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.
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.