Tunic

I finished this game almost a year ago and it is still one that I think of quite a bit. It’s the perfect game for Zelda fans who want something that is similar to Zelda but also blends in some Soulsborne elements as it feels like a mix of both. Granted the game is a lot easier than any Soulsborne game but it uses the combat and defensive mechanics but has powers and items that open different sections of the map but most new openings in the map come from relatively hidden places that are only unlocked upon learning where to look to find the opening. This is the games primary theme, knowledge. You can say its ultimate lesson and value is the understanding that “knowledge is power.”

The game does this in another major way with one of its main mechanics which is collecting the game’s manual, page by page, over the course of the game. You have little understanding of the game when jumping into it and only as you collect the manual, you will have more questions but upon further review and observation of the manual, you will find answers. This is done by there being a cryptic language the manual is printed in with only having random words be in English. Most clues are from pictures in the manual and hidden details, some that are only caught with the closest eye.

For me this game was perfect at balancing the fun Soulsborne mechanics with not being too difficult. Like Zelda games, the music was phenomenal, a very moody blend of lofi vibes and synth wave textures. To me the music resemble more of a futuristic Zelda kind of vibe. But one song I still listen to at least once a day comes at the emotional and intellectual climax of the game. This is happens when the solution is done for the game’s greatest puzzle and arguably one of the greatest puzzles in any game. This puzzle is called the Golden Path. It is the solution to the true end of the game. Arguably the easier ending mechanics wise but more difficult puzzle wise. I highly recommend anyone trying this game to try to solve this puzzle without looking it up but to be honest, I actually had to look it up and was happy to see I was on the right track but there was more parts to the solution that I didn’t find on my own and even with that, completing it still felt extremely rewarding as I did put in hours to get as far on the puzzle as I did. And then I heard the song “This Time is Different.”

The title of that song in mind with the ending that is now achieved with using the reward from solving this final puzzle, gives so much meaning to the ending. This meaning being that of choosing knowledge and empathy over paranoia and apathy. Choosing to be curious and not judgmental. Bringing about peace and harmony from sharing the world and not repeating the same endless cycle of violence and the inevitable repetition of history. Of course this is just pure escapist fantasy at its finest.