Tails of Iron: PS5 Review

Developed by Odd Bug Studio

Published by United Label

Review Platform: PS5

It's a rare thing to get an RPG that shakes up the expectations of the genre.

While Tails of Iron sticks to a relatively tried and tested formula for its Souls-like combat and exploration, it's in its artwork that the game soars - a rich 2D animated world that seems at odds with all others of its ilk, but looks gorgeous on screen and which makes playing the familiar feel different and enticing.

Tails of Iron is the story of Redgi the Rat, heir to the throne of the Rat Kingdom. Years of an uneasy peace have passed with the rats' war against the Frogs, but one day with the current Rat king Rattus dying, an incursion takes place and the fragile peace is shattered, torn asunder forever.

Don't be fooled by the gorgeous art design into thinking Tails of Iron is a cutesy combat game. That's the kind of thinking that developer Odd Bag Studio has guaranteed will throw you off your game.

Combat is brutal, and a need to learn basics and to be able to combine them well into any moment of the game to ensure you survive any encounter. It's punishing and will take a degree of learning the basics to progress, but it proves to be worth it.

Strategy is the only way really to survive in Tails of Iron - whether it's choosing the right moment to dodge or choosing the right shield to absorb the plethora of blows, Tails of Iron rewards forethought and planning.

It's great the game adapts to your style of combat and play, and also to allow you to progress, because at times, the game is punishing if the loadout is incorrect.

But it's in its storybook visuals that Tails of Iron soars - it looks nothing like the RPGs out there, which are predominantly Japanese and which follow a similar visual template. The worlds of the rat and the frog benefit greatly from this visionary approach to the game - and as a result, Tails of Iron may take a while to warm you to its ways, but as soon as it does, it doesn't easily let go.