![]() Each one looks like it was pulled from an instruction manual from the early '90s, complete with coffee stains and handwritten notes-presumably from the person who rented the game before you. These pages are utterly fantastic, both in their execution and ingenuity. To make sense of where you are and what you're supposed to do next, you'll need to find the lost pages of an instruction manual-remember them?-scattered throughout the world. From the game's earliest moments, you're given no direction, and all of the signposts use a language you don't understand. However, none of the difficulty options help when it comes to Tunic's overt opaqueness. But if you want to see the game through to its conclusion and can't, it's worth toying around with these options. They're not something you should lean on straight away since they do impact the satisfaction of combat by removing much, if not all, of the challenge. You can turn both options on or off at any time as well, making them a perfect way to get through the game's most trying moments. Although both options alter the game considerably, they help to remove the barrier to entry if you're interested in Tunic but don't want to get stuck on an insurmountable boss or a particularly tough dungeon. By entering the game's accessibility menu, you can choose to either remove the stamina mechanic altogether so you can attack and defend ad infinitum, or turn on god mode so you can never die-and this doesn't disable achievements either. One of the key areas where Tunic deviates from the Souls-like genre is by adding a couple of difficulty options. You'll be ducking and weaving between scything blows from a ruined sentry, using your shield to block a scavenger's rifle fire, and clashing swords with an ethereal figure. Boss fights are a particular highlight, too, demanding a proficiency of Tunic's combat while increasing the sense of scale to make for some truly spectacular battles. The level design is also excellent, with shortcuts hidden throughout its interconnected world and labyrinthine dungeons cleverly obscured by the game's isometric point-of-view. Knowing you could lose all of your precious upgrade materials because of a fatal mistake in combat increases the tension of each fight, just as discovering a new shrine is uplifting after venturing through a lengthy dungeon. This is all derivative, of course, but this structure still works in Tunic's favor. Falling in battle will return you to the last shrine you visited, costing you all of your accumulated wealth unless you can return to the site of your death and recover it before perishing again. The catch is that resting at these shrines also respawns all of the enemies you may have previously defeated. ![]() As you explore Tunic's varied world, you'll discover shrines that refill your health bar and replenish your healing items. While this is partly due to how demanding its combat often is, it's also because it adopts a familiar structure to From Software's games. ![]() Like other games in the genre, Tunic is punishingly difficult. It's all fairly simplistic on the surface, with one button used to perform a basic three-hit combo, but when you're in the heat of battle, forced to manage groups of diverse enemies despite your ever-dwindling stamina meter, it's nail-bitingly tense and, ultimately, rewarding when you manage to emerge victorious. Learning their routines and knowing when to attack, dodge, and block becomes the core of Tunic's combat. There are a variety of enemy types, too, each with their own unique attack patterns and defensive maneuvers. Fortunately, attacking doesn't consume any of your stamina, it only halts the refilling process, creating a compelling incentive to be proactive when the situation calls for it. ![]() Managing your stamina is key to staying alive since once the meter runs dry, any wounds you sustain do 50% more damage than they usually would. A meter determines how often you can roll out of danger and absorb damage with your shield before being knocked back, leaving you wide open to a devastating counter-attack. Combat might capture the familiar look and feel of Link's fisticuffs-the camera zooms in as you lock-on and swing your sword from side-to-side to vanquish your foes-but it's all stamina-based. ![]()
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