Tunic - PlayStation 4

Bought at a good deal during Black Friday. Arrived in pristine condition along with one other game. Alot of physical goodies plus free digital PS5 upgrade!

This game is like an old school Zelda game meets Dark Souls difficulty. The music is ethereal and quite soothing as you play as a young Fox stranded on a mysterious island of ancient technology and 3d polygonal enemies and environments. The game itself gives you little explanation in the beginning and forces you to traverse and find items to use for weapons and shrines for save points. As you progress, you pick up Game Manual pages of information in the game that gives you hints and maps as to where to go but sometimes it is in a different in-game language so you have to interpret it. The combat feels like a Link to the Past type Zelda games and environment elements like trees can be cut down to get through certain areas. The whole game is like a big puzzle though where passages can seem hidden, but using the camera movement can help you find hidden paths behind statues or the environment to progress. This is where this game shines. Exploding weapons and food can be found throughout the game but will sometimes have to be tried to know what it actually does (if the Manual doesn't show you). The biggest thing that could turn people off is the contrast from its cuteness and soundtrack with the difficulty spikes. Some enemies can take you down in a hit or two and if you go pretty far without saving at a shrine, you can run into an ambush of multiple enemies (I'm looking at you Spiders and Crocodile-type creatures!) and it is quickly game over as you can get pinned against a closed environment. Just like Dark Souls type games, you then have to find your dead self or a shadow of it to pick up the currency that you lost. It is an indy game so the style is welcomed although the diffuculty spikes at moments could cause people to walk away for a bit. However, this edition also comes with a digital copy of the soundtrack, a full game manual printed inside so you can see it from the beginning! (with some spoilers) and a free PS5 upgrade - complete with task/actvity hints in your PS5 home screen in case you get stuck. Overall, a fun and punishing game that in my opnion, could have been tons better if it stuck to its Zelda inspiration instead of cryptic & difficulty variations. I believe this edition is worth a pick up though for PS4 and especially PS5 owners.