Tips for Beginners

The Instruction Manual is something you collect gradually as you play. Developer post, PlayStation Blog Finji's launch post advises studying the pages to get a lay of the land and the upper hand on enemies, even though the manual appears to be written in an unknown language. Finji launch post, Xbox Wire Some labels are in ordinary words: the Overworld map on page 28 includes "THE OVERWORLD" and "TO EAST FOREST". Manual page 28, Finji launch post For PlayStation, the developer's blog post says the X button zooms in on a page. Developer post, PlayStation Blog Zoom in and compare a newly found page with places already visited. Revisit an earlier page when a new discovery gives it context.

Before searching for a complete translation, identify the immediate problem: a route, an enemy or a puzzle. A small hint for that problem can preserve more of the discoveries that the manual is built around. Ding covers the Eastern Bell achievement and what page 28 shows about the bells.

The dodge has a stamina meter tied to it. Andrew Shouldice, the lead developer, calls stamina a risk-reward system: you can always attack and always dodge, but at zero stamina you are at a disadvantage, perhaps with fewer invulnerability frames or taking more damage. You can keep dodging with the meter empty, but at that point you are putting yourself at risk. Developer interview, Xbox Wire Timing matters too: Finji's launch post says the sword is the primary weapon, but the greatest tool is knowing the right time to dodge, block and swing. Finji launch post, Xbox Wire The store page's list of moves includes a parry as well: "Dodge, block, parry, and strike!" Steam store page

Watch the enemy, respond briefly, and keep some stamina in reserve so the next dodge does not start from zero.

Finji's launch post advises searching the environment for bombs, stat boosts and refillable health potions. Dying sends you back to the last checkpoint and does not give back any items you used, so spend them where they count. Finji launch post, Xbox Wire The developer describes the world as handcrafted and interconnected. He says the fixed isometric camera lets the game hide things behind other things, that secret paths are all over the place, and that players may realize they could have done things in an entirely different order. Finding one bombable wall, he adds, means learning that the world has bombable walls, so any wall could hide a secret. Developer interview, Xbox Wire Keep a note of paths you could not take yet.

Players can customize the combat challenge: they can opt out of some of the more technical parts of combat or turn on a No Fail mode. Finji's examples of players these options suit include those mostly there for the puzzles. Publisher post, PlayStation Blog The update of 27 September 2022 added a reduced combat difficulty mode for players who want easier fights without No Fail mode. It also added controller remapping, with Finji's examples of putting a potion on a face button or the dodge on a stick press, and an Audio Puzzle Assistance option that adds a visual element to puzzles that are otherwise audio-only. Update notes, 27 September 2022 Patch notes posted on 31 March 2022 say the "Reduce Damage Flash" accessibility option now turns off enemy telegraph flashing and the flashing of the stamina bar. Patch notes, 31 March 2022 On PC, the store page says TUNIC is best experienced with a gamepad or controller. Steam store page Common Questions answers other early questions, including whether the unreadable language is a localization problem.