As time goes by, though, it becomes increasingly clear that Tunic is actually very different from The Legend of Zelda. A lot of its fundamental game design, from the difficulty of combat to the layout of the world, set Tunic apart from its main source of inspiration. Tunic’s world also looks more and more unique by the day thanks to its aesthetic and some clever storytelling techniques. The newest trailer for Tunic, revealed at The Game Awards 2021 alongside a long-awaited release date, drives home the fact that Shouldice’s game is far from an imitator.
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How Tunic Differs From Zelda
Tunic’s combat differs greatly from The Legend of Zelda, in no small part because of its difficulty. The adorable fox protagonist is pretty frail, and can only withstand a few blows before falling unconscious and respawning at a shrine. Therefore players have to master movement through rolling, manage their stamina, and carefully block attacks, resulting in much more meticulous combat than The Legend of Zelda, where players can often hack and slash through adversaries.
The demo for Tunic showed off some of the items players can find and deploy in combat too. A powerful ice blast emitted from the fox in the new Tunic trailer, seemingly depleting a magic meter, suggests that there’s many more combat options around the corner too.
The aesthetic of Tunic goes far to establish its uniqueness too. Many games in The Legend of Zelda are known for being colorful, especially isometric games like Link’s Awakening that inspire Tunic the most. Although Tunic definitely borrows a similar matte color palette, its simplistic and often geometric designs for both enemies and the environment give Tunic a cute but otherworldly look that Zelda doesn’t use. The sound design and music in Tunic go far, too. Minimalistic electronic music and sounds serve Tunic’s simple charm well, but they’re also appropriate for the hulking otherworldy creatures that the fox encounters.
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Perhaps most importantly, Shouldice has created a unique world in Tunic that’s very different from The Legend of Zelda. Most Zelda games rely on versions of Hyrule rooted in traditional medieval fantasy, but Tunic has a more timeless feeling, blending archaeology, swords, and sorcery with advanced technology and guns. That blended setting, as well as Tunic’s inscrutable written language and the mysterious game manuals scattered around the world, give the game a strong air of mystery. Tunic knows how to encourage players to ask questions about the world and continue exploring in the hope of finding answers.
Tunic is No Clone
All of these aspects add up to an indie game that’s truly unique, even if it still shows a lot of obvious love for The Legend of Zelda. Andrew Shouldice and his publisher Finji have something very compelling on their hands. As always, it remains to be seen if Tunic delivers on its concept, but thanks to the strong impression made by the Tunic demo, anyone interested in the game has good reason to keep their hopes up. Tunic looks like a charming homage to classic entries in The Legend of Zelda, but its true strengths lie in what makes it different.
Tunic releases March 16, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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