Since the first trailers Tails of Iron had intrigued us by showing us some glimpses of a dark fantasy adventure based on the war between mice and frogs.
We were able to play the title of Odd Bug Studio well in advance and we therefore offer you our experience.
Da Omero a The Witcher
The battle between mice and frogs is one of the oldest stories in the world, already Homer in his Batracomomachia (which means battle between mice and frogs) told in a poem of 303 lines the guerra between these two species born after the betrayal of the king of frogs and the death of the prince of mice, constituting a first example of parody of the heroic epic.
Centuries later Giacomo Leopardi he wrote a sort of sequel, i Paralipomeni della Batracomomachia, where he not only continued the original story but made it a satire of his time, making fun of the political situation and the failure of the revolutionary movements by entrusting the frogs with the role of the Bourbons and the Neapolitan liberal insurgents the mice.
Even in the most recent media this battle is proposed, albeit with lighter tones, by Dreamworks with Down the pipe, where the main rodents try to thwart the plans of a criminal organization made up of frogs. So you will have understood that the setting of this story is a great classic of human history, but here Odd Bug Studio puts us the twist, a dark setting halfway between The Witcher and Warhammer Fantasy where rain mixes with blood and mud, where adorable mouse gods clash with monster clans of toads for control of the kingdom.
And what better narrator for a story like that if not Doug Cockle, voice of Geralt of Rivia of the games of the saga of The Witcher.
The throne of scamorze
After years of bloody battles against the frog clans, the kingdom of mice was now experiencing a periodor peace and prosperity, and it is here that we meet Redgi, the youngest son of the King.
Our story begins on the most important day del young Redgi: the ceremony of succession to the throne, on this feast day for the whole country Redgi and his elder brother Denis clash in the arena under the eye of their father to prove their worth and claim their right to sit on the throne.
We are then accompanied by our squire to discover the main game mechanics and to meet our other brothers who, unlike Denis, have embarked on the path of craftsmanship dividing themselves between the kitchen and the forge.
Defeated Denis, an excruciating croak silences the cheering crowd and a spear pierces the King in full, about to give the crown to Redgi, the frogs have returned.
Hours after the attack, Redgi wakes up under a mountain of corpses, in the dark and cold with the heavy burden of a kingdom to be rebuilt on his shoulders.
We will show the frogs the green mice!
Tails of Iron presents itself as a 2D adventure influenced by the genres of RPG and souls-like, and yes in this game you die a lot.
During his journey Redgi will face not only the Frogs but also other creatures that threaten the peace of the kingdom such as larvae, mosquitoes and even undead rats.
To face the different enemies, Redgi will have at his disposal a arsenal worthy of a king with which he will be able to equip himself at best during his adventure and the type of setup decided will also influence our style of play.
The armor, in addition to the values of defense and resistance to the various types of monsters, also have a weight that will determine our speed of dodging during the fights.
As for the weapons we will have available three types: one-handed, two-handed and remote all at the same time useful depending on the situation in battle.
However, there are subtle differences between the weapons that further delineate the playstyle for example the spears are very fast but inflict less damage while hammers and axes are slow but devastating. Each piece of equipment has different rarity indicated by colors and can not only be found in the corpses of our enemies but also by exploring the maps or buying the blueprints to take to the blacksmith once saved.
The combat system it is as simple as it is brutal and rewards those who know how to wait for the right moment to attack.
In fact, we will often find ourselves playing on the defensive waiting to respond to enemy actions heralded by various symbols: three white lines on the opponent's head warn us to parry with the shield, three red lines mean we must prepare to dodge while three yellow flashes a fight back with the shield and finally the red circles will tell us when run away from area attacks.
It seems easy to describe this way but the timing and learning the patterns of the various monsters in combat will be crucial for avoid seeing the game over screen often.
Fortunately, the game world is littered with checkpoints where you can save and stock up on health and ammunition or change your equipment.
To get the better of increasingly dangerous threats it will also be possible to increase your maximum life by finding the different ingredients scattered around the world to take to the court cook.
The exploration of the world develops in many horizontal sections arranged vertically one above the other almost as if to remember the lairs dug by mice or moles, each filled with enemies, platform sections and hidden treasures.
To facilitate the passage between some areas it is also possible to use the fast travel from special bulletin boards. Finally, there is also a good dose of backtracking that will lead us to retrace our steps to explore certain sections once we have obtained the key to overcome a certain obstacle or to complete some secondary missions.
In addition to the main story, it will also be possible to complete secondary missions from the message boards of the villages to obtain money, materials or additional equipment.
Like a fairy tale
The narration looks like that of fairy tales with an external narrator as the only voice present within the game that dresses up as one graphic style similar to Darkest dungeon characterized by soft colors and marked outlines.
What really strikes about the level design is the dynamism that is expressed by the different levels, which will change as we continue with the story, definitively marking the progress of the restoration of our kingdom.
We will then leave behind looted villages and rubble to later find charming towns full of farmers, merchants and minstrels to whom almost the entire soundtrack will be entrusted.
Precisely this aspect of the music makes the title even more immersive, always showing us in the background who is playing the music we hear to give greater depth to the 2D world around us.
The sweetest thing you will read today
A noteworthy curiosity concerns the character design of most of the game's cast: all characters are inspired by real pet mice.
During the development of Tails of Iron, the mice were always there to keep me up and give me that spark of creativity.
We have always enjoyed inventing works for mice and one day we decided that Redgi was the prince who reigned over everyone else. Redgi is the protagonist because he was the bravest and most faithful of all his pack.
The entire cast of characters is based on Redgi's real brothers. I didn't have to invent fictional characters because they all already lived with me. The story of Redgi saving his siblings and keeping his family safe stems from the fact that no matter how big their battles are, the mice stick together and put their differences aside.
I absolutely wanted to make a game about mice because they are always perceived negatively by the media and the general public, but they are actually the most loving creatures in the world.
In conclusion
Tails of Iron is absolutely a must if you like challenging challenges, but also if you are looking for a nice classic fantasy that goes straight to the point without lacking in surprises. Overall, it has no defects except for some very slight imput lag smears in some boss fights, but nothing that a good dose of patience cannot solve.
