Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      D&D Direct scheduled for March 29 – Australian time

      D&D Direct scheduled for March 29 – Australian time

      March 23, 2023

      [This announcement has been provided by Wizards Of The Coast’s PR people and is presented by GOA for your information]…

      Ghostwire Tokyo and more come to Xbox Gamepass

      Ghostwire Tokyo and more come to Xbox Gamepass

      March 22, 2023

      As we approach the end of March, Xbox shows no sign of stopping. With their consistent release of amazing titles…

      PlayStation Plus Deluxe And Extras Drops for March 2023

      PlayStation Plus Deluxe And Extras Drops for March 2023

      March 17, 2023

      PlayStation Australia is happy to reveal the PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue additions for March. The Game Catalogue lineup will be…

      The Game Expo 2023 Wrap-Up

      The Game Expo 2023 Wrap-Up

      March 17, 2023

      THE Game Expo (TGX) inaugural event wrapped up in Melbourne last weekend, signalling the addition of a new gaming event…

      Ahoy, Mate! Australian commander and vessel come to World of Warships

      Ahoy, Mate! Australian commander and vessel come to World of Warships

      March 10, 2023

      THE virtual flotilla available in World of Warships has grown larger with the addition of a (fictionalised) Australian cruiser and…

      View All
    • Reviews
      Phantom Brigade Review – Mechs are always cool

      Phantom Brigade Review – Mechs are always cool

      March 27, 2023

      I’VE had the opportunity to play a variety of tactical RPGs over the years, but few have left an impression…

      Barotrauma review – thalassophobia with friends

      Barotrauma review – thalassophobia with friends

      March 27, 2023

      Barotrauma is a fascinating and immersive survival game that takes place in the depths of an alien ocean, that’s sure…

      Sun Haven Review – High Fantasy Farming

      Sun Haven Review – High Fantasy Farming

      March 25, 2023

      Sun Haven’s official release is finally upon us, which has generated quite a bit of buzz in the farming-simulator community. Developed…

      Resident Evil 4 Remake: Closest thing to a Perfect Remake.

      Resident Evil 4 Remake: Closest thing to a Perfect Remake.

      March 25, 2023

      IT was eighteen years ago. We joined Leon S Kennedy on his ride into town. He was being escorted by…

      Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU: Next-level PC gaming graphics

      Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU: Next-level PC gaming graphics

      March 24, 2023

      AS most serious PC gamers will tell you, getting the best graphics card you can is a must for a…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      Nuts & Bolts Ep 78 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 78: Mr LCO Goes To PCS

      March 25, 2023

      Bliss & Chiefs claim the top two spots as the LCO heads to PCS to see who will qualify for…

      Weekly Show Ep 275 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 275: AI Wrote This Episode Title

      March 24, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 77 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 77: A Wild Mercury Appears!

      March 11, 2023

      Jim is joined by Mercury live in the GOA studio! Jim gets excited over the World Of Tanks ANZPL draft…

      Weekly Show Ep 274 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 274: Shame Nintendo, Shame!

      March 10, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 76 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 76: LCO Drama-Rama

      March 4, 2023

      Peace finally get what’s coming to them as the LCO starts the group stage while a team suffers a tech…

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Platformer
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review
    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    Chris InglisBy Chris InglisNovember 20, 2021
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Tails of Iron is a fantastic action RPG with great hand-drawn art and challenging souls-like combat.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMJF8hH8RGE

    Tails of Iron is a hand-drawn souls-like action RPG developed by Odd Bug Studio and published by United Label/CI Games. The game released on September 17, 2021, on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC and is narrated by Doug Cockle, and really, I’ll play anything that features Doug’s voice. The more I played, the more I appreciated the effort put in by the developers in this frustratingly hard but equally as rewarding game where you play as rat, Redgi defending your kingdom against frog people. One great point to mention is that all rats in the game have been drawn and designed based off a developer’s real-life rats, all of which unfortunately passed over the time it took to develop the game.

    Lead Character Artist and Animator, Daniel Robinson, was inspired to create Tails of Iron thanks to the personalities of his own pet rats, sadly none of whom outlived the game’s completion. “During development, the rats were always there for me, to keep my morale high and spark my creativity,” he says. He explains, “Redgi is the main protagonist because he was the most courageous and loyal rat in our rat pack. The other characters are based on Redgi’s real brothers (as illustrated in the painting below).” Robinson also wants to change the social perception of rats overall. He states, “I really wanted to make a game about rats because they are perceived so negatively by the media and general public, but they are the most affectionate and loving creatures.”

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    Redgi is heir to the Rat Throne, and he must duel his big brother Denis to prove his worth to his father, the King. You win, and as your father stands to relinquish the crown, a huge spear is thrown at him, killing him, and the castle is swamped with frogs. A short tustle later and you emerge with everyone killed, your brothers kidnapped and the village laid to waste. It’s up to you now to work out where everyone has been taken and to rebuild the village. As the rats talk amongst each other, speech bubbles show images of their conversation, enough to give you a picture of what to do, and then the narrator explains the situation.

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    We spend the first part of the game getting acquainted with moving between screens, and this felt like a 2D platformer, moving left or right and up or down stairs and ladders, slowly revealing more rooms on the map. Each zone has its own map, and you can see the outline of the whole map showing where you could go, but it’s all hidden until you visit each room/area or find secret areas. I felt the map exploration part of Tails of Iron reminded me of playing the Ori games. You are taught how to find/loot equipment and items such as arrows and there are fast travel signs once you’ve repaired the first one. The games ambient sounds, particularly when you’re outside the fort’s walls with rain and thunder, are just incredible. It is perfect background noise for when I’m writing my reviews.

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    You can use one-handed and two-handed weapons, a shield, as well as light, medium or heavy armour. Some armour has different visual variations which can be changed in the inventory, and the inventory can only be changed once you find an interactable chest. You can craft your own weapons using blueprints bought from traders, so it’s important to do the odd side quest here and there to collect gold and other items, to create the blueprints and then taking them to the blacksmith. Further into the game you’ll obtain a bow and later a crossbow with bolts. All items contribute to your overall weight, however I managed to keep my weight about half the scale, and I didn’t notice any adverse effects to dodging speed. The developers say wearing full heavy armour will affect your dodge roll speed, so that could explain some of my deaths (not many, but some).

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    Combat is at the core of Tails of Iron, and while it’s easy to understand, it’s sometimes fiddly when you’re in the heat of battle. It could be entirely because I’m playing mouse/keyboard, and the game does recommend using a controller. I’m just stubborn and lazy, and like to try go as long as I can on mouse/keyboard, but I’m bloody close to reaching for the controller. We swing our weapon with the left mouse button and can do a powerful attack by holding down and charging right mouse button. The enemy mobs, even the small ones, have several different tells that indicate how they’re going to fight.

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    Red lines coming from an enemy mob means you need to dodge their attack (by pressing left-alt) otherwise you’ll get hit. A red circle means they’re going to jump in the air and land with a crash, so you need to move/dodge away from where they land. Yellow squiggly lines from a mob means you need to block or parry the attack, but you need to be facing them, obviously. You hold shift to block with a shield or parry with a two-handed weapon. One of my problems was my left thumb pressed left-alt but in the chaos of combat, I often hit the Windows key right next to it. I could disable this within games, and probably should have 10+ years ago, but again I’m stubborn. Controller would negate that too – yes, I know.

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    Later, some mobs will also shoot arrows at you, and there are also flying insects which, once you get a bow yourself, you can shoot down. You can shoot arrows at the enemy too, but you can only carry 20 at a time and they can sometimes be scarce. In certain locations like in towns or forts, you’ll be able to find a barrel of arrows which will top you back up to 20 (or 12 crossbow bolts), so don’t be afraid to let loose some arrows/bolts where they can help you, especially against unshielded bosses. Further into the game you’ll be able to trade bug parts for poison flasks and find a barrel of poison to fill up bottles (max of 3) which will apply poison to your weapon and any mob you hit for a short time – very helpful when this comes into play.

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    You replenish health by holding Q to drink bug juice and barrels of these are also spread strategically. You should also look out for save points and use them often, they save you losing precious gaming time and progress. Sometimes I would clear a section and then run all the way back to save it, as even the lesser fights can be brutal and get you killed. Side quests were aplenty once you cleared an area, however given the story-based nature of the game, you can only do one side quest at a time. I quite liked this as it meant you understood more of why you were doing this side activity and it wasn’t just some tasks in a list you tick off like a lot of RPGs out there. Once you start repairing major areas of the fort, like the kitchen and blacksmith, I wish I had done more side quests on the way back as I was short some gold to progress, so there is a bit of backtracking at times but it’s faster as you defeat bosses and more of the lands are restored and relatively safe to traverse.

    Souls-Like Tails of Iron Action RPG Review

    Boss fights got more and more difficult as time went on, especially after a couple hours in Tails of Iron. There were a few times I had to quit and have a break. Even though the fights are relatively logical, sometimes the wrong key presses kept happening and silly mistakes made. Then other times the boss does a few combos in succession and my 40-year-old brain sometimes didn’t keep up, so breaks were required. But when you finally do take down a particularly difficult boss, it feels oh, so good. You are usually rewarded with some new items which always perked me up.

    Overall, I gave the game an 8.5/10. Tails of Iron is a fantastic action RPG with great hand-drawn art and challenging souls-like combat. I’ll play any game that features Doug Cockle’s voice, and his narration of the story helped immerse me and pay attention. This is a game you should experience for yourself.

    This review utilised a Steam key provided by Wonacott Communications. Tails of Iron is available now on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

    #gameonAUS


    Written by: @ChrisJInglis

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleGenshin Impact Twitch Streamers Are Offering In-Game Rewards
    Next Article Samsung 980 Pro M.2 SSD 1TB w/ Heatsink Review

    Related Posts

    Phantom Brigade Review – Mechs are always cool
    GAMING REVIEWS March 27, 2023

    Phantom Brigade Review – Mechs are always cool

    I’VE had the opportunity to play a variety of tactical RPGs over the years, but few have left an impression…

    Barotrauma review – thalassophobia with friends
    GAMING REVIEWS March 27, 2023

    Barotrauma review – thalassophobia with friends

    Barotrauma is a fascinating and immersive survival game that takes place in the depths of an alien ocean, that’s sure…

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads

    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • APPLE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • DLC
    • ESPORTS
    • Events
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • GAMING HARDWARE
    • GAMING NEWS
    • GAMING REVIEWS
    • GIFT GUIDE
    • GOA
    • GOA PODCAST
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE GAMING
    • Industry
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • Press Release
    • PREVIEW
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SUBSCRIPTION GAMES SERVICE UPDATES
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    Phantom Brigade Review – Mechs are always cool
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Phantom Brigade Review – Mechs are always cool

    March 27, 2023ArlentricBy Arlentric

    I’VE had the opportunity to play a variety of tactical RPGs over the years, but few have left an impression on me quite like…

    Barotrauma review – thalassophobia with friends
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Barotrauma review – thalassophobia with friends

    March 27, 2023ArlentricBy Arlentric

    Barotrauma is a fascinating and immersive survival game that takes place in the depths of an alien ocean, that’s sure to terrify my fellow…

    Sun Haven Review – High Fantasy Farming
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Sun Haven Review – High Fantasy Farming

    March 25, 2023ArlentricBy Arlentric

    Sun Haven’s official release is finally upon us, which has generated quite a bit of buzz in the farming-simulator community. Developed and published by Pixel…

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2023. Privacy Policy. Website by Digital Hitmen

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.