling experience there.

-Great catch on that save file. The notebook may come in handy for this part later, too.

Just like the game says, You can do this! You got this @Yoshifan31. Just keep exploring and puzzling your way through, and give yourself time and headspace to work through it

Please let me know if you want more hints!

 

[Yoshifan31]

Hey there @Yoshifan31!

I'm going to reply bullet by bullet in spoiler tags with as little spoilery info as possible.

Spoiler

-Do ending A first. I believe that's the intended order, that's what the manual directs, and if you progress and decipher your way through the game as it appears to intend, you would be unlikely to get ending B until it's your very last thing to do in the game, especially going for 100%.

Yes, you can continue your save after seeing ending A.

You do not need to do ending A to return to make things go back to how they were. If you'd like a hint how to do that, I recommend you check out the second page of the hints section in the manual. I think it's around page 20. You'll want to look at the notes and hints carefully and it may help if you're a bit tired.

This should also aid in going back to the other areas, but it may also help you to look closely at the pen and ink notations on certain pages, like the very well-hidden one on the warp spots page. Also, honestly I don't quite remember where these specific upgrades are but these hints should help generally send you in the right directions.

-You're really close on the fairies. Try doing that same sequence in one of the translated locations listed on the second fairy page. It's a spell to point you in the right direction in certain places. If you try it somewhere where there are no fairies, it will do something different than if you try it somewhere with fairies nearby. Those local truths will get you every time.

-Good catch on the Cathedral map! It may make a bit more sense when you can read the manual. Yep, you can decipher it using only hints from what you're given in the game. The second to last page of the manual gives the biggest hint to deciphering the language. It's very tricky IMO and took me and my spouse multiple days to figure out even with the hint. Between this part and the hidden puzzles in the game, a small will be helpful.

-Being able to read the language will make the writing on the monument much clearer.

-If I'm thinking of the same chest, I think there's some kind of obscured path or bombable area to get towards it. I may have to get back to you on that.

-The windmill hint(s) are one of the hardest puzzles in the game, so give yourself more time, grace and puzzling experience there.

-Great catch on that save file. The notebook may come in handy for this part later, too.

Just like the game says, You can do this! You got this @Yoshifan31. Just keep exploring and puzzling your way through, and give yourself time and headspace to work through it

Please let me know if you want more hints!

Thanks a lot! Yeah I’ll keep playing more tonight, I was kinda bummed that I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted after playing for like two hours yesterday but this helps for sure. I guess I’ll keep looking into the manual, I heard that you don’t need to decipher the whole language to beat the game unless you want to read more on the story and such. While I understand the appeal, playing with a notebook always felt tacky haha, I thought the screenshot button or the notes app would suffice if I would need to keep track of something. I guess I might need to pull out actual paper eventually

A few precisions:

Spoiler

- So basically now the goal is to get out of ghost form, do ending A and then tackle the big mystery for ending B. I assume that I can have the full stats upgrades before beating the final boss

- That one chest is near-ish the entrance to the forest, the map says there’s a passage leading to it but even after going there I don’t see anything, like the hidden path isn’t on the same level as the chest. I didn’t even know there was bombable areas in the game, that was actually one of my main complaints, the items you get help with combat but there isn’t that much interactions with the environment like you would expect from Zelda. So is the rubble actually bombable? I don’t remember noticing any obvious cracks in the game

- Come to think of it there’s another thing in the manual that I have no idea what’s it’s referring to. In the page that explains the card effects, there’s a picture of water with a drawn star on it with something about being quiet for 60 seconds. I don’t recall noticing a water pattern or a star drawing anywhere else on the manual so far, I suppose there’s another page about this?

I’ll post my impressions in detail once I have fully completed the game (they are positive)

 

[Nabbit]

@Yoshifan31 sure thing! I hope you play session is more satisfying and fruitful tonight. I can say there were many times trying to 100% the game that we'd make minimal progress in an hour play session just because there's no set speed to figuring things out.

Mildly spoilery responses to things you mentioned:

Spoiler

- right, I'm pretty sure off the top of my head that you can get Ending B without translating the manual. You won't be able to 100% one of optional objectives without learning to translate the language. You will be able to get the other optional objective that you're already looking into without translating the manual.

FWIW, off the top of my head it'd be nigh impossible to complete the two major types of optional objectives or get the ending B without a notebook, unless you have an impeccable photographic memory. I think fewer than 0.1% of people would have a sufficient photographic memory to solve ending B without a pen and paper.

Fun side note: once we learned to translate the manual, and then translated the entire thing, I started to think in the runic language sometimes. I study Japanese as a hobby so thinking in characters like this is interesting to me. I haven't been thinking in runic as much lately but I think I still have it mostly memorized at this point.

-I think the goals you laid out sounds basically right. There may be a way to get powered back up without getting out of ghost form but it'll probably make it easier. I just can't quite remember if that's the only way to do it. But yeah you'll be powered back up for the final battle for sure.

-Yes, there are bombable areas but they are unrelated to rubble per se. There's another tell in the game. The manual may have a hint or two about where to try bombing, too. (That's a literal may and not a hint since I'm not 100% sure if I remember any direct bombable wall hints in the manual.)

-Good eye on that hint text regarding the star and the water. That will for sure be important in 100%ing the game and become clearer later.

 

[Irene]

Been picking up this lately, just to tick it off the backlog. But it really is a great game. It mixes the cuteness of something like 2D Zelda with more ethereal and mysterious elements.

I’m playing with invincibility now though, since I find combat to be a bit tough for me. It’s a great accessibility feature but it sort of makes you end up in places you probably shouldn’t be, and I’m afraid that that has sorta happened.

Location spoiler

Spoiler

I’m on the quarry and everything is all weird and noisy, I suppose I have to come back with some kind of ability to get rid of the noise?

 

[Nabbit]

Been picking up this lately, just to tick it off the backlog. But it really is a great game. It mixes the cuteness of something like 2D Zelda with more ethereal and mysterious elements.

I’m playing with invincibility now though, since I find combat to be a bit tough for me. It’s a great accessibility feature but it sort of makes you end up in places you probably shouldn’t be, and I’m afraid that that has sorta happened.

Location spoiler

Spoiler

I’m on the quarry and everything is all weird and noisy, I suppose I have to come back with some kind of ability to get rid of the noise?

It's totally okay to end up in places you can't be yet. Even without invincibility mode it's somewhere you could still go at the point where you're at. Depending on where you are in the game, the next thing to do may or may not be to explore that area as fully as it lets you. I'm glad the accessibility option is there and helpful. I'm really glad you're enjoying the game.

 

[Earthbounder]

Been picking up this lately, just to tick it off the backlog. But it really is a great game. It mixes the cuteness of something like 2D Zelda with more ethereal and mysterious elements.

I’m playing with invincibility now though, since I find combat to be a bit tough for me. It’s a great accessibility feature but it sort of makes you end up in places you probably shouldn’t be, and I’m afraid that that has sorta happened.

Location spoiler

Spoiler

I’m on the quarry and everything is all weird and noisy, I suppose I have to come back with some kind of ability to get rid of the noise?

About that spoiler, if you want to know what to do.

Not-so-spoilery answer:
As usual, look at the manual. The answer should be in there somewhere.

Spoilery answer:

Spoiler

There's a gas mask you find in the Monastery, which is the big building in the Quarry. You might have already picked it up, since it's hard to miss if you go in there.

 

[Irene]

Okay, this game SKYROCKETED for me. All of a sudden, it went from cute 2D Zelda to something truly extraordinary. Like, wow. This game is CALIBER.

Reached (location spoiler)

Spoiler

Ziggurat

and was just filled with such awe that it made me shiver.

Credits rolling now. Truly a masterwork.

 

[Yoshifan31]

Alright I’m finally done

So initially I thought the game would be a very blatant Zelda clone due to its name but it end up being closer to Dark Souls mostly, with a hint of Hyper Light Drifter. It still manages to stand on its own and it hits on very specific notes that most modern games, indie or otherwise, usually don’t really touch on

Before going in depth I’ll comment about the combat. The whole game, besides the true ending segment which I will discuss later in spoilers, is pretty much an action game through and through. Therefore it’s basically an isometric Soulslike, once I but my Souls hat on and remembered that you need to roll and not overextend just like you would in those games, I didn’t have too much trouble with the harder bosses. I’m still not a fan of this design decision because not only you would expect faster and snappier combat in games of this perspective, but more importantly, the controls aren’t adapted for it. The majority of items you collect help you with combat, but you only have three item slots. The inventory menu doesn’t pause the game, that’s just not adapted for a game that equips items like Zelda. If they wanted to do the no pausing thing they could had a better inventory interface like a weapon wheel or toggles, like a bomb button. In that case they should had ironically took more from Zelda, in fact my main gripe with the game is that there isn’t enough interactions with your items (more on that later)

However, the game itself still stands out. The in-game manual and how it guides you and teaches you about hidden mechanics is one of the highlights of the game. That’s especially needed in an era where some devs seem to blend UX, QOL and game design to the point that they trivialize player agency (ex. Games with very explicitly defined objectives and destinations). Tunic also has overall good level design with tons of secrets, like every waterfall has something. It also does a subtle thing that I appreciate in terms of world design: while the game is somewhat linear (or wide linear as they say, basically it’s not open world), it does a good job at teasing you about areas and points of interest that you will revisit. Games like OOT and Super Metroid are great at this and it’s kind of rare that games implement that, usually it’s either super linear or totally open with no in-between.

Now this leads me to the puzzling part, which sadly didn’t grab me as much as I would have liked. While I understand the intention of the game being cryptic and such, it felt simply way too isolated from the rest of the game. Basically:

Spoiler

The Holy Cross twist was clever. But then, the problem is that all of the fairies and most of the treasures involved it. It’s all about figuring out patterns and executing the corresponding sequence, but the problem is that there was simply no precedent of this type of puzzle in the game. The first door was about pressing the dpad to follow a path, but then there’s some that are about pressing directions in a certain order. The mountain door was just miserable, the Switch controller’s dpad probably didn’t help. Then there’s the ones that strongly encouraged you to have a notebook but… some people are bad at drawing, who actually assembled all five pieces of the broken golden monolith?

I feel it would have been more organic if puzzles were more present throughout the main quest, if your items had more interactions with the environment. It wasn’t really the good kind of backtracking when it was merely about figuring out dpad combinations. It’s okay to have a strong sense of mystery and to be cryptic but when there was basically no precedent, the payoff just isn’t as impactful. There’s basically no feedback or actual interaction with the environment until you input the correct combination. Another example is how some walls are bombable, but the game never teaches you that, there are no cracked walls at all in the game. So why would I waste bombs (that go away when you die) to blow up a wall with a flower in front of it when there wasn’t any precedent of walls being actually breakable in the game? There aren’t even that many throughout the game. Same thing with the hidden doors on walls.

So while the big mystery didn’t do much for me I’m still glad I played it, it’s a solid action adventure. I do think La-Mulana has better foreshadowing in its in-game hints though so if you liked the manual mechanic that game does something similar

 

[Nabbit]

Okay, this game SKYROCKETED for me. All of a sudden, it went from cute 2D Zelda to something truly extraordinary. Like, wow. This game is CALIBER.

Reached (location spoiler)

Spoiler

Ziggurat

and was just filled with such awe that it made me shiver.

Credits rolling now. Truly a masterwork.

So glad you enjoyed it so much! I bet there are still some secrets left for you to uncover, too.

 

[bloopland33]

Once you have all three keys/gems, how many hours are left till credits? Not 100%. I'm at the Boss Scavenger about to get the last one. Between checking every nook and cranny as I go and getting stumped for a bit, I've been playing for probably 12+ hours. Kind of ready to move on to my next game, curious if I still have like 5+ hours if I keep moving at a slower pace (since I know a lot of people are done at 10-12 hours apparently).

 

[Magic-Man]

Once you have all three keys/gems, how many hours are left till credits? Not 100%. I'm at the Boss Scavenger about to get the last one. Between checking every nook and cranny as I go and getting stumped for a bit, I've been playing for probably 12+ hours. Kind of ready to move on to my next game, curious if I still have like 5+ hours if I keep moving at a slower pace (since I know a lot of people are done at 10-12 hours apparently).

You still have a while to go. Trust me. Getting the three keys is not the end of the game.