4.5/5 ★ – hcolesmith's review of Tunic.

Dangerously close to being a total knockout, but some of the bosses in this game are more Souls-like than I was wanting for a game with such high emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving. The two sides of this game clash really strongly to the extent it’s difficult to really want to play it again. I loved the exploration and puzzle elements so much. They are fresh, tricky, and esoteric in the best way without being obtuse. When you solve them it’s a genuine satisfaction. Most of the bosses here aren’t too big an issue, but The Librarian and The Scavenger Boss just stink. Major props to this game for letting you skip the final boss entirely if you do the heavy lifting in terms of exploration. I love that. And for reference, I’m a huge FromSoft fan. I just didn’t like the inclusion of the souls-like bosses in this game. Without those, this would be an easy 5/5.