In the past few years, more and more video games have appeared on the market, in the development of which the main source of inspiration has clearly been the series of books about Redwall Abbey British writer Brian Jakes… The introductory data is quite simple – a world inhabited by intelligent animals (mice, rats, etc.) in a medieval setting. You can remember Moss and Ghost of a tale and even The Lost Legends of Redwall. Tails of iron from the studio Odd bug studio is no exception in this regard, diluting the idea with a portion of cruelty and despair.
The rat is at the center of the story Reggie, who is the crown prince of the local country of rodents. The king has already grown old, so the son needs to prove that he is worthy to wear the crown.
However, during the coronation ceremony, a disaster occurs – the country is attacked and massacred by an army of frogs and toads, led by Wart Green… Reggie’s father dies, and now the prince needs to find allies to repel the invaders.
As the developers said, they tried to make the game look like a book of dark fairy tales coming to life. When creating, hand-drawn objects were used at the location, which resulted in a completely original picture. Despite the “childish” concept, Tails of Iron is a very cruel game in which the main character brutally kills opponents, and splashes of bodily fluid and the limbs of opponents scatter across the levels.
The characters in Tails of Iron do not speak, but communicate using simple symbols. The narrator, voiced by Doug Cockle (witcher Geralt from The Witcher). Given the general atmosphere of hopelessness, the actor came to the place.
In terms of gameplay, Tails of Iron is a 2D metroidvania with a focus on melee combat. Reggie has the most varied arsenal available, allowing you to customize the character to your liking. For example, you can choose a heavier armor, sacrificing the prince’s agility, which affects somersaults. Or choose a longer spear instead of a sword.
The battles turned out to be a kind of puzzles. The developers set enemies on the player in a wide variety of configurations, which forces you to think about which of them needs to be eliminated first.
At one point, Reggie is attacked by a bunch of an armored soldier and an archer. The first can be attacked only using a counterattack, while the second is able to move from one end of the arena to the other, forcing the rat to twirl, blocking the arrows with a shield.
In another situation, the character is locked in a two-level arena. From above it is fired upon by archers, and below it is attacked by ordinary warriors. Therefore, you have to constantly think about protecting your back.
Reggie dies pretty quickly, but the developers still left the player with the right to make mistakes, so the fights are not exhausting. If the hero dies in battle, he will be thrown back to the nearest save point, which are benches. It is also necessary to replenish the flask with juice that restores health.
At the mercy of the player is given a fairly large world, divided into several zones. Exploring them, you can perform not only the main tasks, but also side ones. In particular, AI partners can come to the aid of Reggie. In addition, chests with valuable loot and blueprints for equipment with various stats are hidden at locations.
Tails of Iron looks like a rather curious adventure about becoming the king of the rats, which attracts attention with very nice art and cruel brutality. The game will be released on September 17 on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X | S and PS5.
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