There are lots of games that I'd love to "Eternal Sunshine" out of my memory and try again for the first time. Nier: Automata. Red Dead Redemption 2. Bloodborne. Elden Ring. Wonderful stories, open worlds ripe for exploration, the first time you see your character reborn as a baby squid....all wonderful experiences. Tunic (developed by Andrew Shouldice and published by Finji) is also on the Eternal Sunshine Wishlist, but for a different reason than the previously listed games. Tunic is on that list because you only get one chance to truly experience Tunic in its intended way....and I biffed it.
Tunic, unlike many modern games, asks a lot of the player to hold up their end of the bargain. Where almost all modern games include extensive tutorialization, Tunic hearkens back to the era of learning how to play a by consulting the game manual. Simple mechanics like your dodge roll, how to upgrade your character, where you should be going next and what you should be doing there are all located not within tutorial pop-ups, but within pages of the game's manual that you find as treasures around the game world. The game does explain these things adequately, but it is on the player to not only refer to the manual often to learn, but to remember what they read or check back often as new problems arise. This is where one of my main problems arose- I found a manual page explaining a key mechanic, but it was right before a boss fight so I decided I would check back on it later...and promptly forgot. This happened a few times, as manual pages may explain mechanics that you yourself will need hours later, and I do fault myself for this. So I am left with the feeling that I would like another try, that I can do better, that a game can trust me to do my part and that I won't let it down...but I won't get that chance with Tunic, becuase it's a one-try deal. Now, it's not all on me, as I do truly believe that this game is far too difficult on its standard difficulty setting, and merely "pretty fucking hard" on its "reduced" difficulty setting, and there are a few enemy mechanics throughout the game that are hateful. But I come away from this experience feeling a great deal of respect for Andrew Shouldice's vision for what this game should be, and wishing for a second chance that will never happen.
Joining me for episode 63 of Tales from the Backlog is Ryan Batie of Lightning Strikes Thrice podcast. Anybody who knows Ryan and what they value in video games knows that Tunic was almost made for them, so I was very excited to talk with them about this game in particular, and the conversation was exactly what I had hoped. Lightning Strikes Thrice is a games club podcast about JRPGs, so if you like Final Fantasy, the Xeno series and many more, you can and should check out the show on your favorite podcast app or by following this link!
You can listen to episode 63 of Tales from the Backlog (Tunic) of Tales from the Backlog in the player below, or you can follow the links to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or search "Tales from the Backlog" in your favorite podcast app!