Tails of Iron is an epic RPG Adventure with punishingly brutal combat. As Redgi, heir to the Rat Throne, you must embark on a perilous quest to reclaim your Kingdom. Explore a deceivingly charming world. Assemble a band of brave companions. Banish the merciless Frog clan… once and for all!
Developer: Odd Bug Studio
Publisher: United Labels Games
Release Date: September 17,2021
Tails of Iron works best when played alongside a re-watch of Game of Thrones. A 2D rodent fantasy game ala Dark Souls or Hollow Knight that is fun to play but also beautiful.
Developed by Odd Bug Studio and published by United Labels Games, Tails of Iron won’t take up too much of your time to complete the main story. But with side quests, and armor to collect, there is more than enough in this game that will make it worth your bucks. The story is fairly straightforward and is not the selling point for this game. You play as Redgi, son of the king and heir to your fathers throne. When your father, King Rattus is slain by the evil Frog Clan, you as Redgi setout on a revenge mission to take back the kingdom.
What happens from that moment on can seem a bit overwhelming, as the mechanics and fighting style can take a bit to get used to. Furthermore, your armor and sword are not upgraded yet. Overtime, as you complete side quests and main story missions, your armor and weapons become more powerful.
With the upgraded weapons and armor comes with it the skill and complexity of the battle. If you equip the heaviest armor and biggest weapon then it will decrease the amount of damage taken. On the slip side it will slow you down. Or the smaller and lighter armor and weapon, but not as strong and deadly. The thought put into the games menu makes it interactive. As well the way you as the player have to strategize the gameplay to your style is where this game shines.
The other way that Tails of Iron shines is the ruthless and at times violent gameplay. Redgi is a little Rat, but he wields a murderous and bloody sword, or hammer or axe. When you battle Frogs, grubs, zombified rats, and other deadly threats the combat system keeps each fight fresh and exciting. Enemies have different attacks so don’t go in button mashing or you will end up on the wrong side of a bladed edge. Red, yellow and white signal attacks will float over an enemies head when they are ready to attack, which makes it easy to get the hang of even the most difficult boss fights.
The Witchers‘ Doug Cockle, is the lone voice actor. He narrates Redgi’s journey. The rest of communication between the vast and interesting characters that inhabit the world are all done by pictographs and squeaks and grunts. Cockle moves the story along and asks and answers most of the questions the game presents.
Exploring the world is a pleasure from beginning to end with the story book 2D art style. As you side scroll your way from castles to underground tramways, the colours, texture and even the sound is all top notch. You can hear every bug squish and sense every enemy soon to surprise you.
Tails of iron
Odd Bug Studio has a winner on their hands. The art style alone is worth the price, but add in a responsive and intelligent combat system, and an interesting and straightforward story. Tails of Iron should be loved by fans of RPG-esq games and HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Rating: 8.1/10