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TUNIC Narrative Guide - Act 2, Part 6: The Root of the (....
Summary: Join the Ruin Seeker (that's our protagonist fox!) on his journey through a strange and vaguely familiar land. His inner thoughts are laid bare as we explore the unknown. Each step brings new mysteries to solve, new challenges to face. - This story is intended as a companion piece to the video game TUNIC, but can also function as a guide if you are stuck or a teaser to get you interested.
We are now in the second act of the game, which means heavy spoilers! If you plan to experience the game for yourself, use Act 1 as your teaser and come back afterwards, or if you find yourself stuck.
I am so stunned by the sights before me, that I feel words cannot do them justice. I see pillars as tall as mountains, corridors of light trailing through the air with unknown purpose, swarms of Fairies float about with fanciful purpose. The entire place radiates with a faint musical tune. It truly is beyond my comprehension.
The root of the world...
In order to get a better look, I remove my Scavenger's Mask. This place is massive and I am grateful to have the slight movement boost of the Anklet. My way forward is lined with guiding lights, but I have to be very careful not to fall off the edge. Some walkways are broken, but there's still a path forward.
On one of the paths, I spot a blue flame glowing at an altar. Walking over to it, I give it a cautionary sniff. It smells just like everything else in this place, with a vague tinge of void energies. Warmth emanates from it, soothing my soul. Actually, I'm reminded of the goddess statues.
Is that what this is? I stretch my arms and rest beside it, feeling refreshed afterwards. Part of me considers throwing myself from the ledge to test my theory, but I'm not feeling nearly that self destructive. Besides, I feel confident that this strange altar is channeling my connection to the goddess. The question is, why?
Discovery: The checkpoint statues in the Rooted Ziggurat look different, but function the same.
Did this area predate the surface I am familiar with? Or was this place made afterwards. I don't think I'm smart enough to figure that out. I can't even read most of what I'm finding! Setting aside the mystery, I press on. The paths on each side lead nowhere, and after confirming this I am ambushed by a migrating pack of Fairies. I blast each with a shot from my Fire Rod and restore my spirit with their remains.
Descending a ramp, the path forks. I check north and I see another of those strange switches up on a ledge. I try to hit it with a fire bolt, but it doesn't work. Nearby, I see a chest, and with a bit of fumbling I find my way up to it. Down the other path is a minefield. In each junction lurks an Autobolt, popping up to ambush me as I walk past.
I recklessly clear the way, with a rush of excitement in seeing how much stronger I've grown since my journey began. From the beachy shore of a tiny little island to a mechanical wonderland, reflecting on the difference is such an incredible rush. As I work my way around, I return to the switch, bash it with my sword, and then ignore the useless shortcut it created.
The main path comes to the top of a thick tower, coated in blue guiding lights. A ladder in front of me glows, calling for me to climb it. At the top, my progress is halted. No other path is available to me. An obelisk sits in the middle of the platform. Well, almost. It's a bit different looking.
Still, if the goddess statues are different down here, maybe the obelisks are, too. I approach it and begin to pray, when it suddenly changes shape. Legs sprout from its lower corners, and it begins to walk around the platform. With a loud buzz, a pattern begins to appear on the ground beneath it. The pattern grows brighter and radiates across the metal roof. As it alights under my feet, a jolt radiates through my fur and into my muscles. Ouch! The floor glows again and with a stomp, it radiates outwards a second time. I roll across the brightest spot, and manage to avoid the worst of the electrical zap.
Discovery: Glowing floor is painful! Roll across it to avoid damage.
It begins to crawl towards me, wedge appendages pulling it across the ground. When it nears, it lowers a set of wheels in its undercarriage and begins to spin around. The wedges drag against the surface, throwing sparks and threatening to slice anything that comes close. Backing away carefully, mindful of the ledge behind me, I continue to watch its movements. It stomps across, heading towards me, and then slams itself down on its side.
Its movements bring to mind the tea table in the grand library, and I realize that this is one of the many fallen robots that I saw within the Ruined Atoll and Frog's Domain. Except, this time, it isn't broken. It even feels newer somehow. Still, it will fall to my blade like everything else has before me. If the Siege Engine couldn't stop me, a tiny machine like this stands no chance.
I test my Magic Orb against this foe, and its weight proves too much for my tentacled tool. I am pulled to it, but this works out fine. Hacking away at its cubic frame, slashing at the tri-colored hexagonal eyes, I deal enough damage that it begins to overload. Expecting a large explosion, I back away to safety.
To my shock and annoyance, instead of exploding into a pile of scrap, the machine ejects its panels and reveals its inner core. A single thin pillar stands atop its base, with a glowing red lens tracking my movement. It has two limbs, both wielding glowing pink beams of pure energy. Snapping out of my stupor, I race in and employ a similar philosophy as I did when fighting the Siege Engine. Its blades seem designed to hit distant targets, not those that are underfoot.
After easily dodging several failed slashes, the machine responds by retreating to the edge. From there, it moves to swipe the entire rooftop, but I lash it with my Magic Orb. With half of its weight now scattered across the floor, it lifts into the air and is brought to my side. Here, I score some easy hits before it leaps away from my assault.
Before it can strike again, I pull out my Fire Rod and aim for its core. My blows strike true, breaking its limbs and crushing the red lens in the middle. As it overloads, I watch from a distance and await any explosions it decides to inflict in its death throes. Instead, the machine falls silent, and something within causes the joints to simply break apart into a pile of metal bars. I collect an assortment of blue bits from its remains, replenishing my spirit. To the south, the second ladder comes alive, and I begin a long and winding descent.
Whoever designed this building should be pushed off of it. After several ups and downs, I reach a doorway leading to an interior. The chest inside holds a decoy, and there's a clear vat with some bubbles gently rising from bottom to top, disappearing behind more machinery. With as much as the technology of this land reacts to my prayer, I kneel and see if it does anything. Nope.
On the walls, more ladders, but I seem unable to reach them. My Magic Orb doesn't pull me up to them, either. In the corner flooring, the light of another ladder calls my attention. It seems to be a maintenance hatch. The cramped corridors hold access to pipes, performing entirely unknown functions. In the interest of self-preservation, I refrain from hacking into them with my sword.
As I drop down into the next room, the hackles of my spine raise up with a shiver. Restrained inside a beam of energy is something familiar, but horrific. A void fox, not too unlike me, is held in place. Its limbs are skeletal, as though it lacks the concept of muscle and fat. Spines protrude from its joints, and its overly long neck cranes its head forward. It's so...
...Cool! What even is it? It's like it's made of concentrated energy, with the way it glows! Where's its tail? I try to say hello, and it ignores me. I channel a prayer, and it exits the trance it's in and begins to stare at me. It drifts in an uncontrolled circle, but its gaze tracks me as it turns.
I pull out my Fire Rod and shoot at the machine above it. When that fails, I try shooting the beast itself. Simply because I can. It does nothing, and with nothing else to do here, I continue on my quest. Another maintenance hatch in the corner leads to a small panel lined with purple light.
When I step upon it, a clunk come from below. The platform then begins a slow, slow descent through a place of wonder. When the edges of the elevator open from metal to glass, I am greeted with an endless blackness that my lantern fails in the face of. Within the darkness, a sea of clear fluid, and floating in that fluid are countless copies of the glowing skeletal foxes. Through the glass I hear a chorus of moans, tinged with an echo that transcends sound itself.
Soon, the elevator passes through this plane and into another metal chamber underneath. I can hear the rhythmic actions of machinery thudding at the end of the hall. The lights are dim, and as my platform settles into the floor, I trek slowly down the corridor.
Set into the wall is an opening for an assembly line. A void fox slides in from the left and stops in the center. From below, a metal base slides into place around the creature. More pieces drop down from above, until finally a capstone is placed to seal the container. With a radiating glow, the box is sealed, and before me stands a freshly created obelisk.
I stare in fascination as the next fox comes from up the conveyor belt. The gears turn in my head. Inside every obelisk is a creature of pure energy. These foxlike monstrosities are being harnessed for power. ... The mana bits. They come from my fallen foes. So when I pray at one and send it into the ground it... juices the contents.
Discovery: Obelisks contain void foxes which are destroyed and turned into energy fluid when activated.
If this had been the start of my journey, I'd probably be horrified by this revelation. Instead, I feel a sense of deep satisfaction. One of the great mysteries that had been churning between my fluffy ears has finally been laid to rest. Another fox comes down the conveyor belt.
As I look up at it, panic suddenly fills its eyes. The others had been docile to this point, but this one suddenly screams out, an eerie tenor permeating my very fibers. As the obelisk top is clamped into place, its scream is cut short. I realize that I've stopped breathing, and I respond with a sharp inhale. Suddenly having my fill of watching, I quickly turn towards the exit. Behind me, another piercing scream echoes out.
My path at last takes me outside. Who knows how far down I've traveled. My vision is temporarily blinded by the new scenery. When they adjust, I try to process the strange sight. On the other side of a mechanical altar is a rolling sea of pure energy. It's free of toxic emanations, and thus unlike the spilled pools in the Quarry or the Ruined Atoll. Whatever it is, it's truly pure.
After a short rest, I begin to look around. I see obelisks behind me, sliding along the conveyor belt, off to some unknown destination. By a chest of Boom Bombs lay a pair of deceased scavengers. On their bodies I see claw marks, but no beast in sight. Instead, I see the bays of several Autobolts on a small island. I lash myself to them, but strangely they do not stir. Even further, another pair alongside a chest.
Upon lashing to this second island, the whole grouping rises from the ground and opens fire. Their blasts barely tickle me. I claim the potion bottle from the chest, shocked to find another whole one after so long. For the longest time, it's only been broken fragments. That makes seven.
Leaving via a side path, I double back and spot a chest at the end of a broken bridge. Inside the chest is a single bit. I frown, and hear a clatter coming from behind me. It was a trap!
Out from the roiling sea come a pair of ... something! It's like a crab, or a spider, but also very alike the void foxes. However, these are inverted, and they definitely aren't foxlike. I take several blows and they seem to strike at my very soul. The brightness of their appendages blinds my vision and I strike out wildly in retaliation. With each attempted strike, they scuttle away, only to return moments later with vicious lunges.
I back away and manage to hack one enough that it falls apart. Imagine my surprise when the remnants coagulate into two smaller copies of the creature I just felled! With another pair of swipes, I manage to cleave one of these smaller ones, only to have it split in two as well. At this point I'm beginning to become surrounded! I flee, hoping that some are faster than others.
As I run back towards the entrance, yet another large brightling crawls from within this artificial sea. I run as quickly as my little legs will go, and as I run, I think. What can I do against such great numbers? I stumble onto the long bridge before the altar and dig through my giant bag of junk. All the while, the brightlings crawl closer. The bridge keeps them from swarming all at once, but there's be upon me any moment.
The Gun! Pulling it out and taking aim, I channel my spirit into the powerful apparatus. Its wide blast does an excellent job in shattering the ephemeral glue of my glowing pursuers. With only one potion used, I claim a sound victory. They even condensed into a large collection of mana bits. The Gun is absolutely the best tool for defending against them, despite its hefty drain on my soul.
Still, I recover at the altar, missing the visual connection with my goddess and only being able to call on a weak spiritual one. I feel so far from her. Having rested, the Autobolts have returned, and while fighting them another brightling crawls towards me from across the area. With a clumsy effort, I break it apart along with the turrets.
A bay of heavy machinery is ahead, its task likely to do with processing this giant vat of energy. Maybe this is what births the void foxes? I realize that for every mystery I solve, several more take its place. Soon I'll be attempting to solve the very meaning of life, at this rate. Two brightlings crawl up and I take out my frustrations on them, reeling from the knockback of my shotgun.
A potion restores my life, but I do notice that these guys leave me perpetually weakened. An obelisk passes me by, but my attention is quickly drawn away by a swarm of three brightlings. With a well-placed roll, I group them up and clear them away with a series of successive blasts. My sword finishes off any stragglers, and while I was close to death myself, I haven't felt worried once down here. Another potion restores me.
With some supplies claimed from the corners of the area, I say goodbye to the pumping equipment and reach another altar. Feeling renewed, I expend some of my pent-up energy by slashing wildly at the air. Taking a deep breath, I cross the double bridge in front of me.
Before me is a pair of box-bots and a half-sunken obelisk. Three conduits protrude from the center, leading out into the pseudo-sea. Thinking myself clever, I quietly sneak up to the obelisk and begin to pray. Both machines spring to life, and my way back folds itself away. Combat it is!
I begin with the robot on the right, recklessly slashing away before being forced to retreat and dodge three consecutive waves of electricity. Two potions later, I carve away its outer shell and quickly turn to the other mobile bot. It slams to the ground in an attempt to smash me, and with a catastrophic miss, I hack it to bits from behind. While I'm doing this, a brightling crawls from the fluid and joins the fray.
By this time, the first mini war machine has figured out that it needs to help, and begins to take piercing slashes at me. In the process, it also strikes the brightling, leaving only a pair of tiny annoyances. With undue confidence, I neglect to drink a potion and both at once manage to land hard strikes with their energy swords. I fall against the side of the obelisk, my mind already plotting new strategies to face this pair of great foes.
When I recover, I find the dual bridges have returned allowing me passage across. I head straight for the right robot, not even waiting for it to stir from its slumber. Ignoring its electricity, I continue to barrage it with blows until its outer casing breaks off. This time, instead of splitting my attacks between the pair, I continue to focus on my initial target.
I land several early blows as it takes its new form. When it fully awakens, it attempts to back away from me and I rail it with my Gun. It leans back to lunge at me and I strike it a second time. With enough damage dealt, it falls to pieces. Behind me, not one but two brightlings are crawling up to say hello.
Claiming the mana from my fallen nemesis, I focus on keeping the trio of remaining enemies at bay. The mobile box has only half a brain, and the crawling critters seem terrified. I weaken one of them, and then recover my echo-of-self sending a ripple of weak damage through the pair, but interrupting their attacks. My next swipe breaks one apart, and the robot decides to pitch in and crumbles them both into micro-brightlings.
With a numerous force ahead of me, I unleash a perfectly positioned Gun blast which hits every foe at once. As I back away, the new group of four micro-brightlings wanders into a turbo-spin from the box-bot! I am literally laughing in joy with my luck right now. All of this and I've yet to need a single potion.
I shatter the big guy's exterior frame and place myself up close and personal with the dual-wielding menace. Anticipating its sword strike, I hold up my shield and deflect the blow. I connect with several more of my own and block another strike. He clips me with the edge of a third, but he falls shortly after. A crushing defeat for the pair. Walking to the edge, I kick a piece of outer shield plating into the water and laugh loudly in victory.
Praying at the obelisk, I am again reminded of what's contained within. Underneath the mechanical noises of its activation, I recognize what must be a scream from the creature within. For each obelisk activated, a primordial life is snuffed out. I collect the mana bits from atop the obelisk and look around at the bridges that have risen from the sloshing pool of pure energy.
Along one, I come to a chest that had eluded me. A large pack of Boom Bombs is added to my already sizable pile. Along the other path, I reach the edge of the giant vat, and I begin to wonder just how deep those waters are. Up above, I spot the obelisk conveyor. It pulls along the newly minted obelisks and they are loaded into an elevator. Down they go, disappearing beneath me.
My own path follows, and I come to a long ladder. Along the wall, a drainage site for the strange liquid. It gurgles out, thick and viscous, disappearing somewhere out of sight. Where it comes from in the first place, I will likely never know. Along the bridge, I also see the obelisks, each dropping into the great abyss. At the edge, I find some large-scale machinery. It reminds me of the earlier pumps, but much bigger.
I come into the open, away from the giant processing plant, and my eyes again take a little while to focus. What I'm seeing can't possibly be what I'm actually seeing, can it? Stretching out along the floor beneath me are hundreds, no, thousands of obelisks, all lined up in a perfect grid. In the ruins, I only came across a couple dozen or so, and I searched all over for secrets and treasure. My imagination can't even process what could possibly need so much power. It's almost as though they power the world itself.
The bridge stretches on for what seems like forever, until I finally come to a small junction. Two scavengers lay dead on the path, but I can't ascertain any likely cause of their deaths. I check the altar, but it lies dormant. Dead. It lacks any life force, any connection to the goddess at all. Just before I move on, I spot a twinkle coming from behind it. An obelisk.
With a quick prayer, I set it into place. Am I setting them free from their torment or simply turning on a light switch? I suppose it all depends on who enshrines them and why. Aside from activating the checkpoint, a doorway behind has opened up. Inside, I find the strange room in which a telepad was locked away. Another mystery solved.
While I hardly needed it for a change, I take a moment to rest and commune at the new altar.
Current Goals
★ Recover the blue key, sealed at the root of the world.
★ Take the three keys to the sealed temple altars.
★ Break the seal that imprisons the goddess and/or obtain the great treasure.
Author's Notes: This was such an incredible moment for me when I played through TUNIC the first time. The tone of the game shifts so much as we gain that revelation of what's inside the obelisks. If our little Ruin Seeker hadn't become so mentally unstable with all the times he's died, he'd probably be completely horrified by what he's seeing.
Instead, his detached reaction is going to be the essence at the core of what's to come. Please enjoy watching our little fox's descent into madness. Remember, this is just one interpretation of the events of the game. Beyond just being a walkthrough of TUNIC, I want to tell a good story. Please continue to enjoy, and if you have made it this far without actually playing TUNIC, well, that's unlikely! But if such a person exists, I really want to hear your thoughts on what has taken place so far!
The next part is the last one for Act 2. For those that know: I hope you're ready for it.
Thumbnail created using the press kit's wallpaper and logo. The custom text contains a secret.
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We are now in the second act of the game, which means heavy spoilers! If you plan to experience the game for yourself, use Act 1 as your teaser and come back afterwards, or if you find yourself stuck.
|| >> Start Here << || <<< Previous Part | Next Part >>> ||
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
Act 2: Part 6 - The Root of the World
I am so stunned by the sights before me, that I feel words cannot do them justice. I see pillars as tall as mountains, corridors of light trailing through the air with unknown purpose, swarms of Fairies float about with fanciful purpose. The entire place radiates with a faint musical tune. It truly is beyond my comprehension.
The root of the world...
In order to get a better look, I remove my Scavenger's Mask. This place is massive and I am grateful to have the slight movement boost of the Anklet. My way forward is lined with guiding lights, but I have to be very careful not to fall off the edge. Some walkways are broken, but there's still a path forward.
On one of the paths, I spot a blue flame glowing at an altar. Walking over to it, I give it a cautionary sniff. It smells just like everything else in this place, with a vague tinge of void energies. Warmth emanates from it, soothing my soul. Actually, I'm reminded of the goddess statues.
Is that what this is? I stretch my arms and rest beside it, feeling refreshed afterwards. Part of me considers throwing myself from the ledge to test my theory, but I'm not feeling nearly that self destructive. Besides, I feel confident that this strange altar is channeling my connection to the goddess. The question is, why?
Discovery: The checkpoint statues in the Rooted Ziggurat look different, but function the same.
Did this area predate the surface I am familiar with? Or was this place made afterwards. I don't think I'm smart enough to figure that out. I can't even read most of what I'm finding! Setting aside the mystery, I press on. The paths on each side lead nowhere, and after confirming this I am ambushed by a migrating pack of Fairies. I blast each with a shot from my Fire Rod and restore my spirit with their remains.
Descending a ramp, the path forks. I check north and I see another of those strange switches up on a ledge. I try to hit it with a fire bolt, but it doesn't work. Nearby, I see a chest, and with a bit of fumbling I find my way up to it. Down the other path is a minefield. In each junction lurks an Autobolt, popping up to ambush me as I walk past.
I recklessly clear the way, with a rush of excitement in seeing how much stronger I've grown since my journey began. From the beachy shore of a tiny little island to a mechanical wonderland, reflecting on the difference is such an incredible rush. As I work my way around, I return to the switch, bash it with my sword, and then ignore the useless shortcut it created.
The main path comes to the top of a thick tower, coated in blue guiding lights. A ladder in front of me glows, calling for me to climb it. At the top, my progress is halted. No other path is available to me. An obelisk sits in the middle of the platform. Well, almost. It's a bit different looking.
Still, if the goddess statues are different down here, maybe the obelisks are, too. I approach it and begin to pray, when it suddenly changes shape. Legs sprout from its lower corners, and it begins to walk around the platform. With a loud buzz, a pattern begins to appear on the ground beneath it. The pattern grows brighter and radiates across the metal roof. As it alights under my feet, a jolt radiates through my fur and into my muscles. Ouch! The floor glows again and with a stomp, it radiates outwards a second time. I roll across the brightest spot, and manage to avoid the worst of the electrical zap.
Discovery: Glowing floor is painful! Roll across it to avoid damage.
It begins to crawl towards me, wedge appendages pulling it across the ground. When it nears, it lowers a set of wheels in its undercarriage and begins to spin around. The wedges drag against the surface, throwing sparks and threatening to slice anything that comes close. Backing away carefully, mindful of the ledge behind me, I continue to watch its movements. It stomps across, heading towards me, and then slams itself down on its side.
Its movements bring to mind the tea table in the grand library, and I realize that this is one of the many fallen robots that I saw within the Ruined Atoll and Frog's Domain. Except, this time, it isn't broken. It even feels newer somehow. Still, it will fall to my blade like everything else has before me. If the Siege Engine couldn't stop me, a tiny machine like this stands no chance.
I test my Magic Orb against this foe, and its weight proves too much for my tentacled tool. I am pulled to it, but this works out fine. Hacking away at its cubic frame, slashing at the tri-colored hexagonal eyes, I deal enough damage that it begins to overload. Expecting a large explosion, I back away to safety.
To my shock and annoyance, instead of exploding into a pile of scrap, the machine ejects its panels and reveals its inner core. A single thin pillar stands atop its base, with a glowing red lens tracking my movement. It has two limbs, both wielding glowing pink beams of pure energy. Snapping out of my stupor, I race in and employ a similar philosophy as I did when fighting the Siege Engine. Its blades seem designed to hit distant targets, not those that are underfoot.
After easily dodging several failed slashes, the machine responds by retreating to the edge. From there, it moves to swipe the entire rooftop, but I lash it with my Magic Orb. With half of its weight now scattered across the floor, it lifts into the air and is brought to my side. Here, I score some easy hits before it leaps away from my assault.
Before it can strike again, I pull out my Fire Rod and aim for its core. My blows strike true, breaking its limbs and crushing the red lens in the middle. As it overloads, I watch from a distance and await any explosions it decides to inflict in its death throes. Instead, the machine falls silent, and something within causes the joints to simply break apart into a pile of metal bars. I collect an assortment of blue bits from its remains, replenishing my spirit. To the south, the second ladder comes alive, and I begin a long and winding descent.
Whoever designed this building should be pushed off of it. After several ups and downs, I reach a doorway leading to an interior. The chest inside holds a decoy, and there's a clear vat with some bubbles gently rising from bottom to top, disappearing behind more machinery. With as much as the technology of this land reacts to my prayer, I kneel and see if it does anything. Nope.
On the walls, more ladders, but I seem unable to reach them. My Magic Orb doesn't pull me up to them, either. In the corner flooring, the light of another ladder calls my attention. It seems to be a maintenance hatch. The cramped corridors hold access to pipes, performing entirely unknown functions. In the interest of self-preservation, I refrain from hacking into them with my sword.
As I drop down into the next room, the hackles of my spine raise up with a shiver. Restrained inside a beam of energy is something familiar, but horrific. A void fox, not too unlike me, is held in place. Its limbs are skeletal, as though it lacks the concept of muscle and fat. Spines protrude from its joints, and its overly long neck cranes its head forward. It's so...
...Cool! What even is it? It's like it's made of concentrated energy, with the way it glows! Where's its tail? I try to say hello, and it ignores me. I channel a prayer, and it exits the trance it's in and begins to stare at me. It drifts in an uncontrolled circle, but its gaze tracks me as it turns.
I pull out my Fire Rod and shoot at the machine above it. When that fails, I try shooting the beast itself. Simply because I can. It does nothing, and with nothing else to do here, I continue on my quest. Another maintenance hatch in the corner leads to a small panel lined with purple light.
When I step upon it, a clunk come from below. The platform then begins a slow, slow descent through a place of wonder. When the edges of the elevator open from metal to glass, I am greeted with an endless blackness that my lantern fails in the face of. Within the darkness, a sea of clear fluid, and floating in that fluid are countless copies of the glowing skeletal foxes. Through the glass I hear a chorus of moans, tinged with an echo that transcends sound itself.
Soon, the elevator passes through this plane and into another metal chamber underneath. I can hear the rhythmic actions of machinery thudding at the end of the hall. The lights are dim, and as my platform settles into the floor, I trek slowly down the corridor.
Set into the wall is an opening for an assembly line. A void fox slides in from the left and stops in the center. From below, a metal base slides into place around the creature. More pieces drop down from above, until finally a capstone is placed to seal the container. With a radiating glow, the box is sealed, and before me stands a freshly created obelisk.
I stare in fascination as the next fox comes from up the conveyor belt. The gears turn in my head. Inside every obelisk is a creature of pure energy. These foxlike monstrosities are being harnessed for power. ... The mana bits. They come from my fallen foes. So when I pray at one and send it into the ground it... juices the contents.
Discovery: Obelisks contain void foxes which are destroyed and turned into energy fluid when activated.
If this had been the start of my journey, I'd probably be horrified by this revelation. Instead, I feel a sense of deep satisfaction. One of the great mysteries that had been churning between my fluffy ears has finally been laid to rest. Another fox comes down the conveyor belt.
As I look up at it, panic suddenly fills its eyes. The others had been docile to this point, but this one suddenly screams out, an eerie tenor permeating my very fibers. As the obelisk top is clamped into place, its scream is cut short. I realize that I've stopped breathing, and I respond with a sharp inhale. Suddenly having my fill of watching, I quickly turn towards the exit. Behind me, another piercing scream echoes out.
My path at last takes me outside. Who knows how far down I've traveled. My vision is temporarily blinded by the new scenery. When they adjust, I try to process the strange sight. On the other side of a mechanical altar is a rolling sea of pure energy. It's free of toxic emanations, and thus unlike the spilled pools in the Quarry or the Ruined Atoll. Whatever it is, it's truly pure.
After a short rest, I begin to look around. I see obelisks behind me, sliding along the conveyor belt, off to some unknown destination. By a chest of Boom Bombs lay a pair of deceased scavengers. On their bodies I see claw marks, but no beast in sight. Instead, I see the bays of several Autobolts on a small island. I lash myself to them, but strangely they do not stir. Even further, another pair alongside a chest.
Upon lashing to this second island, the whole grouping rises from the ground and opens fire. Their blasts barely tickle me. I claim the potion bottle from the chest, shocked to find another whole one after so long. For the longest time, it's only been broken fragments. That makes seven.
New Item: Potion #4Leaving via a side path, I double back and spot a chest at the end of a broken bridge. Inside the chest is a single bit. I frown, and hear a clatter coming from behind me. It was a trap!
Out from the roiling sea come a pair of ... something! It's like a crab, or a spider, but also very alike the void foxes. However, these are inverted, and they definitely aren't foxlike. I take several blows and they seem to strike at my very soul. The brightness of their appendages blinds my vision and I strike out wildly in retaliation. With each attempted strike, they scuttle away, only to return moments later with vicious lunges.
I back away and manage to hack one enough that it falls apart. Imagine my surprise when the remnants coagulate into two smaller copies of the creature I just felled! With another pair of swipes, I manage to cleave one of these smaller ones, only to have it split in two as well. At this point I'm beginning to become surrounded! I flee, hoping that some are faster than others.
As I run back towards the entrance, yet another large brightling crawls from within this artificial sea. I run as quickly as my little legs will go, and as I run, I think. What can I do against such great numbers? I stumble onto the long bridge before the altar and dig through my giant bag of junk. All the while, the brightlings crawl closer. The bridge keeps them from swarming all at once, but there's be upon me any moment.
The Gun! Pulling it out and taking aim, I channel my spirit into the powerful apparatus. Its wide blast does an excellent job in shattering the ephemeral glue of my glowing pursuers. With only one potion used, I claim a sound victory. They even condensed into a large collection of mana bits. The Gun is absolutely the best tool for defending against them, despite its hefty drain on my soul.
Still, I recover at the altar, missing the visual connection with my goddess and only being able to call on a weak spiritual one. I feel so far from her. Having rested, the Autobolts have returned, and while fighting them another brightling crawls towards me from across the area. With a clumsy effort, I break it apart along with the turrets.
A bay of heavy machinery is ahead, its task likely to do with processing this giant vat of energy. Maybe this is what births the void foxes? I realize that for every mystery I solve, several more take its place. Soon I'll be attempting to solve the very meaning of life, at this rate. Two brightlings crawl up and I take out my frustrations on them, reeling from the knockback of my shotgun.
A potion restores my life, but I do notice that these guys leave me perpetually weakened. An obelisk passes me by, but my attention is quickly drawn away by a swarm of three brightlings. With a well-placed roll, I group them up and clear them away with a series of successive blasts. My sword finishes off any stragglers, and while I was close to death myself, I haven't felt worried once down here. Another potion restores me.
With some supplies claimed from the corners of the area, I say goodbye to the pumping equipment and reach another altar. Feeling renewed, I expend some of my pent-up energy by slashing wildly at the air. Taking a deep breath, I cross the double bridge in front of me.
Before me is a pair of box-bots and a half-sunken obelisk. Three conduits protrude from the center, leading out into the pseudo-sea. Thinking myself clever, I quietly sneak up to the obelisk and begin to pray. Both machines spring to life, and my way back folds itself away. Combat it is!
I begin with the robot on the right, recklessly slashing away before being forced to retreat and dodge three consecutive waves of electricity. Two potions later, I carve away its outer shell and quickly turn to the other mobile bot. It slams to the ground in an attempt to smash me, and with a catastrophic miss, I hack it to bits from behind. While I'm doing this, a brightling crawls from the fluid and joins the fray.
By this time, the first mini war machine has figured out that it needs to help, and begins to take piercing slashes at me. In the process, it also strikes the brightling, leaving only a pair of tiny annoyances. With undue confidence, I neglect to drink a potion and both at once manage to land hard strikes with their energy swords. I fall against the side of the obelisk, my mind already plotting new strategies to face this pair of great foes.
When I recover, I find the dual bridges have returned allowing me passage across. I head straight for the right robot, not even waiting for it to stir from its slumber. Ignoring its electricity, I continue to barrage it with blows until its outer casing breaks off. This time, instead of splitting my attacks between the pair, I continue to focus on my initial target.
I land several early blows as it takes its new form. When it fully awakens, it attempts to back away from me and I rail it with my Gun. It leans back to lunge at me and I strike it a second time. With enough damage dealt, it falls to pieces. Behind me, not one but two brightlings are crawling up to say hello.
Claiming the mana from my fallen nemesis, I focus on keeping the trio of remaining enemies at bay. The mobile box has only half a brain, and the crawling critters seem terrified. I weaken one of them, and then recover my echo-of-self sending a ripple of weak damage through the pair, but interrupting their attacks. My next swipe breaks one apart, and the robot decides to pitch in and crumbles them both into micro-brightlings.
With a numerous force ahead of me, I unleash a perfectly positioned Gun blast which hits every foe at once. As I back away, the new group of four micro-brightlings wanders into a turbo-spin from the box-bot! I am literally laughing in joy with my luck right now. All of this and I've yet to need a single potion.
I shatter the big guy's exterior frame and place myself up close and personal with the dual-wielding menace. Anticipating its sword strike, I hold up my shield and deflect the blow. I connect with several more of my own and block another strike. He clips me with the edge of a third, but he falls shortly after. A crushing defeat for the pair. Walking to the edge, I kick a piece of outer shield plating into the water and laugh loudly in victory.
Praying at the obelisk, I am again reminded of what's contained within. Underneath the mechanical noises of its activation, I recognize what must be a scream from the creature within. For each obelisk activated, a primordial life is snuffed out. I collect the mana bits from atop the obelisk and look around at the bridges that have risen from the sloshing pool of pure energy.
Along one, I come to a chest that had eluded me. A large pack of Boom Bombs is added to my already sizable pile. Along the other path, I reach the edge of the giant vat, and I begin to wonder just how deep those waters are. Up above, I spot the obelisk conveyor. It pulls along the newly minted obelisks and they are loaded into an elevator. Down they go, disappearing beneath me.
My own path follows, and I come to a long ladder. Along the wall, a drainage site for the strange liquid. It gurgles out, thick and viscous, disappearing somewhere out of sight. Where it comes from in the first place, I will likely never know. Along the bridge, I also see the obelisks, each dropping into the great abyss. At the edge, I find some large-scale machinery. It reminds me of the earlier pumps, but much bigger.
I come into the open, away from the giant processing plant, and my eyes again take a little while to focus. What I'm seeing can't possibly be what I'm actually seeing, can it? Stretching out along the floor beneath me are hundreds, no, thousands of obelisks, all lined up in a perfect grid. In the ruins, I only came across a couple dozen or so, and I searched all over for secrets and treasure. My imagination can't even process what could possibly need so much power. It's almost as though they power the world itself.
The bridge stretches on for what seems like forever, until I finally come to a small junction. Two scavengers lay dead on the path, but I can't ascertain any likely cause of their deaths. I check the altar, but it lies dormant. Dead. It lacks any life force, any connection to the goddess at all. Just before I move on, I spot a twinkle coming from behind it. An obelisk.
With a quick prayer, I set it into place. Am I setting them free from their torment or simply turning on a light switch? I suppose it all depends on who enshrines them and why. Aside from activating the checkpoint, a doorway behind has opened up. Inside, I find the strange room in which a telepad was locked away. Another mystery solved.
While I hardly needed it for a change, I take a moment to rest and commune at the new altar.
Current Goals
★ Recover the blue key, sealed at the root of the world.
★ Take the three keys to the sealed temple altars.
★ Break the seal that imprisons the goddess and/or obtain the great treasure.
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Author's Notes: This was such an incredible moment for me when I played through TUNIC the first time. The tone of the game shifts so much as we gain that revelation of what's inside the obelisks. If our little Ruin Seeker hadn't become so mentally unstable with all the times he's died, he'd probably be completely horrified by what he's seeing.
Instead, his detached reaction is going to be the essence at the core of what's to come. Please enjoy watching our little fox's descent into madness. Remember, this is just one interpretation of the events of the game. Beyond just being a walkthrough of TUNIC, I want to tell a good story. Please continue to enjoy, and if you have made it this far without actually playing TUNIC, well, that's unlikely! But if such a person exists, I really want to hear your thoughts on what has taken place so far!
The next part is the last one for Act 2. For those that know: I hope you're ready for it.
Thumbnail created using the press kit's wallpaper and logo. The custom text contains a secret.
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Category Story / Tutorials
Species Red Fox
Size 1280 x 640px
File Size 278.7 kB
Listed in Folders
In my eyes, it's so much more than just a Zelda game. I love how it channels the experience of the original Zelda but also brings in so much more from modern gaming. Deeper combat, for one, but also the Act 4 content where exploration opens into something elegant and surprising.
How have you been enjoying this narrative take on the game? Did your experience deviate from this path in minor ways or major ones?
How have you been enjoying this narrative take on the game? Did your experience deviate from this path in minor ways or major ones?
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