Released on July 07, 2025,Tunicwas an indie gem that soon became game-of-the-year material for players who happened to come across it. AlthoughTunicmay look like a cute and colorfulZelda-like adventure on the surface, the game actually hides a surprising amount of depth in its combat, mechanics, and level design. WhileTunicis often aptly compared toThe Legend of Zeldatitles, another frequent comparison is with that ofDark Soulsand various other Soulslike games.
In a Game Rant interview withTuniccreator Andrew Shouldice forTunic’s one-year anniversary, he addressed theDark Soulscomparisonsand talked about how the game took inspiration from Soulslikes while deviating from the formula whenever it made sense.
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Tunic’s Environmental Storytelling and Challenging Design Brings Dark Souls To Mind
One of the key characteristics ofFromSoftware’sSoulsgamesis the feeling that the player isn’t a special superhuman destined for great things, but is actually rather helpless in the face of the world’s imposing creatures. This can lead to immensely satisfying gameplay since each hard-won victory can be attributed to the player’s own skill and cunning. Shouldice values this aspect of Soulslike games, and it shows throughoutTunic.
It makes a lot of sense. I like theSoulsgames, particularly the first one that I played, which wasDark Souls. Because it has that “I’m just a tiny little guy in a big scary world full of monsters that are going to kill me” vibe. I like that vibe. I like feeling like you are small and alone and afraid in a hostile world. And you’re just going to do your best and press forward as much as you can. That’s a cool feeling. So from that perspective, things like oblique storytelling, all of that stuff I really value. But the stuff that was more mechanically connected toDark Soulssort of got shaken off during the development ofTunic.
Tunicalso makes good use of oblique storytelling and a generally mysterious presentation, as evidenced by the game’s famous instructions manual which is written in strange glyphs and expands as pages are found throughout the game’s world. Because of this, the game offers countless moments of discovery down to learning some of the game’s basic controls.
TunicBecame More Fun As It Deviated From Soulslike Design Staples
Any Soulslike veteran should be able to spot a number of familiar features inTunic. Resting at healing shrines restores the player’s health, the game hasEstus Flask-like healing consumables, and death respawns defeated enemies. Being defeated leaves behind a ghost at that location for players to recover lost currency. Blocking and dodging consume stamina. However, Shouldice noted some problems with adhering to this formula too strictly.
Early on, when you died, you lost all your money. That was the way that it worked for a very long time. I just had in my head, like, “Okay, I’m modeling it after this game that I really like, hopefully, will evoke the same feelings.” But quite a ways into development, I realize that this is not really supporting the design in the way that it needs to, so it was changed. When you die, you leave something there, but it’s not all your money. That’s one of those things that you question, a design that you took for granted. You’re like, “Oh, this is much better when it’s changed,” you know, you shouldn’t be beholden to this thing.
Tunicstrays from the formula by allowing the player to save anywhere, and running swiftly doesn’t consume stamina. There are a number of other changes that make the game less frustrating than aDark Soulsgame but still far more challenging thanclassicZeldatitles. The game has also included a number of helpful accessibility options such as a “no fail” mode so that struggling players can press on and see all thatTunichas to offer.
Tunicis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
