After completing it, it would be difficult to recommend Tails of Iron. Granted, the art direction is very good, so is its soundtrack. But unfortunately, the game lacks depth. More exploration, more secrets to discover, and a meaningful arsenal would have been appreciated. Instead, we are forced to do secondary quests that make us run around the map somewhat unnecessarily, with an inventory that boils down to choosing weapons and armor that simply fill a damage bar.

But the real drawback of Tails of Iron lies in its combat system. Being labeled as Souls-Like, one expects a minimum of basic mechanics that define the genre. So yes, the game is challenging. Yes, it does emphasize dodges and rolls, but two things completely tarnish this picture: the lack of I-frames and the animations.

Firstly, let's talk about the main problem: the roll doesn't have I-frames, making it almost useless. What should be a core gameplay mechanic becomes a mere enhanced movement, which reacts poorly because it depends on a double tap on the dodge key. This makes it nearly impossible to dodge/block certain attacks, especially from larger enemies.

This lack of I-frames is even more apparent when you realize that some animations are completely off. The character doesn't respond instantly: its movement animation has a lag at the start of the run (originally meant to simulate a rat's run) which causes the character to stick to the ground before accelerating. This results in making pretty much all movements quite frustrating. And I won't even start on some other very frustrating aspects like an auto-grab when approaching a ledge, unnecessary fall damage, or the inability to slide down a ladder.

But the icing on the cake is the lack of consistency in some of the enemies' pattern animations. Some of their jumps are shorter than others, for example. Or they have attack combos that are synchronized with our recovery animation, making it impossible to dodge. And when you know that some attacks are simply impossible to counter, the experience becomes extremely frustrating.

And that's the big problem when trying to make a Souls-like game: it's acceptable to face very tough enemies, but only if the game maintains a sense of fairness in the treatment it inflicts on the player. When a feeling of injustice arises, for whatever reason, this contract is broken, and the fun goes up in smoke.

So in the end, what remains after finishing Tails of Iron is the feeling that even though a lot of passion was poured into this project, the execution is lacking. Its universe could be rich, but it lacks depth. Its combat system could be even more challenging, but it seems too unfair to be interesting. Its loot and equipment system could make you want to scour the map from top to bottom, but it's devoid of interest.

So, for me, it's a swing and a miss. The desire to do well transpires throughout the game, but the negatives overbalance the positives and are too significant to overlook. Perhaps some will find it enjoyable, but even though this game is saved by its relatively short length (expect 10 hours to complete), it suffers from too many flaws to be recommended.

5/10.

tails of iron is such a nice game
I like the whole premise of rats vs frogs like isn't. that cool?
I love the visuals and the music ,those 2 really hit like big time, they emerge the player in this weird yet amazing world
I love the gameplay , 4 a soulslike its not that hard although the stalker was a pretty f annoying boss(2 h), except that I f a lot with the gameplay
the only negatives I have are directed to the story .. the thing is ..its really mid like I wasn't expecting a ground breaking story but the whole moletown part was just random
is the narrator a character? cuz he yea I f with him
in the end tails of iron is a really fun and dare I say underrated game
(or maybe im just glazin rats ... idk u should try it tho)

Antes de iniciar a leitura, tenha em mente que vou fazer duas reviews (para players casuais e outra para platinadores e mais hardcore), a primeira será do jogo base e a dificuldade padrão, a outra será da dificuldade adicionada por DLC, Bigode Sangrento ou Bloody Whiskers

Tails of Iron Padrão

Para os players mais casuais e que não curtem platinas, jogar na dificuldade padrão é o ideal, torna o jogo muito mais agradável e esconde os erros que o jogo possui e que só são expostos na dificuldade mais alta. Em termos de história o jogo cumpre o básico, é bem feita, previsível e clichê, mas bem feita. A arte, tanto dos personagens como da ambientação e dos cenários também é excelente, o combate é bem simples, tem elementos de souls like mas tudo é muito digerido, o que torna Tails of Iron um jogo extremamente básico e simples de ser produzido, isso pode agradar alguns e desagradar outros, mas no geral, pelo preço de promoção e para os que curtem Soulsvania, é uma boa escolha.

Nota do jogo base: 8/10

Tails of Iron Bloody Whiskers

Aqui é onde as coisas ficam muito ruins, para os platinadores em especial, tudo isso por conta de uma conquista, a "Um Novo Chefe de Guerra ascende", que é a de matar o Verruga Verde (último boss) na nova dificuldade da DLC, ou seja, zerar o jogo novamente. A dificuldade desse modo parece que simplesmente não foi testada, alguns bosses são absolutamente injustos e completamente desbalanceados, especialmente por um fator que se esconde na dificuldade padrão, as hitbox são completamente mal feitas e não existe i-frame nas rolagens e etc. Mozi King (Rei Mosquisto), Mozi Queen (Rainha Mosquito), Clubba, Stalker e alguns inimigos comuns, especialmente os da ponte antes do Sha Man no final do jogo, são ABSOLUTAMENTE INJUSTOS, enquanto outros bosses são bem simples e fáceis, por essa razão o que parece é que o jogo sequer foi testado nessa dificuldade e repetindo, o que mais irrita são as hitbox podres do jogo que se sobressaem especialmente nesses bosses citados. No geral, não é impossível passar, mas definitivamente esse modo e fazer essa conquista foi uma das coisas mais frustrantes e complicadas que eu já experienciei no mundo das conquistas e games, não acho que outros Souls, mesmo Sekiro por exemplo, tenham a mesma dificuldade do que você vai encontrar aqui, isso também por razão dos patterns serem bastante aleatórios em alguns casos e tudo depender de muita sorte e não de morrer e aprender mais um pouco do move set do boss. Com tudo isso, eu só recomendo que você jogue nesse modo se tiver interesse na conquista, caso contrário, o prêmio é somente frustração, e por isso não vale a pena.

Nota do modo Bloody Whiskers: 4/10