Whenever an indie game makes headlines, it’s interesting to examine it and see what kind of indie game it is. Many of them can be thrown into some broad categories that transcend genres. For instance, some games take conventions of genres and the industry and completely turn them on their head, trying their best to be as unique as possible. Others wear their inspiration on their sleeve and don’t hide the fact that they’re heavily inspired by more famous games.Tunicis one of the latter. It’s unabashedly intended to look and feel like something fromThe Legend of Zelda’s storied lineage of games.
That inspiration and passion certainly lendTunica charming aesthetic. Its top-down perspective, bright colors, cartoony monsters, and green-clad hero mean thatTunicwill probably make players feel some nostalgia for earlyLegend of Zeldagames likeLink’s AwakeningandA Link to the Past.That nostalgia will drum up a lot of publicity forTunic, too, as fans and critics draw comparisons. Although it’s great thatTunicis so inspired by such a strong franchise, it also needs to set itself apart somehow. IfTunicborrows too heavily from the games it admires, it won’t be remembered as its own experience.
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Two Sides of the Same Rupee
Tunic’s love ofThe Legend of Zeldawill readily prove helpful toTunic.One of the most challenging obstacles that indie games face is getting publicity. If an indie developer isn’t already famous and doesn’t have a successful publisher to help it distribute the game, it can be hard to get people to notice the game and give it a chance. BecauseTunicisso similar toThe Legend of Zelda,though, pretty much anyone who sees it will comment on it and share information aboutTunicwith friends and peers who might feel similarly. Every time it resurfaces, then, there will be a new wave of discussions comparing and contrastingTunicwithZeldathat give the game even more attention.
The problem is that some people might not make these comparisons and contrasts favorably. The old adage says that all publicity is good publicity, but that isn’t necessarily true for video games. If people start to think thatTunicis leaning too farinto itsZeldaelements, fewer and fewer people will feel compelled to buy and play it. Too many similarities would ultimately mean thatTunicends up getting written off as aZeldaclone. That would certainly be unfair toTunic’s unique aspects, but more importantly, it would mean almost certain failure for the game.
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Straightening Tunic Out
Tunic’s Andrew Shouldice needs to figure out how to strike the balance between these two in order to make the game a hit. He might already have an interesting way to do so. In interviews, Shouldice has also mentionedsources likeDark Souls, Bloodborne,and the animated filmThe Secret of Kellsas inspirations, among many others. He intends to capture many of the same elements that make these IPs famous. All of these resources are very different fromThe Legend of Zelda, especially the older games that Shouldice cites as the strongest inspiration.Tunicwill be unique if those other inspirations shine through in spite of the obviousZeldainfluence.
That means that the final verdict on ifTunicbecomes a hit will probably come down to the gameplay. That’s not surprising, as that’s the case for just about any game, but it’s especially important whenTunicis trying so hard to be a love letter to other games. It’s okay for a piece of media to be a love letter; sometimes these kinds of IPs go on to be extremely successful and beloved in their own right.Tunicstill has a shot at doing the same. It just has to verify that it doesn’t try too hard toget its love ofZeldaacross.
Tunicis in development for PC, Mac, and Xbox One.
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