The UI helps with this too – red attacks are unblockable and must be evaded (often upon pain of death), while yellow attacks are special strikes that can only be parried the former allowing you some much needed breathing space, while the latter results in your foe being stunning for a second or two, enabling Redgi to slip some strikes in. Indeed, with practically every enemy in the game capable of inflicting substantial amounts of damage at any one time, evasion and parrying also become a primary concern and must be mastered accordingly. Much like Dark Souls then, combat in Tails of Iron is often a quick and brutal affair where timing and knowledge of enemy attack patterns will see you through to victory. While exploring the Rat Kingdom and beyond is something of a palpable thrill thanks to the gorgeous visuals, it’s really in the combat that Tails of Iron truly shines – and also where the comparisons to Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Dark Souls are most keenly felt. In terms of how it all plays, Tails of Iron has you wandering the remnants of the Rat Kingdom as Redgi, taking on quests, side-quests, collecting new gear and laying waste to your enemies.

As such, it should probably come as no surprise that such lavish detail on Redgi and his fellow rat-folk is owed in part to the developer’s fondness for his own pet rats, resulting in a far more evocative depiction of these little furry folk than we might otherwise reasonably expect. Though Tails of Iron boasts a notable visual kinship with the studio’s first title, echoing the hand-painted craftwork veneer that served The Lost Bear so well as a fantastical fairy-tale come to life, there are a myriad of smaller more intimate details too.įrom the idle twitching of Redgi’s whiskers to the swishing of his tail and the adorable art style which in many ways magnifies the brutality which serves as the touchstone for Tales of Iron, it’s clear that Odd Bug Studio’s latest is quite the stylish looking offering. Make no mistake – Tails of Iron is not a game for the young un’s.Ĭertainly, it doesn’t take long for Tails of Iron hugely attractive visual presentation to bore its way through your eyeholes and capture your imagination. With our hero waking up from his rat-nap, he saunters around the castle chatting to his friends and relatives (all the characters in this game vocalise their speech as an adorable mixture of instruments such as flutes and more), before a quick set of tutorials show you the ropes of the combat system and then send you right into the fray as the Frog Clan basically murder all of his family in fairly graphic fashion. Indeed, things kick off in quite the measured fashion.

Tails Of Iron Opulent Fairy-tale Veneer Conceals A Punishing, Violent Action RPG As the diminutive rat prince Redgi, the youngest and seemingly weakest heir apparent to the Rat Throne, Tails of Iron has players embarking on an ultraviolent odyssey to restore his broken Kingdom, slaughtering their way through the nefarious Frog Clan until they reach Greenwart, the amoral architect of the Rat Kingdom’s downfall. A literal world away from the more leisurely and slow paced beats of Odd Bug Studio’s first game, PSVR exclusive effort The Lost Bear, Tails of Iron is instead a much more violent and action filled affair that has more in common with Dark Souls than perhaps anything else.

Tails of iron ps4 release date