Between Zelda and Souls, an unmissable adventure

It took more than 7 years because Andrew Shouldes Completed development process Jacket. A long path, which the author traveled for the most part on his own, with the support of a few collaborators, responsible, for example, for the creation of the audio sector. In short, the colorful little fox made his audience wait for him, who, however, was able to get a taste thanks to the frequent publication of a free demo, which we had the opportunity to tell on our site Try from a tonk.

But even for the protagonist, now is the time to take a sword and shield and finally set out on an adventure in a direction PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S.. From our side, we can only advise you to join Andrew’s Fox A very successful action adventure. Without revealing much, we are ready to tell you about it in our own Tonic reviewEnjoy reading!

The Legend of Tonk: Fox’s Awakening

A lost little fox wakes up on a secluded beachSunny and battered by the waves of a crystal sea. In the surroundings, forests and meadows stretch untouched, while a secluded mountain rises on the horizon. Among the foliage, there are ancient ruins, strange statues and majestic buildings, from the heritage of the civilization of the past. Among the old streams and mills, aggressive and hostile beings do not hesitate to attack us. But how did we end up in this luxurious and still inhospitable land?

There are no simple answers in tunicTo solve each puzzle – from the simplest to the most organized – it is necessary to sharpen your wits and show great courage. Thus, we just have to remove the sand from our clothes and begin to take the first steps in this mysterious land that welcomed us unconscious. The signs placed along the roads are only useful sometimes, and they are written in obscure language Our fox only catches a few words here and there. This is a circumstance that prompts us to look around carefully, looking for signs that can lead us towards some kind of response. And indeed we found something.

From the start, Tonk players were actually a legendary writing coincidence, Real old style “Instruction Manual”, the kind you might find on your hands when you open your Game Boy box. Page after page, parts of this curious guide give us helpful tips, explanations, and maps.

But do not expect anything simple or obvious: as already mentioned, a mysterious language is spoken in this land, which we cannot fully understand and cannot understand. Among the notes in the margin, strange symbols and wonderful works of art, Only a few reckless words understandable. In short, our guide raises more questions than answers it would like to provide.

And as you advance in the game world, careful exploration It allows you to gradually put your hand on the missing pages, which is necessary to get a clearer idea of ​​the strange adventure we found ourselves in.

We assure you that behind the colorful and poetic appearances proposed by JacketEnormous mysteries and many endless secrets are hidden, which you will not stop wanting to search for even for a moment. We’ve had consistent evidence of this during our run, which we’ve been pleased to share with many of the other reviewers from around the world. Vengepublisher JacketIn fact, he had the brilliant idea of ​​making a Discord server available to the press dedicated to sharing discoveries, clues, and theories. Well, know that within a few days of its opening, this space began brimming with reports, questions, requests for clues, suggestions, and daring hypotheses. Concrete proof of that Tonic’s soul pulsates with strength and vitalityfor an experience that feels like it was tailored to share with friends, even though it’s completely single-player.

Exploration, puzzles and combat

in a rich country Interview dedicated to TunicAndrew Shouldis predicted that we would find at the heart of the experiment suggested by the Indy team Three main pillars: “Explore”, “Find secrets” and “Fight against monsters”. After accessing the credits, we can confirm the author’s words via the board.

On a purely cheerful front, Jacket In fact, it presents itself as a successful amalgamation of The Legend of Zelda franchise’s signature elements and some Souls-like dynamics.. The first, as is quite evident, is also an aesthetic reference point for the title, which indeed with the choice of clothing and equipment for the protagonist brings to mind the veteran and silent link.

Ships being smashed reveal rupee-like coins and beautiful chests hiding treasures small and large that resonate with Nintendo’s imagination. But it is mainly in Feeling adventurous and confused that emerges from the game Jacket evokes the atmosphere of the first the legend of zeldawhere trying was the only way to see if intuition could prove effective.

So, in Andrew Schuldas’ work, expect to find dungeons that can only be encountered after you put your hairy paws on a basic tool, but also clever puzzles and puzzles, which go step by step complete with the aforementioned in-game how-to guide. With the expansion of tools, including for example hooks or lanterns, our brave fox will be able to explore larger parts of the game map, which also includes Catalyst level design.

In the world of Tunic, hidden passages and shortcuts to unlock are actually the order of the day, including hidden stairs, drawbridges, and other efficient establishments. At Souls Full School, Unlocking new passages returns the protagonist to the reference checkpoint for each region. With the latter you will be taken away in case of defeat, a circumstance that will also lead you to lose part of the coins accumulated during your adventures. Returning to where you were dropped will allow you to recover it.

action adventure It does not represent a punitive level of difficulty, but it does not detract from the importance of the challenge it proposes: As you advance in the title, these coins will be necessary to increase your effectiveness in the battle. Our fox can actually increase

Attack, but also the number of health points, stamina and other simple parameters. The character progression system is not detailed or complicated, but following the steps is necessary to calmly move forward in the adventure. Some fights await your tonk, Especially the battle of the bossIn fact, it is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. On the contrary, some enemies will need to carefully study their attack patterns and take the initiative to try different strategies and tactics. To dodge the most dangerous assaults, the protagonist can roll onto the battlefield or raise his shield, at least as long as his stamina allows. On the other hand, striking with a sword is always a “free” act from the point of view of physical endurance.

stimulus and responsecombat system Jacket It gave us a lot of satisfaction on the run, during which the game world encouraged us to practically test any gadget we got our hands on. Bombs, Special Moves, and Spells – As long as you’re willing to explore carefully, Action Adventure rewards players with treasures small and big to discover through ongoing experiments. Number of possible solutions – Jacket In fact, it also offers a certain degree of customization to the style of combat – it is contained, but it fits perfectly with the types of enemies you face.

And if the challenge turns out to be too difficult, know that among the options Jacket (Access section), it is possible Activate and deactivate some kind of protagonist’s immunity at any time. In this way, players who want to enjoy the story and puzzles without experiencing any frustration, are absolutely free to live the title as they like.

exhilarating adventure

Even on the technical front, Tonic does not disappoint. The style chosen for the adventure of the little fox repeatedly evoked the style adopted in the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, with an isometric perspective that draws the player’s attention to what surrounds the hero, while the rest of the world appears almost blurry, increasingly in the background as we reach the edges of the screen. Vivid colors and well-designed color palettes make this quirky virtual world so alive that adopting a low-tuning aesthetic doesn’t mean giving up attention to detail. To enrich the views, there are also suggestive plays of light and shadows, giving more credibility to the settings.

Among the forests, caves, gloomy swamps, ancient palaces, the settings Jacket It’s simple, yet never predictable, peppered with a silent story and just the right level of variety. Traveling through the world of Indie, you’ll never feel déjà vu or visual fatigue, thanks to the small and large details that constantly pique the player’s curiosity.

To make exploration more enjoyable, also think about it Excellent soundtrack, which should be particularly commended. The latter is not intrusive and atmospheric, it accompanies our fox in its wanderings with ornaments that are as attractive as they are mysterious. The rest of the pros – Lifeformed and PowerUp Audio – have signed each song to Tunic, who in the past have worked on the audio sector for titles like cyanAnd the darkest dungeon And the Subnautica: Less Than Zero.

In conclusion, we also point out that there is a complete file Translation in Italianhelping to make the clues and hidden puzzles in this excellent action adventure available to a wider audience.