Review: Tunic - A Clever Action-Adventure Full of Hidden Depths
A clever action adventure inspired by The Legend of Zelda with more secrets beneath the surface than you’d expect
Available on: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, Xbox Gamepass
Physical Copies*: Nintendo Switch, PS4
Genre: Action Adventure, Puzzle, Exploration, Souls Like
Developer: TUNIC Team
Publisher: Finji
How Cozy? ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Game Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
*Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the pod! 🫶
Tunic completely surprised me. I went in thinking it would be a cute Zelda-style adventure, but it’s actually one of the most interesting puzzle games I’ve played in ages. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, and it really rewards slowing down, exploring, and paying attention. It’s cozy in its own quiet way, thoughtful, challenging, and full of little discoveries around secret corners, and one of the best action adventure games I’ve played to date.
Story
Tunic drops you into the world without much explanation. You play as a small fox waking up on a beach, and that’s about all the setup you get. There’s no long intro or dialogue, just places to explore, doors to unlock, and bits of an ancient looking manual to find.
The story is told almost entirely through the world itself and the in game instruction booklet, which is mostly written in a made up language. At first I thought I was missing something, but then it started to make sense, not all at once, just gradually, through clues and patterns and the more pages I uncovered.
If you like figuring things out for yourself, you’ll enjoy how Tunic handles its story. It doesn’t force anything, but there’s definitely something deeper going on if you want to find it.
Related: Love games where you can plan and organise?
Check out my list of top management simulation games!
Gameplay
The game looks cute, but it’s quite challenging in places. You’ve got real time combat with a stamina bar, a dodge roll, and all the usual tools like a sword, shield, bombs and potions. There’s a bit of Souls like structure to it too, rest points, health flasks, enemies that respawn, but it’s never overwhelming.
Where Tunic really shines is in its world design and puzzles. It’s full of hidden paths, shortcuts, and little secrets that don’t call attention to themselves. Some of the puzzles are so well hidden that you might not even realise they are puzzles at first. I kept having moments where I’d suddenly remember something from hours ago and rush back to check it, and more often than not, there was something there.
The in game manual is one of the smartest parts. It looks like a proper printed booklet, with pages scattered across the world. Some explain the mechanics, some are maps, some are just drawings, but it all adds up over time and its really satisfying when things start to click into place.
Graphics and Visuals
Tunic has a clean, isometric art style with bright colours and lovely lighting. It’s simple, but everything looks well considered. Your main fox character is just adorable, good weight to him and I lovely bobbing movement. I loved the way his head would occasionally turn while you’re running to indicate there might be something hidden he’s looking at.
Areas are distinct and easy to navigate, with little visual details that help guide you even without a map. I really liked how tidy it all feels, nothing’s cluttered, but there’s still a lot of depth if you stop and look around.
There are moments where the camera pulls back to show you something big, or where you catch a glimpse of an area you haven’t reached yet through a telescope, and it always made me want to keep going. It’s not flashy, but it’s polished and thoughtful.
Music
The soundtrack in Tunic is gentle, electronic, and slightly dreamy. It’s mostly ambient, with soft piano and synths that drift in and out depending on where you are. Some parts of the game are quiet, others have more melody or tension, especially during boss fights, but it all flows together really nicely.
It does a great job of setting the mood. It never feels overdone or distracting. It’s subtle, or used to build enegry in battles, and that works well with the way the game encourages you to take your time and pay attention.
Longevity
You can finish Tunic’s main story in around 10 15 hours, but there’s a lot more to find if you want to dig deeper. There are secret puzzles, a hidden ending, and clever little mechanics that most players probably won’t spot on their first run.
There’s also a brilliant late game puzzle path that completely changes how you see the game, but I won’t spoil it here. Just know that if you enjoy piecing things together, Tunic has more than enough to keep you thinking and want to keep looking for more secrets to complete the manual.
Conclusion
Tunic is a smart, surprising game that hides a lot under the surface. It looks like a straightforward adventure at first, but slowly reveals itself to be something much more thoughtful and layered.
If you enjoy games with secrets, exploration, puzzles and Zelda-like/light souslike battles, this is absolutely worth playing. It’s cozy in the sense that it encourages you to go at your own pace, trust your instincts, and enjoy the process of discovery.
I completely loved it, didn’t find it too difficult except for the final boss, but it was a well earned challenge Definitely recommended for cozy gamers who like their games with a bit of mystery, and anyone who gets a thrill of figuring things out for themselves without much handholding.
Looking for more Games like Tunic?
Affiliate Reminder: I may earn a small commission if you purchase through any of the links in this post. Thank you for your support! 🫶
