When Canadian indie developer Andrew Shouldice first announced his one-person project, Tunic, players were instantly intrigued, particularly because of the action-adventure's similarities to games in The Legend of Zelda franchise. It can be hard for indies – especially ones with such a small development team behind them – to break into the mainstream, and an easy shortcut is to take larger and more established games as inspiration in order to attract fans of those franchises and titles. Tunic's The Legend of Zelda inspirations were very apparent, from its design to its core mechanics, but that could be a bit of a double-edged sword.

Tunic became a much-anticipated title ever since its spot in Microsoft's E3 2018 presentation helped garner more interest, and fans of the charmingly designed game waited patiently for its release. Tunic was finally launched in March 2022 and received almost universally high scores from critics, delivering on the hype that its announcement had generated. However, while Tunic may have proved itself in the eyes of many, it still can't escape the comparisons to The Legend of Zelda, and its aspirations to follow in that beloved franchise's footsteps may not have been as good a choice as it first seemed.

RELATED: Why Tunic Players Should Go for the Bad Ending First

Tunic's Premise and Storyline

tunic game golden door symbols

Ever since the first glimpses of Tunic, it was clear that it was going to be a beautifully-realized game that drew inspiration from older titles of the NES era with its bright colors and charmingly simplistic design. Shouldice himself admitted during the game's development that Tunic was inspired by "certain classic triangle-seeking games," in a clear reference to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Like Link, the unnamed fox sports a green tunic and wields a sword and shield, and they both exist in eye-catching environments with bright and contrasting palettes. Tunic's sweet aesthetic was one of the elements that drew in players, but it wasn't just the way the game looked that encouraged comparisons to The Legend of Zelda series.

Tunic's story is also similar to Link's many adventures, with a single hero tasked with collecting various items of significance as they trawl through dungeons, face up to foes, and solve puzzles in their effort to save the day. The fox is given this world-saving duty by the trapped soul of a legendary hero who was locked away in the Far Shore, and Link too is often given a perilous task by a mysterious third party. While they both follow the typical arc of an adventuring hero that has been featured in countless games, the similarities between the stories are undeniable.

Getting To Grips With Tunic's Gameplay

Two blob monsters notice the fox protagonist from Tunic.

With some hack-and-slash combat, puzzle-solving, and a sprinkling of pot smashing, Tunic's gameplay also feels similar to The Legend of Zelda's. There are chests to discover, items to find, and upgrades to things like health and stamina to unlock. However, the games in The Legend of Zelda series can be a bit easier to navigate, with user-friendly instructions and much more hand-holding than is present in Tunic. Part of Tunic's charm (and perhaps the cause for a lot of players' frustrations) is the fact that all the game's instructions are hidden across the in-game world, with each of the collectible pages littered across the landscape. Having to piece together how to play the game is just one of Tunic's many puzzles and adds an interesting dynamic not found in a Zelda title.

The manual is an interesting element of Tunic's gameplay and offers some of the game's most spellbinding storytelling and designs. It has an air of nostalgia that will remind gamers of much older titles from the 80s and 90s like The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, which would be accompanied by amazing manuals of their own. However, Tunic's in-game manual isn't as helpful as older versions that gamers might be used to. Many of the language featured in the game is indecipherable and only offers partial translations to provide subtle hints and clues. While some players like this mechanic, others have found it unnecessarily oblique.

Tunic's Other Influences

The fox from Tunic sitting on a bed and reading a book with a sword and shield leaning against a table

The Legend of Zelda isn't the only series that Tunic seems to have taken inspiration from. Some gamers have likened the new release to other titles in the Soulslike genre, despite its cute and cuddly appearance. While The Legend of Zelda games feature some tough bosses, they're nothing compared to the ones in Tunic, mostly because the best methods to take down enemies and how to handle them are not always apparent.

Dying frequently seems to be a standard state of affairs in Tunic, especially early on in the game when players are still getting to grips with how everything works. This is typical of a Soulslike game where players are frequently punished and killed again and again until they can learn the rhythm of the game and its combat. However, Tunic still offers something different from the harder games in the genre and is perhaps a more accessible (and definitely brighter and more colorful) example of a Soulslike title.

RELATED: Tunic Offers an Accessible Alternative to FromSoft's Catalog

The Danger Of Copying Too Closely

Link preparing to draw the damaged Master Sword in a cutscene from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

While following in the footsteps of a beloved franchise does have its benefits, it can also be a detrimental decision. Tunic has enough going for it that it doesn't just feel like a clone or a lesser version of an installment in The Legend of Zelda series, but it is bound to suffer by comparison in some ways. It was always going to be hard to compete against games from a much, much larger studio that has decades of fandom to rely on. Even if it wasn't Tunic's intention to try and measure up to The Legend of Zelda, by positioning itself as a spiritual successor, it was inevitable that comparisons would be drawn.

Tunic may have attempted to stand on its own two feet – and in lots of ways it succeeds in creating an engaging and unique gaming experience – but it hasn't been able to shake its Zelda association. Thanks to its similarities to The Legend of Zelda, many gamers have review bombed Tunic, claiming it is too close a copy and features too high a difficulty level. While Tunic has made no secret of its inspiration, some players still felt as if the indie title was a "rip off," and failed to see the instances where Tunic distinguished itself from its spiritual predecessors.

Tunic is available now for macOS, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Tunic: How To Beat The Garden Knight