this game has a constant identity crisis with what it aspires to be (zelda) and what it actually implements (dark souls, though not entirely). the zelda-y parts are amazing and the manual is an absolute standout in how it gets you to figure out stuff with little to no verbal communication at all, and i hope to see more stuff like this in future games. however, the dark souls part is...who thought it was a good idea to make combat and movement clunky as hell and then decide 'yeah let's throw some hard enemies at the player too bc that's going to be fun!'
what tunic does well it does Really well, and there's a lot to be learned from here. it's a genuine shame that it's hard to appreciate those great aspects because of how plainly bad the combat is designed.