4 Surprising Secrets in Tunic

[@RodsKaden]

What are your favorite secrets in Tunic? What are your favorite moments? Ones that really surprised you or made you have a stupid big smile on your face for hours. For me it was the Golden Cross! That was so good!

[@bwackbeedows3629]

I loved the part where I unlocked a massive door and got a page! Wow! ☺️

[@trashman966]

You can parry by pressing the shield button in quick succession. It has a pretty long delay, so you really have to time it. But, if you successfully parry a melee attack, the enemy that got parried gets stunned, *and can be one hit killed.* You can also deflect projectiles, with it being easier when the projectile is faster (looking at you, scav snipers)

[@botterminator]

Just an FYI, the devworld was not what the game looked like prior to release. This is a whitebox testing world during their pre-production phase. This was many many years prior to release, in the game's infancy. There would have been quite a few different versions, but they chose one of their latest whitebox testing map versions to be baked into the final product. They did this for two reasons: 1. To show how the game could have been an unfinished mess, like a lot of games these days are released and never completely finished. 2. To show the ideas and concepts they tried and tested and how far they have come developing the game world as it exists now. These are important to the lore regarding video games being "alive" and their creators leaving older versions of their world saved on some storage device until it is eventually lost forever in time. These worlds have no other option but to keep replaying over and over because it does not function to complete any other purpose.

[@AnvilCrawlersGaming]

@9:14 "I cannot reason" " I will not unsee" "This is Madness"

[@primeking6969]

I think that the 3rd one is : This is insane

[@mistajish]

Just wanted to point out, the Ruin Seeker's don't have owners. The guide was explaining that the ruin seeker who owned the lost echo gave up on looking for it. So it is the lost echo that has an owner (a ruin seeker) not the ruin seeker themselves

[@RodsKaden]

You are definitely right and I realized that right after I published the video and thought "wow that was a bad take" lol

[@TOGS355]

Man, just beat this game and i am blown away by the amount of lore.

[@RodsKaden]

Isn't it incredible! There is so much to learn and see! The fact that a small game like this was able to pack so much into it is awe inspiring to me! Do you have a favorite part of it?

[@LepidoliteMica]

Personally I'm inclined to believe the Power-Reason-Grace triumvirate is analogous to Zelda's Power-Wisdom-Courage Triforce, but adapted to Tunic's Golden Path lore.

[@tommarsdon5644]

I feel the need to point out that trunic is not a language, it's an alphabet. What's in the game is effectively encrypted English.

[@Drakotar124]

🤓

[@tommarsdon5644]

it's a language because English is a language. This discussion is about how it differs from english.it's not a unique language, not distinct from English in how it works, only the way it looks. If you can't comprehend what I mean from the context, then perhaps you shouldn't have commented, you hypocrite.

[@gdtargetvn2418]

it's not a language, but a colang.

[@anincompoop25]

It’s not a language, nor an alphabet, it is a cypher. It is not an alphabet because it doesn’t encode letters- it’s not 1:1 to English characters. Each trunic character encodes a phonetic, they’re phonemes.

[@tommarsdon5644]

@@anincompoop25 isn't a cypher the thing you use to "translate" the text? Like, it's not the "translated" text itself, right?

[@Mnemoniforma9.00]

Just got through this insane experience. I've not seen a game so actively antagonize your efforts to learn about it.

[@RodsKaden]

If you enjoyed that aspect of it, I highly recommend Fez :D

[@Mnemoniforma9.00]

@@RodsKaden In truth, I didn't. Also, I hear the developer of that game is a prick.

[@Yesnomu]

Those unused chalkboards are so interesting, thanks for sharing them! Lots of horror in imagining being a voidtouched trapped in a sarcophagus forever, eek.

[@RodsKaden]

YES! Especially since it seems like activating the sarcophagus might squish them D:

[@tristanweide]

@@RodsKaden You kill them I think to release their power. Game says that magic points are of the soul, which means only living creatures should give you them, but activating an obelisk gives you them as well...

[@martinkubat9193]

@@tristanweide that gives me chills, so creepy

[@worstcase86]

9:11 Third line of the game cartridge chalkboard looks to me like it might be "This is madness", but I admit I may be reaching.

[@RodsKaden]

I see that too, but I didn't want to assume, not yet at least 👀

[@psychomrw]

I explored everything! I will die here! This is madness!

[@FireallyXTheories]

I kind of have to laugh at the Echoes of the Past, because Tunic (at the time I played it) has more people finishing the Golden Path on Steam than the Rightful Place ending. I haven't seen a game with this high of a completion rate in... I think ever! Spoiler wall I remember when I played the game and was like: "Why didn't you try talking this out before I killed you, Librarian?! It would've saved BOTH our lives!"

[@RodsKaden]

I absolutely agree! If games would have more "Talk" options we would avoid a lot of trouble 😂

[@starplane1239]

A funny interaction could be meeting the librarian with the first page of the manual prompting him to, after a second, give you the gem. Or he could just get confused for a minute before snapping himself out of his thoughts and fighting regardless, only to lament his choice seen when you can later talk to him.

[@LinkJTO]

Funny thing is, in my first play through I walked up to the Librarian thinking we would talk, because the arena was so small, then I started to freak out because he started to attack

[@HappyWulf]

I was like, hey I recognize that thumbnail! Yeah, the Librarian definitely knew they were in a game cartridge. But I don't know how he came to that conclusion, just that he somehow did. I currently interpret the void crystals as bad sectors, corrupt data, or general wear and tear on the game cartridge. If we can assume the game is an old nes cartridge, and the universe has been 'active' this whole time, without a player, then it could have given the Librarian time to become self aware and start acting independently within the 'universe'. Have you ever read Kid Radd? It's and old web comic about an nes character who's player disappears after he's done with the game. One day the rom gets dumped online and he gets liberated from the rom by another game character that goes around liberating roms. There are lots of Matrix references. But check it out, it's charming. But the Librarian strikes me and something familiar like that.

[@RodsKaden]

Oooo I really like that Wulf! I will definitely be keeping this theory in mind! I have not read Kid Radd before! Sounds interesting for sure!

[@j2dacee]

knowing that it has a manual in world, is a possibility that Tunic is a videogame after all (i mean inside the lore) The golden path can be the circuits insde the cardtridge also. Mindblowing

[@Linkzcap]

Could the how how how how thing really just be representing blowing air into the cartridge?

[@meahsii1234]

9:08 Last line seems to be "This is magic" not maze, to me. First line could be like "tethers universe" maybe?

[@KonoTyran]

Fun fact, at 7:30 the first chalkboard here was actually different at launch, and was changed in a patch

[@RodsKaden]

Yes! I thought of mentioning it but I ended up forgetting to add it!

[@SheepFreak2]

6:05 power, courage and wisdom. From zeldas triforce?

[@prezombie7074]

I think the text on the devworld mural "Reason Power Grace" is a further reference to the three aspects of the Triforce, Wisdom Power and courage.

[@Applemangh]

My assumption wouldn't be that the ruin seekers have "owners" but that the ruin seekers who gave up were the original "owners" of the echo ghost things.

[@uhhmir]

amazing video! i searched for months for videos covering the deeper tunic lore

[@Sonicgott]

It’s been over two years since this game’s release and the lore seems to go deeper and deeper… still loving this game. I also recommend the Tunic Randomizer mod for those of you who wish a replayable experience as well as a more difficult one.

[@eclipsicalbluestocking1182]

This game is such a gem

[@elsiebartlett6808]

Interestingly, the “void touched” 8:33 look like they are in a similar pose to the “hold a 3 secs” pose of the character Since the void touched also seem to be a form of life prior to the ruin seekers, I theorize that they are parts of the game world that have resorted to praying for its destruction. The player character/ruin seeker uses the obelisks throughout their quest by praying to them in the same pose in order to find every page of the manual, traverse the golden path, and find the “ruin” of the endlessly cycling game-world that they are seeking. Great video!

[@JessZakilly]

I’m late to the video here but you always blow me away with your videos!! Re: manual saying “finite number of souls in the world” implies that the ruin seekers’ souls are really just one, or of the same finite supply. ORRR since we know the devs wanted this to feel like “a world you don’t belong to”, the ruin seekers’ souls are not of this plane/world. 🤔🤔

[@elsiebartlett6808]

“Finite number of souls” I thought just might be a reference to data itself, that there is a certain amount of storage space on the cartridge world and so everything is cycled and recycled?

[@easyrespect4622]

Tank Fuse Contents looks to me like *Tunic* Fuse Contents? Beautiful video to match a beautiful game. Subscribed :)

[@RodsKaden]

We have been going back and forth on this exact thing for a long time, but for this I felt that the evidence pointed more towards Tank. However, I am always open to more options!

[@easyrespect4622]

@@RodsKaden Your statement makes no sense

[@katking9574]

the three are also analogs for the triforce. Power, Knowledge, and Courage.

[@KrakatonMain]

7:44 trying to make out what's written in the bottom right, it appears to be standard Latin letters. All instances of these seems to use a phonetic "shorthand" that seems to be based around the same phonemes Trunic is based on. I'll put what I can figure out below: "Powr soRCE (source?) is ---w...k---(weak?) U...D MOVE or[-] (W/M)AZ... [.] COUNT 1[.] 0 ["] [?]" A key for formatting will be below. You can use this same formatting for responding with your own interpretations: ... indicates illegible glyphs --- indicates glyphs that are struck-through (indicates uncertain/speculation) [indicates clear punctuation from the actual text, to avoid confusion with formatting] ABC indicates glyphs that are almost certain, but part of an incomplete word *Quotation marks can be used like this to indicate minutes and seconds. Normally this is for coordinates, where each degree is divided into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. Sometimes, the same quotation marks are used to denote actual time. ' is minutes, and " is seconds.

[@KrakatonMain]

Additionally, at 8:24 the Trunic reads "power?" Not that it really matters, but I wanted to add that because it took a little bit for me to interpret it correctly. I'm only just now getting the hang of reading it.

[@Arithekiller]

I feel the same way after finishing this game as I did after BOTW 😭 can't forget about it so I just research everything about the lore, secrets and all

[@RodsKaden]

SAME! They're just games I want more of all the time! But there is a lot to discover thankfully!

[@TheUsername55555100]

That’s strange considering how shallow BotW was

[@detourdunndee7753]

When I first saw the NES cartridge on the chalkboard I had a good laugh because the "bbbbbbbbb" to me represented how we used to blow in them to get them to work. Learning now that the Trunic for it is also "how" is just another example of the devs' masterful layering.

[@Torrle]

Fascinating video! Just beat this game recently, and the symbols near the mouth of the cartridge, while I know say "how", struck me as being a combination of the B+L+Ow symbols instead, because of the old trope of blowing the dust out of a NES cart.

[@TheMadFoxes]

4:02 the lack of a comma is ambiguous, so the phrase could also mean “An echo-of-self who’s owner gave up” just as “an apple core from the table who’s owner gave up eating” could mean either that the apple core, is from a table who’s owner has given up eating, or that the apple core is from the table and the owner didn’t finish eating it

[@ChuckSploder]

I think that how the void-touched work is that they were normal fox things that sacrificed themselves to be used as power sources by touching "the void". Then, by praying, they generate the miasma stuff that can be used as fuel. They also respond to prayer, as shown by when they give attention to the player for doing so, and this wakes them up to continue praying.

[@kalythgaming]

Reason, Power and Grace were clearly references to Courage, Strength and Wisdom - the TriForce. Given how strongly Tunic homages Zelda…

[@K1ntakat]

I’ve just started trying to try & figure out how to translate tunic myself, so this video maybe hasn’t come at the best time, but once I’ve figured out the language & translated the book for myself I’ll come back

[@ryanzumsen5294]

The Legend Of Zelda was the first game cartridge that had a built in save feature, using battery-powered RAM. I could imagine the Librarian being perplexed by how that functioned. It seemed pretty magical to me as a 5-year-old.

[@AlohaGamester]

Great video. This game is such a treasure.

[@RakanTaijo]

I think the last chalkboard with the cartridge says: - I cannot under(stand) - I WILL not ____ - This is Madne(ss) The letters in brackets have been possibly cut-off due to an error in image upload or resizing.

[@kinko143]

I don't know if I'm into something or what. If you use the guide and then press R3 on Playstation, it'll show a CRT-like representation of the current screen that you are in. I was thinking that this 8:38 is a nod to the old-school Atari, FamiCom, etc. gamers that use the guide this included/found on magazines way back. Just a fun easter egg.

[@ahmedalissa7620]

‏‪perhaps he is saying "i will escape ‏‪‏this maze" ‏‪ ‏‪8:58‬‏

[@Stwa_Bewy]

Love your tunic videos!!!

[@zacharymoerder1795]

my buddy played the game about halfway thru... til he complained to me about having to hold in LT to target... told him you can just press r3 lmfao it blew his mind 🤣

[@natural4lifemiss]

This game is actually awesome!

[@Adamzki55555]

does the prayer sounds translate to words?

[@dirrecgaming]

I want to interview this guy!!!! Your work for this game needs to be heard. Let me know if we can make that happen because of you I am sparked to finish this game and gained respect for it

[@inarizushi_cosplay]

Great video Rods! Keep it up! Also #birdpip

[@RodsKaden]

Thank you Inari! Glad you liked it! #birdpip indeed, hopefully you enjoyed the lil birdpip easter egg I put in there!

[@rocovailo2862]

Has anyone made theories about the strange and forboding flickering pixels that exist in the dev world? Mostly near the mural, but I saw a set somewhere to the west behind some raised and ruined bridge. They definitely seem intentional... I get a feeling of being watched. Especially when I look away and a single pixel will just stop flickering and stay constant.... Like it is watching when I'm not looking.

[@RodsKaden]

Yes people have! Some have mentioned it in the lore discord! From my experience it seems to be attached to camera movement so when it fully stops the flickering stops as well. To me it is just a graphical glitch but I am always open to thoughts and speculation. 🤔

[@codarobo]

It occurs to me that the blackboards really read to me like dev notes from the creation of the game itself, as in, in real life. That would explain the english!

[@D3athW1ng]

RGP probably refers to or is linked to health (will) stamina and magic

[@macaak]

I'll save this video for after I have beaten the game. I don't want to spoil the experience

[@spoogerification]

this is madness

[@funnytourtoise]

I'm pretty sure that 'how how how how how' represents blowing on the old game cartridge to clean dust from the contacts. (Just try it yourself, you can't say "how" without blowing air)

[@athenawheatley1032]

9:15 I'm pretty sure the bottom english line says "this is moronic"

[@himediana05]

Do you have the translated manual available to the public? I'd love to see it

[@Hugo_Tate]

2:16 also the colors of the 3 keys

[@sideofchips]

For the game cartridge chalk board I read the English as “I cannot believe, I will not believe, this is madness”

[@tzisorey]

Point 3 on the chalkboard with the game cartridge, to me, looks like it says "this is madnes [sic]"

[@thatoneguy1821]

Chalkboard second line is: “I will use magic”

[@jasonjrobinson]

ya'll are geniuses, the people that made this game are SUPER geniuses... and... I'm just gonna add my 2 cents... not Tank, but Tunic Fuse Contents?? 'cause no matter how hard I look at that, I can't unsee the word Tunic... because it's the name of the game. also, I just heard the audio designer speak to the game not having harsh K sounds even in the sound effects. and now knowing that Tuneic is a thing. and that the secrets from the audio are in unison with the game secrets... that "K", or the harshness of the word TANK seems very out of place from the emphasis of the game being "rounded" in the final version. from the geometric visual design, to the audio... the written language is strictly angular, but... eh...

[@derekw8039]

Wow, if I had a nickel for every indie game I've played where the characters are self-aware they're in a game, I'd have three nickels, Which isn't a lot but it's strange that it happened more than twice.

[@OnyxTheGamingMachine]

#AwesomeRodsKadenVideo

[@RodsKaden]

Thank you Onyx! Glad you thought it was awesome! I always appreciate your thoughts!

[@Thoushaltplaymore]

Slorm is a play on the word / animal - WORM! So its not a slorem 😂

[@battistimo]

Everything is hidden in this game & nothing is explained.

[@rockzyk1291]

Classic "what do YOU think happened?" storytelling...

[@HopperDragon]

I feel like the general story is pretty easy to understand through context and visuals.

[@johnny1013johnny]

Tank? I read Tunic in that

[@cmck1777]

I always like these videos until they get too lore-tesseractish. Too void-touched. I feel like Tunic is a game about the joy of sharing knowledge and the perils of becoming entombed within a world… it’s a powerful game when read in the context of how knowledge about games used to and is now shared… but reading it for a ‘true meaning’ is either an intentionally or unintentionally fruitless endeavour… do people want there to be something more to a story that the knowledge that someone once told a story? I love Tunic for bringing these questions up again.

[@joelmurray2290]

Why not translate it for the player when u plau it

[@Hazakura-in]

For the love of god, drink a glass of water before recording, so many mouth noises

[@eburt7121]

Kinda rude

[@masturchief]

@7:30 that coffee ☕️ thing is in the corner of the room and it follows you around. It’s a robot