Tunic game: review round-up, Metacritic score, Xbox Game Pass details, price, trailer - and gameplay explained

An ‘epic little adventure’ comes to Xbox and PC in March 2022 - here’s everything you need to know about Tunic
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If the violent destruction of more mainstream, blockbuster video games like GTA isn’t your bag, you’ll want to check out Tunic.

It’s a charming looking action-adventure game that has been years in the making, but finally sees its release in March 2022.

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It’s been years in the making, and has intrigued fans with each brief glimpse we’ve been given. Now it’s finally here.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Tunic?

In Tunic, you play as a cutesy anthropomorphic fox in a game its developer claims has been very much inspired by “certain classic triangle-seeking games", an oblique reference to The Legend of Zelda series.

That means there will be dungeons to explore and secrets to uncover, with progress limited to certain areas until the player has collected new weapons or abilities.

You’ll also engage with enemies through a deep combat system (that previews suggest belies the game’s relatively simplistic look), and interact with objects and solve puzzles to make your way through the colourful world.

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The twist here is that the game is initially presented in an unknown language, with only hints at what everything could mean helping you along.

Select characters or words will be legible to provide tips however, and some of the items that the player will find are pages that make up the game's manual.

Is it any good?

(Image: Finji)(Image: Finji)
(Image: Finji)

The game was first revealed to the public all the way back in 2018, and has taken at least five years to make it to release.

But, when you consider that it’s all been developed by just one person - Andrew Shouldice - that long development cycle is completely justifiable.

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One can only imagine the sheer number of hours it must have taken for Shouldice to craft such a polished looking game on his own, and though he had help in the latter stages of development from publisher FInji, it’s still a mammoth undertaking.

Reviews coming in for the game point to overwhelming positivity from critics, and Tunic currently enjoys a Metacritic score of 80 and 87 on Xbox and PC respectively.

from critics, who have praised Tunic’s

When can I play it?

The game was released for both Xbox consoles and PC on Wednesday 16 February.

Is it on Xbox Game Pass?

The quirky looking ‘indie’ title looks as if it would be a perfect fit for Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, which serves subscribers a large selection of games for a monthly fee.

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The service has seen games which may otherwise have fallen by the wayside thanks to their offbeat premises or lack of marketing budget get snapped up by fans, willing to give them a go at no extra cost.

Despite the game’s publishers originally “confirming” that the game would not be coming to the service, Xbox revealed it would in fact be made available there as a surprise.

Therefore, Tunic IS now available through Xbox Game Pass.

How much does it cost?

The game is currently listed at £24.99 on Steam.

It’s available for the same price through the Xbox Store, though Game Pass subscribers can play it at no extra cost.

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