Like many others, we were pretty smitten when Tunic released on Xbox and PC platforms earlier this year.
We’re even more taken with Tunic now that’s on PS5, however. And it’s largely down to what initially might seem like a minor addition: the option to reduce the ferociousness of the game’s combat. It’s also not exclusive to PS5 – you’ll find the option in the new PS4 and Switch versions, too, and they’ve been patched into the Xbox and PC versions. But combined with other PS5 benefits such as ultra-sharp visuals, fast loading times and DualSense support, it’s undoubtedly the best way to experience this modern classic.
It may look cute and disarming, but essentially Tunic is a combination of The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls. That is to say that this is an action RPG with a large focus on exploration and puzzles. But it also has challenging combat, and an ethos of death being a part of the learning process. As you explore the harsh world of Tunic you’ll die time and time again, with some of your hard-earned currency being left at your place of death. Fail to recover it, and it’s gone forever.
Back when Tunic first launched, there was a lifeline for those who found its combat just too troublesome. Two, in fact. No Fail mode basically allowed you to make yourself invincible, making combat encounters merely a hindrance to your exploration. Meanwhile, the option to have infinite stamina reduced some of the challenge when used in isolation, but still left you with a game that could be genuinely frustrating at times.
Related: Tips For Getting Started in Tunic
You were left with two options when encountering difficulties with Tunic‘s combat, then: either persist and struggle through it, or take out all the challenge whatsoever by enabling No Fail mode. That’s not exactly ideal. But with this new release, being able to simply reduce combat difficulty allows you to strike a happy medium. You still have to consider your stamina when performing actions, and you still need to watch out for and create openings to attack. But if you do get hit, you no longer take a massive amount of damage. There’s still some challenge, but it’s much less frustrating.
With the fear, and likelihood, of death reduced, Tunic strikes a much finer balance between exploration and combat. And we dare say the reduced combat difficulty option might tempt those who would have previously resorted to No Fail mode to push themselves. And so, there’s never been a better time to play this fox-led adventure. If you’re a fan of old-fashioned isometric action RPGs, be sure to not let Tunic pass you by.
