As fans eagerly await the release of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, indie game Tunic may be a little something to tide them over–or turn them into avid players of the new game as well.
After leaving Silverback productions (the studio behind the Empress of the Deep saga), developer Andrew Shouldice, set to work on his passion project then-named Secret Legend. The Canadian developer dedicated the past few years to making a new spin on the Zelda games, where instead of Link, the protagonist is an adorable anthropomorphic fox.
“[It] holds certain classic triangle-seeking games as important touchstones,” Shouldice said in an interview with Silicon Era in 2015 “I have a special nostalgia for exploring vast, inscrutable worlds that offer precious few helping hands.”
Tunic boasts the most-loved elements of the Zelda franchise. In fact, much of what we know about the gameplay comes from its similarities. Both games feature a 3D third-person point of view and a protagonist armed with both sword and shield. More importantly, they share a discovery and exploration system. With finding new weapons or equipment comes unlocking new skills and parts of the map, and nearly everything you find is necessary on the quest.
Amid the adventure, there are plenty of monsters to slay and lore to unearth that are unique to this universe – reaffirming that this game is so much more than a knockoff.
One new interesting mechanic is the dialogue, seldom little of which is translated into your language. Because of this, solving riddles and exploring should prove to be more challenging than traditional games of this sort.
Another interesting mechanic (uncovered by Matt Smith writing for Engadget) is the loot you’ll find. While unlockables are usually restricted to potions, weapons or money, Tunic offers game manual pages to find. These pages teach how to perform advanced techniques that will make it a little easier, and this highly untraditional mechanic will help with the dialogue difficulty as well.
In addition to its new and old gameplay elements, Tunic embraces a familiar style that combines comfort with adventure. While most adventure games have stunning graphics and scenery, usually they air on the side of realism and can’t be described as “cozy.” This game bridges the two seamlessly (and judging by the trailer, the graphics are impressive in addition to cute).
Shouldice has put in a lot of work to craft a game that, from the looks of it, will do justice to its inspiration and become a modern fan favorite.
This cozy game releases as an Xbox exclusive and on Steam March 16.
Anna is a senior at NYU studying Journalism. Her work has been featured in GreenWorldAlliance and the Borgen Project, and she hopes to pursue games journalism into the future.In her free time, she loves playing Left 4 Dead with her 60-year-old father, tearing it up in Just Dance, and unnecessarily reorganizing her decks in Back 4 Blood.
