Tails of Iron is a 2D RPG adventure developed by Odd Bug Studio and published by United Labels Games. The anthropomorphic rat-focused game is an amazing fantasy gaming experience that delivers storybook-esque graphics and tough-as-nails combat, making it a strong choice for anyone who enjoys strong narratives or good action-RPGs.
Inspired by Brian Jacques' Redwall series, the story of Tails of Iron picks up years after a war between rats and frogs, with the rodents claiming victory and living the medieval lifestyle. The elderly King Rattus is stepping down from his reign, and players assume the role of his son and heir Redgi as he is about to take over for his father. This seemingly simple transition of power turns deadly when the Frog Clan invades, killing King Rattus and sending the kingdom into anarchy. It falls on Redgi's small rat shoulders to take back his Kingdom, save his brothers and defeat the Frog Clan once and for all.
Redgi's adventure is pretty standard fare for a fantasy narrative, but it's elevated by a unique hand-drawn presentation style. Every frame of Tails of Iron is reminiscent of classic storybook illustrations, and Odd Bug Studio's painstaking amounts of detail helps distinguish each of the game's six different biomes. Doug Cockle of The Witcher fame lends his gravelly voice to the game's narration, delivering the story and translating the unintelligible language of Redgi and his comrades with a mixture of humor and dramatic effect. The game runs incredibly smooth throughout the entire runtime as well, especially during Redgi's chaotic battles against his enemies.
Combat encounters in Tails of Iron take significant inspiration from the Dark Souls series, with each enemy presenting a distinct challenge for players to conquer. Attacks are telegraphed by colorful markers around the heads of enemies, indicating how players should react to the incoming danger. Red markers signal attacks that can be dodged, white markers call for blocks with Redgi's shield, and yellow markers predicate attacks that can be parried. Enemies also have large AOE attacks that are distinguishable by a red circular marker, which can be avoided by having Redgi dodge roll.
These elements create an engaging and responsive combat system that keeps players constantly on their toes, adjusting to differing attack patterns on the fly and figuring out how to deal with multiple enemies at once while maintaining Redgi's health bar by drinking from his bug juice canister. Enemies across the board present a fair challenge, with a group of normal frog/grub forces capable of defeating Redgi in a couple hits if not given the respect they deserve. Boss fights are notably epic encounters where the difficult combat shines, as Redgi has to chip away at large health pools while dealing with multiple attack stages to overcome these dastardly foes. The game never quite reaches the heights of Dark Souls' difficulty, but fans of punishing gameplay will still find a suitable challenge with Tails of Iron.
Redgi couldn't deal with these deadly threats without an appropriate arsenal, and Tails of Iron allows players to outfit the young king with an array of weapons, armor and shields to customize their playstyle. Players who crave agility and fast attacks can equip light/medium equipment and a spear, while others that enjoy tanking attacks and hitting hard can go for the heavy equipment/axe combo to maximize these desired attributes. RPG elements play into the loot system as well, with certain armors protecting against specific enemy types and each item having a specific weight that must be considered when crafting the perfect loadout.
Exploring the world of Tails of Iron is a constant delight, with each biome offering fun secrets and discoverable treasures to help Redgi along his journey. Redgi can also partake in side-quests that allot him gold and resources to help rebuild his kingdom or upgrade himself. These side quests run the risk of being repetitive, as each one is essentially a mission to clear out enemies from a specific area. However, the extra resources to help purchase weapon blueprints to craft new gear or ingredients to upgrade Redgi's health bar and great optional boss fights make them worth pursuing in the end.
Tails of Iron is an expertly crafted effort from Odd Bug Studio. The visual style alone is worth the price of ission, but the additional tough-but-fair combat, RPG-lite components and engaging exploration makes for a worthy entry into the Souls-like subgenre.
Tails of Iron releases on September 17 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. A digital PS5 code was provided to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.
Tails of Iron
- Released
- September 17, 2021
