It’s a hard life, being a rat. First off, no one thinks you are cute. Secondly, the bubonic plague is on you. Thirdly, you have a tendency to get embroiled in vicious blood-thirsty wars with rival armies of animals. For an example of the latter, take the first Tails of Iron, which pitted hero Redgi and pals against ferocious bands of fearsome frogs. Now, with the frog menace having taken their last ribbit, it’s the turn of some undead Bats to invade a Ratty Kingdom. Thankfully for Redgi, this is not the southern kingdom that he rules over, instead, it’s the Rats of the North who get brutally murdered by an invading army. And they do, in outstandingly gory fashion, during our hands-on preview with Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter.
For those who didn’t have the good fortune of playing through its fantastic forebear, Tails of Iron 2 is best summed up as a 2D Souls-like. The diminutive player character – a bearded and surprisingly cute rat named Arlo – must hack and chop their way through a vast environment, taking on hordes of massive foes. The foes are glorious to behold, painted and animated with arresting hand-drawn visuals. In our preview, we took on what can only be described as an enormous mutant porcupine, as well as a nasty bat warrior who rode a wyvern into battle. They were both utter pests, killing poor Arlo many times before we were able to identify their attack patterns and finally emerge bat-tered (pun absolutely intended) and victorious. The satisfaction this hard-earned triumph earned resulted in quite the squeak of exultation.
Just like its prequel, Tails of Iron 2 doesn’t pull any paws. This is a tough, yet eminently fair, game. Arlo has the same precise skill set as Redgi before him; a nimble roll to dodge unstoppable attacks and a deeply satisfying parry to open foes up to a world of hurt. And Arlo can certainly dish out the punishment, wielding swords, spears, and – our favourite – a particularly devastating axe. The attacks can be dished out with light and heavy swings, as well as a deadly charged strike that, whilst it leaves you vulnerable to counter-attacks, can slice through most minor foes with gleeful abandon. In short, it’s the same tight combat that made Tails of Iron such a critical darling.
There are some neat additions to the formula though. Weapons must be sharpened as they are used, requiring a frantic tap of the button – and the pause of a nail-nibblingly tense animation – before you can resume combat. It’s a heart-in-the-mouth moment as you are left completely vulnerable, demanding deft timing and the offer of an additional level of challenge that will test even the most experienced players. Then there’s the grappling hook, which proves a tantalising tease. Whilst its uses are frustratingly limited in the demo, this tool could well prove a thrilling addition to exploration and combat, giving Arlo an additional level of mobility and the environment he explores the opportunity of greater height and scale.
Also teased is a much deeper hunting experience. Enemies can be hacked up to provide all sorts of goodies to upgrade and customise weapons and armour. Whilst the preview didn’t offer much more than the basics of this mechanic, it could become a fantastic feature to allow players to make their own unique Arlo with accompanying combat style.
In short, Tails of Iron 2 is more of the same, though this time with an arresting Game-of-Thrones-Winter-is-Coming aesthetic. Quite frankly, that’s more than enough to leave us very excited to get our teeth sunk into the full game upon release.
