I really liked the puzzle elements, but the combat was way too hard in places. I didn't feel bad about turning that down.

No link to said game?

It's also one of the best sonic youth songs

I've heard people describe games like this as "Metroidbrainias", which is the dumbest name ever, but the point is that it's a game where progress is blocked not just by obtaining in-game power-ups, but by learning how to use abilities that you already possess at the beginning of the game. The player is the one who levels up. I love that.

FWIW the game came out over 3 years ago, made a shit ton, was incredibly well received across the board, and was everywhere online. It was talked about incredibly extensively and beloved, even with the pretty high difficulty ceiling (especially if you want to actually complete the game). So be thrilled to know that your concern about its reception/discussion is misplaced!

For those of you curious about it, trust me. This is no simple Zelda like. There is a lot beneath the surface…

Tunic is a great little game. I can't think of any other game that captures that feeling of playing a game for the first time and slowly testing the boundaries of what you can and cannot do. Definitely one of the better love letters to the old Zelda games out there. My main issue with it was the fact that the end-game is mostly just puzzle-solving. It kind of felt like the game had changed genres on me, especially since I had seen it recommended so many times as "Zelda meets Dark Souls".

To me, the unspoken premise of the game is that you're a kid in 1986 with a parent or cool uncle who went on a business trip to Japan and brought you home a Famicom and a copy of the original Zelda - months before the console even launched outside Japan.

The whole game is about replicating that sense of childish fascination and wonder.

The 'Alien Language' game manual is supposed to mimic the feeling of trying to read the Japanese manual that came with the game, muddling through as best you can with the pictures, and a few random English words they included just because English is 'cool' in a gaming context.

It's a very fun mechanic, and my favourite thing about the game.

If you liked this game or miss it, there's another really great game with some similarities out there: Death's Door

It's an absolutely beautiful love letter to Zelda, and I wish I finished it while it was still free on PSN. So much thought and attention went into every little detail you see and hear. Tunic teaches so many lessons about game design that I wish AAA studios would hear.

I got stuck at either a boss or miniboss. Game's a lot of fun and has good spirit but I didn't have enough mana to fight a flying wizard. I don't think that's too much of a spoiler. This Zelda-like game has flying wizards and you can cast magic spells.

I either couldn't backtrack or didnt trust my ability to return to that arena to advance the game. Whatever the case was after stalling out and putting it down I have found it difficult to get my head back in the game. At this point I'm waiting until I forget more of the game so I can start fresh again one day.

I loved this game too! I haven’t finished it yet. I get distracted sometimes but I really do love it. It’s so unique but also kept the right tropes in the genre. Plus it’s cute.

Loved it, but absolutely hit a wall with it until they released the "take half damage" difficulty patch. Then I found it fun again. I love a challenging video game, but the "slightly loose dodging controls" and the requirement for basically perfect execution to defeat the bosses didn't sit well with me. The Garden Knight was bad enough, the ones that come after it were just silly.

Tunic is one of my absolute favorite games. An absolute joy to play and the sheer whimsy that the game exudes is refreshing.

i've said it before but i don't think i've ever bounced so hard off of something i thought i would love.

i love cryptic, deep worlds, deciphering languages, discovery and exploration. but the combat blocked me from doing any of it.

i died to the first larger enemy (a white blob thing) like five times. i switched the combat to easy mode, and subsequently died five more times, just slower. then i looked up if here was something obvious that i was missing, but no. people were basically describing what i was already doing. dodging, rolling, watching for tells. only there are no tells on those first blob enemies. they just attack. later enemies, like the big spiders, have tells, and those i can sort of do. but the first guys just maul you.

the combat is honestly ass, at least as far as i got. its difficulty is not in line with the theme of the game, and it adds very little to it other than being a roadblock for the puzzles.

I wanted to like it, couldn't really get into it.

I see what it's going for, it's just... not my thing. It never clikced with me moment to moment and the self-congratulatory aren't-we-smart information discovery stuff just doesn't work for me in most cases (this applies to Fez and The Witness, too).

I'm not mad that people do like it, though. There's nothing in there I find... objectionable, or poorly designed. I just didn't get into it and that's alright.

Spent a lot of time with this game on the steam deck traveling. Great game.

The soundtrack is also amazing. Lifeformed did a great job with it, just as they did with Dustforce.

I might have been too autistic for it, cuz I 100%d the game in ~~5~~ 18 hours total without using any guides. Absolutely loved those ~~5~~ 18 hours tho.

Have you "finished it" or finished it ?