The halls of PAX are full of games inspired by one Zelda game or another. Tunic doesn’t hide its inspiration, essentially naming itself after the series’ most famous article of clothing. What Tunic does hide is its language, enticing players to figure out just what is going on its world while not giving them the luxury of understanding the things around them.
In Tunic’s floor demo, every piece of text was written out in symbols and not a readable font. Publisher Finji even went as far as using the symbols on the “How to Play” plaques at their booth. Even the in-game inventory used this mysterious font. It’s unclear if players will be able to translate parts of this text in the full game later or not. Taking a step away from the mystery, Tunic shares a lot with Legend of Zelda games. Players will find weapons and items that open new areas to explore. Smashing pots can lead to currency (might not be currency but it was gold and seemed to come in different amounts). Enemies can be targeted by holding the left trigger, and players can dodge incoming attacks with a roll.
Visually the game looks slightly like a watercolor art diorama that seems like everything would feel like felt. This is then beautifully lit realistically. One area of the demo took place in a forest, allowing light to peek through as if you were sitting under a tree playing with that diorama.
Tunic certainly has plenty of more mysteries to share, and hopefully it won’t be long until players can start figuring them out. Tunic is currently planned to be released this year on PC, Mac, Linux, and Xbox One.
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