TUNIC |OT| A Secret Legend [Now out on PlayStation/Switch!]

Dancrane212 · Jan 24, 2023

TUNIC was nominated for three IGF awards (Audio, Visuals and the grand prize)!

https://igf.com/article/tunic-and-betrayal-club-low-are-front-runners-igf-2023-nominations

Extra Sauce said:
I just got a notice that a patch got installed (PS4 version). tried googling to no avail, anyone knows if there are any significant changes?

From the game's discord It is apparently minor bugfixes and support for the Arabic language.

Creamium · Jan 27, 2023

Can I still keep going after what I assume is the final boss?

I found some golden artifacts and now my first goal is to find the few remaining manual pages. Satisfying when you start to uncover the more hidden layers, like the windmill and frozen enemy puzzle. I have a code that summons a few golden wisp-like things but I can't remember the right room to 'unleash' these.

The entire concept of the manual, how it's explored/developed and remains interesting throughout the entire runtime is probably my favorite gaming thing from 2022.

Tygre · Jan 27, 2023

Creamium said:
Can I still keep going after what I assume is the final boss?

Yes.

But there's also no reason to fight the final boss, unless you want to.

Roquentin · Feb 2, 2023

Can anyone give me a hint

I'm unable to decipher page 9 for the golden path. I think that I need to translate the golden speech bubble into a path, but I just can't work it out. I'm trying to connect:
* the speech bubble
* a small part from the hints page
* the circles with lines inside on page 54
* the labeled path and the "graph" next to it from page 52
* possibly something from the portal map (page 41)

Is my thinking here correct? Do I need anything else to decode this?

Tygre · Feb 2, 2023

Roquentin said:
Can anyone give me a hint

I'm unable to decipher page 9 for the golden path. I think that I need to translate the golden speech bubble into a path, but I just can't work it out. I'm trying to connect:
* the speech bubble
* a small part from the hints page
* the circles with lines inside on page 54
* the labeled path and the "graph" next to it from page 52
* possibly something from the portal map (page 41)

Is my thinking here correct? Do I need anything else to decode this?

First hint: It's nothing to do with anything in your spoiler block.

Additional hints:

Consider what page 9 is about, and what it's showing you how to do.
You are right that the path isn't on page 9 itself.
In fact the path for page 9 isn't anywhere in the manual at all.

Roquentin · Feb 2, 2023

Tygre said:
First hint: It's nothing to do with anything in your spoiler block.

Additional hints:

Consider what page 9 is about, and what it's showing you how to do.
You are right that the path isn't on page 9 itself.
In fact the path for page 9 isn't anywhere in the manual at all.

Thanks.

WTF, I checked that menu, but it wasn't there before. Looking at some YT video you had to go there a second time? Ehh... so much time wasted. It soured me on the game.

SatoAilDarko · Feb 28, 2023

Stuck right now. Can someone just answer me yes or no in regards to the following spoiler and then maybe a separate spoiler for a light hint. I really want to figure this out on my own:

I've finished the cathedral and got that crown that allows me to warp. I've gotten back two of my stats. Do I need to get all 6 before beating that ghost fox with the sword in the center warp?

No need to comment back I actually the I have all the pages except the cover all the way to get memo section with no gap. I actually have 3 secret treasures and 2 fairies. I was just wondering if I needed to beat the ghost fox lady before going to get all my stats back or if I need to get all my stats back before fighting her?

In a separate spoiler can someone give me a light hint on how to proceed to get to the other Hero Graves? I know where they are by that miasma is everywhere.

I can get to part of the mine from the mountains and there's one of those shadow creatures there that comes from behind. I wonder if I need to kill it?

Thank you for any help.

Edit:

Nevermind. So what I thought above was actually correct.

I killed that creature in the mine and it cleared the Hero's Grave. Neat I figured that out on my own thankfully. The manual does point you there too.

As an aside I did another fairy one and I have to say I kind of hate when you know what to do but the execution is annoying. I saw the chessboard under the waterfall for a while and I figured now knowing the Holy Cross his movement is directional instructions. But there's so many that I would need to write it down so I just looked it up online.

Tygre · Feb 28, 2023

SatoAilDarko said:
Stuck right now. Can someone just answer me yes or no in regards to the following spoiler and then maybe a separate spoiler for a light hint. I really want to figure this out on my own:

You should definitely be hunting down all the Hero's Graves.

They're all marked with a Candle in the Manual.

If you'd like more direct directions, I can try and drag them out of my memory for you :)

Bebpo · Mar 16, 2023

Started playing this tonight, got up to Beneath the Well. I like it but not 100% into it.

I always enjoy this kind of world/puzzle/exploration and finding secrets and stuff. Not entirely sold on the combat though. I don't dislike it, but I find it kind of not that satisfying and enemy HPs kind of padded? Also not sure what most of the tools do and whether I should be using them in combat since they don't replenish and I don't want to waste them?

Does the gameplay get better? My favorite part is the fake manual pages you pick up. They really nailed that design out of 90s games.

Wouwie · Apr 10, 2023

This has been on my wishlist ever since it released so i finally bought it. It's pretty much what i expected from what i had heard about the game. I like everything about it except the combat and the death mechanic. Losing stuff when dying and having to redo entire segments just isn't my idea of fun and the combat feels slow and clunky. But overall, i'm having a lot of fun so far and the game is rather amazing from a concept/exploration point of view.

Wouwie · Apr 13, 2023

As i'm trying to avoid all spoilers, i was wondering how hard it actually is to crack the code of the language? I've given it some thought but i haven't gotten anywhere so far. Is it something that was solved by most players or did it take a community effort on the internet? I'm just wondering if it's worth putting much time into this. It bugs me that i haven't gotten anywhere with this yet as it seems neat to unravel this. I'm not looking for clues or anything just a general indication on how do-able it is for most players?

Tygre · Apr 13, 2023

Wouwie said:
As i'm trying to avoid all spoilers, i was wondering how hard it actually is to crack the code of the language? I've given it some thought but i haven't gotten anywhere so far. Is it something that was solved by most players or did it take a community effort on the internet? I'm just wondering if it's worth putting much time into this. It bugs me that i haven't gotten anywhere with this yet as it seems neat to unravel this. I'm not looking for clues or anything just a general indication on how do-able it is for most players?

Understanding the language isn't required to beat the game, not even for the "good" ending, not even for the "Secret Treasures".

It is required to solve the Glyph Tower, but that's effectively a post-game ARG. This is firmly in the "community effort" category.

Most players don't work out the language by themselves. I'd go further and say that most players don't even go and look up the solved language, even though it has been very thoroughly worked out by others (there are online translators, fully translated versions of the manual, the lot).

It is absolutely doable for a single person to solve... but it's not a simple cipher, and being a linguist would definitely help. Keep at it if you find it inherently fun, stop now if you don't.

Wouwie · Apr 13, 2023

Ok, thanks, Tygre. I'll just keep playing and think about it some more along the way. It would be neat to crack the code and read the manual and the ingame text at some point but i have no clue whatsover so far.

Dancrane212 · Apr 14, 2023

The TUNIC GDC talks from last month are now accessible and do not require a membership to view.

'TUNIC': This Was Here the Whole Time

TUNIC is an action-adventure game with a focus on secrets and exploration. In this session, Andrew Shouldice talks about the techniques used during TUNIC's development for thinking about secrets: What makes a good secret? How to make sure secrets...

www.gdcvault.com

https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1029369/The-TUNIC-Audio

Vlad · Aug 23, 2023

Well, after playing through Tears of the Kingdom when it came out and finding it to be a steaming pile of disappointment, I was looking for a huge palette cleanser. I had heard good things about Tunic when it came out and at the time, the Steam Summer Sale was still going on, so I figured I'd check it out, and I'm really glad that I did!

Sure, you can't really compare it to TotK, since they're totally different games, but where I found TotK to be a game that introduces a ton of really interesting things and does absolutely nothing interesting with them, Tunic initially struck me as a game that was like a 2d Soulslike with some obscurity tacked on, but I loved it more and more the further I got into it.

Much like with The Witness, the puzzles were just the right amount of tricky. They never spelled anything out, and the clues that were given were still obtuse enough that you felt really smart for figuring out what the hell you were supposed to be doing in a given part.

I do have a few complaints, however minor:

As complicated as it was opening the door at the top of the mountain, I loved that it was feasible to figure it all out yourself. The only part that I got stumped on to the point of having to look it up was page 9. I mean, I get what they were going for, but that one was a bit too "really? How was I supposed to get that?" for a game that walked right up to that point but never quite stumbled over, for the most part.

It would have been nice if the cards were a little more obvious to figure out what they did. Sure, some of them you could either figure out by the scrawls in the manual or just by watching the in-game effects, but a few of them were much like Page 9, where I just don't see how you were supposed to get it on your own. On the other hand, none of them had hugely make-or-break effects anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter too much.

I've still got some stuff left to finish (I didn't have all of the fairies and hidden treasures before the game shunted me off into NG+), and it looks like it reset my progress on those, so I think I'll be shelving this for now.

Chitown B · Aug 23, 2023

Vlad said:
Well, after playing through Tears of the Kingdom when it came out and finding it to be a steaming pile of disappointment,

wow. hot take here.

LaneDS · Aug 23, 2023

I love that you loved TUNIC but am very confused by you saying Tears of the Kingdom is a game that doesn't do anything with its interesting ideas (boring take: they're both among my favorite games).

Getting through TUNIC without any outside knowledge was a real treat, and is one of those games that'll never match that first play through.

evrythngwastakn · Aug 23, 2023

LaneDS said:
I love that you loved TUNIC but am very confused by you saying Tears of the Kingdom is a game that doesn't do anything with its interesting ideas (boring take: they're both among my favorite games).

Getting through TUNIC without any outside knowledge was a real treat, and is one of those games that'll never match that first play through.

Yeah I picked up the PS4 copy for the manual and goodies but am gonna wait a solid couple years to play it again. Hopefully I forget most of it. What an outstanding experience, even if I hated the combat.

Vlad · Aug 23, 2023

Chitown B said:
wow. hot take here.

LaneDS said:
I love that you loved TUNIC but am very confused by you saying Tears of the Kingdom is a game that doesn't do anything with its interesting ideas (boring take: they're both among my favorite games).

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm beyond in the minority on how much of a disappointment I found TotK. I won't go into all of it here, and since everybody's doing all the"GOTY" gushing in the OT, I'm not going to bother since it'll just feel like I'm crapping all over the thread. If anybody's curious as to the reasons for the above "hot take", I made a big ol' post here (EDIT: and another one further down) in a different thread.

Obi · Aug 24, 2023

evrythngwastakn said:
Yeah I picked up the PS4 copy for the manual and goodies

Even though I played the PC version, I almost bought that just for the manual. Your post made me check just now and I see that fangamer has a preorder for a hardcover version of the manual. So that's pretty cool, BUT the cover and back are different. Why would they do that? Kinda ruins the verisimilitude of it. Still at $19 it might be worth getting.

TUNIC Hardcover Instruction Book - Fangamer

A sacred book. This special printing presents TUNIC's in-game manual (also available inside Nintendo Switch and PlayStation®4 copies of the game) in a big (9.5x7.25-inch) hardcover edition packaged in a sturdy slipcase. It was designed by Jorge M. Velez, with page layout by Tony Kuchar. TUNIC™...

www.fangamer.com

evrythngwastakn · Aug 24, 2023

Obi said:
Even though I played the PC version, I almost bought that just for the manual. Your post made me check just now and I see that fangamer has a preorder for a hardcover version of the manual. So that's pretty cool, BUT the cover and back are different. Why would they do that? Kinda ruins the verisimilitude of it. Still at $19 it might be worth getting.

TUNIC Hardcover Instruction Book - Fangamer

A sacred book. This special printing presents TUNIC's in-game manual (also available inside Nintendo Switch and PlayStation®4 copies of the game) in a big (9.5x7.25-inch) hardcover edition packaged in a sturdy slipcase. It was designed by Jorge M. Velez, with page layout by Tony Kuchar. TUNIC™...

www.fangamer.com

I went that way first but later cancelled and got the game for 1) a physical copy because even though I'm probably 80/20 digital:physical between consoles and PC/deck, I still like discs of games I really like and 2) all the extra goodies I usually don't think about (the fold out map, the stickers, the mini-strategy guide) all had a very retro feel I couldn't pass up. Opening it was such a joy back to childhood. I happened to have $50 just sitting in a drawer (oddly enough) that I had forgotten about so I didn't feel too guilty. The game just tickled that itch *just* right.

Joeshabadoo · Aug 25, 2023

Vlad said:
I found TotK to be a game that introduces a ton of really interesting things and does absolutely nothing interesting with them

I don't relate to this sentiment at all, but Tunic is a very special game for a bunch of the reasons you touch on. My GotY for 2022

anaa · Aug 26, 2023

Joeshabadoo said:
I don't relate to this sentiment at all, but Tunic is a very special game for a bunch of the reasons you touch on. My GotY for 2022

Couldn't agree more , LOVED tunic when it came out, and LOVED totk too for different reasons. I mean they are both inspired by the same source material but have such different goals and (imo) accomplish them well.

Cels · Sep 20, 2023

my hardcover manual arrived today

View: https://imgur.com/a/3Z1AGWT

JustinH · Sep 20, 2023

Cels said:
my hardcover manual arrived today

View: https://imgur.com/a/3Z1AGWT

Oh man! These are shipping already? Gotta try and cop one next payday.

DaveB · Sep 20, 2023

Cels said:
my hardcover manual arrived today

View: https://imgur.com/a/3Z1AGWT

That's awesome!

I'm a sucker for physical copies of games I love so I ended up ordering one from FanGamer. It didn't come with a fancy cover for the manual like that, but it did have a neat slip cover for the game box and a regular copy of the manual.

Tygre · Sep 20, 2023

Still not available on Fangamer EU yet 😭

anaa · Sep 20, 2023

That hardcover manual is so cool, can't really justify the purchase but I love that it's a thing that exists. Wish there was a way to merge the physicality of a book like that with the actual page unlocking mechanic in TUNIC. Would have been amazing to page through the thing while playing the game…

LaneDS · Sep 22, 2023

Janice Kwan & Lifeformed posted some of the "piano sketches" today on Bandcamp after TUNIC and a few other soundtracks of theirs were taken off streaming platforms due to an apparently all too easy DCMA strike targeting them. Thankfully they're back up, but man, what a bummer that must be for creators to be impacted like that.

Album: https://janicekwan.bandcamp.com/album/tunic-piano-sketches

Article about what happened: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-tunic-i-soundtrack-delisted-after-false-dmca-strikes

JustinH · Sep 22, 2023

LaneDS said:
Janice Kwan & Lifeformed posted some of the "piano sketches" today on Bandcamp after TUNIC and a few other soundtracks of theirs were taken off streaming platforms due to an apparently all too easy DCMA strike targeting them. Thankfully they're back up, but man, what a bummer that must be for creators to be impacted like that.

Album: https://janicekwan.bandcamp.com/album/tunic-piano-sketches

Article about what happened: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-tunic-i-soundtrack-delisted-after-false-dmca-strikes

I think I got an email about that from Terence Lee. Man, what a shitty thing to happen. Thankfully they're back.

mael · Sep 22, 2023

It's been about a few months now that I received the collector/normal edition on Switch.
I didn't touch it much because I need to know :
Do I need to take notes or not?

Because it feels like something that should be done the right way.

Fudus · Sep 22, 2023

mael said:
It's been about a few months now that I received the collector/normal edition on Switch.
I didn't touch it much because I need to know :
Do I need to take notes or not?

Because it feels like something that should be done the right way.

I took notes but I felt the moment notes were needed was very clear, like taking notes before then wouldn't have had much purpose.

jonjonaug · Sep 22, 2023

mael said:
It's been about a few months now that I received the collector/normal edition on Switch.
I didn't touch it much because I need to know :
Do I need to take notes or not?

Because it feels like something that should be done the right way.

There's only a few things in the game you actually have to take notes for, and they're all late game puzzle solving stuff.

Tygre · Sep 23, 2023

mael said:
Do I need to take notes or not?

I have several pages of a physical notebook filled out and even more pictures on my phone or screenshots on my PC.

There's only a few things I'd say require taking notes or the like, but there's plenty that was helped by me having made a note of it several days earlier.

louris · May 9, 2024

Started this game now it's on PS+ and I'm hooked! Just got the second main item, but man this game has vibes all over the place, and I'm loving the little secrets.

I remember reading a lot of bad impressions when it came out, but I'm glad to say that it's scratching some itch for me right now. I usually tend to not gel with these modern-rereo games, apart from when it's done really well like this one, and Hollow Knight for example. LTTP-Dark Souls, cool vibes, I hope it lasts. Seems like there is a lot to play, too! I also remember reading that combat is bad but I'm liking it.

LaneDS · May 9, 2024

louris said:
Started this game now it's on PS+ and I'm hooked! Just got the second main item, but man this game has vibes all over the place, and I'm loving the little secrets.

I remember reading a lot of bad impressions when it came out, but I'm glad to say that it's scratching some itch for me right now. I usually tend to not gel with these modern-rereo games, apart from when it's done really well like this one, and Hollow Knight for example. LTTP-Dark Souls, cool vibes, I hope it lasts. Seems like there is a lot to play, too! I also remember reading that combat is bad but I'm liking it.

I don't think the combat is bad... but it definitely is not among the best aspects of the game. It's serviceable.

Glad you're enjoying it- try to read as little as possible about it until you feel like you need to!

Boopers · May 9, 2024

louris said:
Started this game now it's on PS+ and I'm hooked! Just got the second main item, but man this game has vibes all over the place, and I'm loving the little secrets.

I remember reading a lot of bad impressions when it came out, but I'm glad to say that it's scratching some itch for me right now. I usually tend to not gel with these modern-rereo games, apart from when it's done really well like this one, and Hollow Knight for example. LTTP-Dark Souls, cool vibes, I hope it lasts. Seems like there is a lot to play, too! I also remember reading that combat is bad but I'm liking it.

Glad you're enjoying the combat. I thought it was the weakest part of the game, but I might be a bit jaded because I'm stuck at a certain part in the late game.

The secrets and colorful graphics are my favorite parts, though!

louris · May 31, 2024

Boopers said:
Glad you're enjoying the combat. I thought it was the weakest part of the game, but I might be a bit jaded because I'm stuck at a certain part in the late game.

The secrets and colorful graphics are my favorite parts, though!

So, I am at the point where I got to all the hero's graves in the spirit world.

I have gotten to phase two of the heir boss fight with little difficulty, but I can tell I will need some practice to actually beat it. Concerning the rest of the secrets, there are the fairies, and then there are these golden statues.

So from what I gather now is the point where I either beat the heir for a "bad" ending, or just go through all the areas again trying to find all the secrets. Is there anything else I should be doing? Also, am I supposed to find all the broken golden door pieces and somehow sketch them back together myself to find the right paths?

Godfather · May 31, 2024

louris said:
So, I am at the point where I got to all the hero's graves in the spirit world.

I have gotten to phase two of the heir boss fight with little difficulty, but I can tell I will need some practice to actually beat it. Concerning the rest of the secrets, there are the fairies, and then there are these golden statues.

So from what I gather now is the point where I either beat the heir for a "bad" ending, or just go through all the areas again trying to find all the secrets. Is there anything else I should be doing? Also, am I supposed to find all the broken golden door pieces and somehow sketch them back together myself to find the right paths?

The answer to your questions is yes.

Kyuur · Jun 1, 2024

Been playing through this with my partner all week. We just ciphered out the language on our own, feels great. Done with fairies and the only thing I can see left is the path.

Can't believe I didn't pick this up earlier. It really gives huge Fez/Witness vibes and I loved both of those games.

Vlad · Jun 1, 2024

Kyuur said:
Been playing through this with my partner all week. We just ciphered out the language on our own, feels great. Done with fairies and the only thing I can see left is the path.

Can't believe I didn't pick this up earlier. It really gives huge Fez/Witness vibes and I loved both of those games.

I never understand why Fez is always mentioned with these other games. I finally played through it a while ago it was just kind of a platformer with the whole perspective gimmick thrown in. I'm a little fuzzy, but I seem to remember most of the game being just "walk until you can't go any more, rotate the level until you see a nearby place to go, repeat". Was definitely getting a bit bored with it by the time the credits rolled.

Dervius · Jun 1, 2024

Vlad said:
I never understand why Fez is always mentioned with these other games. I finally played through it a while ago it was just kind of a platformer with the whole perspective gimmick thrown in. I'm a little fuzzy, but I seem to remember most of the game being just "walk until you can't go any more, rotate the level until you see a nearby place to go, repeat". Was definitely getting a bit bored with it by the time the credits rolled.

Didn't Fez have a load of language style puzzles based on its own language? I think there was a load of depth to it.

I think the creator's a plonker but it had more to it than you mention.

Kyuur · Jun 1, 2024

Vlad said:
I never understand why Fez is always mentioned with these other games. I finally played through it a while ago it was just kind of a platformer with the whole perspective gimmick thrown in. I'm a little fuzzy, but I seem to remember most of the game being just "walk until you can't go any more, rotate the level until you see a nearby place to go, repeat". Was definitely getting a bit bored with it by the time the credits rolled.

Fez also has things that are technically solvable with your base skill set but only revealed to you over time. It and Tunic also hide their pure deduction gameplay under an existing "action" genre (puzzle platformer and Zelda/Souls-like respectively).

It's been a while since I played Fez but I definitely remember staying up and deciphering puzzles with pen and paper in a similar fashion to the HC puzzles.

louris · Jun 1, 2024

Just finished with the "good" ending. The final door puzzle was a blast!

What a great game! I'm sure there are lots more secrets, I didn't get all the trophies,but I've had my fill and I'm prolly going to youtube it.

Love Machine · Monday at 12:00 AM

Been watching About Oliver's playthrough of TUNIC after recently finishing it myself, and man, this is one of the most fun games to relive vicariously through another enthused puzzle lover. (His Outer Wilds playthrough was a treat as well; both games that give you those discovery highs.)

hutton · Tuesday at 12:22 AM

I finally bought this game on Switch and Im looking forward to playing it.

But before I continue Ihave a question about your preferred controls setup.

The default is that you roll/interact with the A button. I mapped the first weapon you get to the Y button, but It felt better with the B button due to the proximity of the A button.

I changed roll and interact to B and then mapped the weapon to Y which instantly felt better, except that interacting with things feel more natural with the A button.

Without too many spoilers, if possible, any recommendations if I should default back to an A/Y setup or can I continue with a B/Y setup without any major problems?

CrudeDiatribe · Tuesday at 10:27 AM

hutton said:
Without too many spoilers, if possible, any recommendations if I should default back to an A/Y setup or can I continue with a B/Y setup without any major problems?

You'll be fine

hutton · Tuesday at 4:00 PM

CrudeDiatribe said:
You'll be fine

Thanks. I'm so looking forward to play this game.

TUNIC |OT| A Secret Legend [Now out on PlayStation/Switch!]

Unshakable Resolve

Unshakable Resolve

▲ Legend ▲

Game on motherfuckers