Tunche

Tunche is a spirited jungle jaunt. A charming action-adventure that wears its Peruvian heritage with the utmost pride. While the marriage of roguelite to brawler is definitely a solid fit — particularly in multiplayer — it cannot be denied that the repetitious trappings of both genres are readily apparent, which will be enough to turn off some players. Those well-versed in the grind and willing to put in the effort, however, will be rewarded with a very agreeable bout of forest fisticuffs. Now, about that animated series…

Tunche looks and sounds good, plays neatly and consistently and is fun for couch co-op. However, it takes its punchy ideas and sneaks off into a dark, dirty alley where people just won’t want to go and find it. It is fun if you’re willing to get in there and get stuck in, but you’ll need to step over the broken glass of tiny screen text, try not to touch the wet-stained walls of repetitive, roguelite early encounters, and apologetically deny having any spare change to the drugged up yuppie of verbose exposition. In conclusion, if you are looking for a fight, mate, let us point you in the direction of Tunche.

Tunche is a high-quality casual game that you can enjoy both solo and with friends, and the co-op mode definitely outshines the single-player experience. The enemies look cute, just like the main characters, the experience-gaining system is simple, and the rogue-like elements only enhance the game. Unfortunately, the repetitiveness really drags the game down, and I can imagine that many players will get fed up with it.

Tunche isn't for everyone. Traditional beat-'em-up fans will like the frantic action of the combo system, even if it takes a few runs to get going, but they'll hate the lack of forward progression. Roguelike fans will enjoy the gradual character empowerment but hate the lack of randomization of bosses and enemies. It falls into a specific niche that appeases people who enjoy the minimal mixing of both, and in that respect, Tunche delivers an experience that can be enjoyable if you know what you're getting into.

There’s a good game in Tunche somewhere, just trying to get out. Some will find it if they dig deep, put in the hours and max out the skill trees so that the combat can shine. Most though, will probably give up early on into the journey. This is a wonderfully presented game with a lot to offer, but the roguelike elements suck the fun out of it, turning what could have been a brisk and enjoyable adventure into a drawn-out slog.

Tunche tries many things to set itself apart from the other roguelites. While at first combat feels fast and exciting, it quickly becomes repetitive before even finishing the first run. A great art style helps but doesn’t make up for the other shortcomings. Fans of roguelites might find Tunche fun for a few runs, but others might want to pass on this one.

Overall, Tunche is a nice, well-blended mixture of beat’em up and rogue-like gameplay that’s easy to play alone or with friends. Though it feels like a bit of a slow grind to progress, it will provide an ample challenge, even for veteran gamers. Plus, the Amazonia jungle themed, hand-drawn artwork is absolutely impressive and stylish. And who doesn’t love Hat Kid? Punch your way through the heart of the jungle to find Tunche!

Tunche is a fun brawler that would’ve been a lot more fun if it weren’t so bogged down by unnecessarily wordy NPCs and annoying gameplay mechanics.

There is no denying that Tunche is one of the best Indie titles to be released this year. With a gorgeous art style, great character designs, a rock solid gameplay loop and some sweet action it is a joy to play and easy to learn. However it might prove a little too repetitive for some.

The core combat is slow and lacks variety, the story and artistic elements of the game don’t add much, and the mission design makes this an experience that's about as enjoyable as being thrown into the pathway of an oncoming 18 wheeler.