Review Round-Up For Tunic

After a very long wait, Tunic is finally here, as are the reviews for it. If you’re looking to try out the isometric action-adventure game, Tunic is available on Xbox Game Pass. If you aren’t subscribed to the service, you can nab Tunic on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

In GameSpot’s Tunic review, Richard Wakeling praised its colorful world and gratifying challenge, likening its gameplay to something seen in a Souls-like despite its Zelda-like visuals. Below, you can find a wider critical reaction to Tunic–you can also check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for even more impressions.

Game: TunicPlatforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PCDeveloper: Andrew ShouldiceRelease Date: March 16Price: $30 USD

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GameSpot — 9/10

It’s the kind of game you would’ve purchased because the box art looked cool, eagerly flipping through the pages of its manual on the car ride home, not quite understanding it all but getting excited at the possibilities all the same. In Tunic’s case, this grand adventure lives up to the expectations. — Richard Wakeling [Full review]

IGN — 9/10

Though it may look adorably approachable thanks to its deceptively cute furry orange protagonist, Tunic quickly makes it clear that you’d best be ready for a fight. It is a fantastic Zelda-style game for the Elden Ring generation, and solving its ceaselessly clever campaign and challenging combat through careful studying of your indecipherable but intuitive in-game instruction booklet and agile controller work gave me a well-earned payoff and feeling of satisfaction that I won’t soon forget. — Ryan McCaffrey [Full review]

Polygon — Recommended

A person’s experience of playing Tunic will absolutely be what they’ve made of it. Those uninterested in secrets or super-challenging gameplay can move along the main path as they please, thanks to these different settings. But there will also be players that revel in knowing everything about the world and defeating all of its bosses. The amazing thing is how Tunic serves all of those players without compromising on either front. This is a delightful, puzzling journey. — Nicole Carpenter [Full review]

Game Informer — 9.75/10

I was constantly veering off from the main quest to track something down or look into a newly discovered path, and so it took me about 20 hours to roll credits. Despite that, I know there’s still a lot for me to do in the game, and I’m excited to go back in to find every secret and experience everything its aesthetically striking world has to offer. Tunic is a stunning achievement that manages to embody the best of nostalgia while being completely refreshing. It’s absolutely a must-play gem. — Jill Grodt [Full review]

Destructoid — 9/10

I frequently found myself muttering, “you devious bastard.” It speaks the language of games gone by while injecting both modernity and its own personal twist. It’s brilliant enough to stand apart, and this is one garment I recommend you slip into. Maybe with some leggings. It would look nice! — Zoey Handley [Full review]

Digital Trends — 2/5

Tunic desperately tries to recreate the magic of classic Legend of Zelda games, all too often doing so to a fault. It tries to be hands-off and instead leaves the player with no idea of where to go. It wants to have simple combat, akin to something like the Zelda Oracle games, but that approach gets stale incredibly fast here. More than anything though, Tunic left me feeling lost in its mysteries, which I didn’t want to solve out of need or drive, but because I couldn’t bear them anymore. — Otto Kratky [Full review]

VG247 — 5/5

Tunic comes at a perfect time; in the middle of a packed release schedule dripping with titles that delight in killing you, it’s a calmer, more mild-mannered take on the adventure game that wants to engage in a friendly dialogue. It doesn’t want to yell at you – it wants to encourage you. To explore, engage, and experiment. It’s the perfect palate cleanser, taking anywhere between six and 20 hours, and absolutely essential if you’ve got a fondness for adventure games with a potion in their pocket, a cape around their neck, and a twinkle in their eye. — Dom Peppiatt [Full review]