Tails of Iron Review

While browsing through the archives of PlayStation Plus in my never-satiated hunger for videogames, I happened upon a curio I had seen often but never played: Tails of Iron. Marketed as a 2D soulslike with a splash of Redwall, it didn’t really look like my thing with its The Wind in the Willows feel, causing me to look elsewhere for my fix. However, once I actually looked into the setting, I was hooked.

Let me set the scene: you play as Redgi, the second son of the King of Rats. As your father is getting old, an exhibition match is held between you and your older, stronger, and taller brother to see who is fit to inherit the Rat Throne. Though you come out victorious, your joy is cut short as the long-time enemy of your kingdom, the Frog Clan, invades the palace, kills your father, and leaves your land decimated. What follows is a grim-dark tale of revenge, adversity, trust, and courage. And it’s all narrated by the voice of Geralt of Rivia, Doug Cockle. How could I say no?

Played from a sidescrolling perspective, you venture forth into the lands of your kingdom, fighting the vile Frogs and other horrors, as you slowly take back what was lost and rebuild. As is tradition, you have a limited-use item to heal yourself and a space to rest in to recover and respawn any nearby nasties. You start off with one set of armour and a sword, but you will quickly amass a horde of weapons and armour of different types, allowing you to fit your play style and the enemies you’ll be facing. The combat itself is very reactive, with enemies often signalling whether their attacks should be dodged, blocked, or parried for maximum effect. As the perspective is from the side, you’ll often roll right through your enemies and can only be accosted from either side.

The combat gains more and more depth as you progress, with the addition of a heavy weapon to break guards and a ranged armament to take on any pesky fliers, but it never loses the simple base that it has. While it may seem easy, the game does offer a fair bit of challenge. Enemies hit hard and can perform their attacks rapidly, requiring the player to be on their toes if they want to survive! Though generally quite responsive, the hitboxes for some attacks can be aggravating, as dodging at the wrong time may have you hit with an attack you visually avoided.

The story of Redgi and his kingdom is told via small discussions and “cutscenes” in-game (though none of the characters talk), using images and (slightly grating) squeaks to communicate, with the narrator filling in the blanks. While I enjoyed the plot in general, especially near the end when the actions of the Frog Clan are explored and a third party is added to the conflict, it does have a bad habit of grinding to a halt so the player can earn money: on a few occasions, King Redgi of the Rats will be forced to do side-quests in the few settlements you liberate, in order to pay for one advancement or another, usually something along the lines of rebuilding the castle or buying supplies for the kitchen.

I understand the need to flesh out the game and its locations with some revisits, but it always feels a bit odd that the leader of a kingdom does all the work. Then again, this did inspire the rodent King to invent taxes, apparently, so that's something. Luckily, the side-quests are simple enough and often short, making for a chore at worst. I do wish they’d be available before the need for money is relevant to the quest, as I’d probably have done them already, but I digress.

Tails of Iron manages to tell a surprisingly deep and emotional story through the squeaks and croaks of the cast, touching upon the role of a leader, the cycle of revenge, the horrors of war, and the lives of those on whom war treads. These Rats may look cute, but the death toll in this game is nothing to laugh at. Not to mention some of the things you discover each side has done. However, even with the rather bleak outlook and tone, the game does manage to sneak in some bits of humour and levity that I appreciated.

With a campaign length of about eight hours, Tails of Iron is something you can play through in a few sessions or gnaw away at a bit at a time. The interesting story, charming characters, and gruesome combat carry you through the experience and though it can be very frustrating at times, I often found myself enjoying my time with it and looking forward to the next session. If you haven’t played it yet, now may be a great time to give it a shot as the sequel looms on the horizon!