Tunic (Switch)

Man sollte sich von der süßen Aufmachung von Tunic nicht täuschen lassen: das Spiel verlangt einem im Bezug auf Kämpfe einiges ab. Geht es um die Qualität der Rätsel, ist das Spiel auf derselben Ebene wie der Platform-Klassiker FEZ. Doch der größte Verkaufspunkt bleiben die Mysterien, die immer und immer wieder motivieren, noch ein Puzzle zu lösen oder einen Sammelgegenstand zu finden. Für ein Indie-Game ein absolutes Erfolgsrezept.

It takes a little while to feel at home in Tunic’s gorgeously rendered world, but once it clicks and the secrets of the masterfully constructed in-game manual start to reveal themselves, the resulting game is up there with the likes of Zelda in terms of exploration and discoveries.

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.

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!

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.

Every once in a while, a true indie gem comes along. A classic for the ages lauded by critics and players alike. One inspired by classics, taking their best mechanics before refining and crafting something wholly unique and simply unforgettable, for better and occasionally, for worse. After more than 15 hours of deciphering cryptic clues and losing myself in its meticulously-crafted, mysterious world, Tunic has cemented itself in that bracket of all-time indie classics, and one that you simply have to play.