Opening Tails of Iron 2’s main menu and flittering through the pages of its prologue feels like returning to an old childhood fairytale. For a fledgling series as young as its rats, it’s oddly nostalgic, made all the more welcoming by the mellow tones of narrator Doug Cockle, who we’ll be spending plenty of time with as we unravel the new plight facing Ratdom.
In this pop-up picture book-style tale, we step into the muddy boots of Arlo, heir to the Warden in the North. Much like its predecessor, it’s a tough-as-tails 2D Soulslike unashamedly inspired by Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight. But this sequel takes the first game’s ideas even further with new items, more varied lands to explore, the introduction of monster hunts, and a direct means to upgrade your rodent kingdom.
For the returning ideas, it’s Tails of Iron, but better. Combat is slicker and more responsive, the music is serene and haunting, even reminding me of the Lionhead’s Fable at times, and the backdrops are simply gorgeous. The ornate, treetop city of the Owls is a picturesque spin on elven tropes, the Winterfell-style castle we call home is every bit as imposing and solitary, a fortress among dunes of ice, and when trudging through the mucky green swamps, we’re encased in a thick, yellow smog that’s strangely beautiful.
Tails of Iron continues to be one of the best Soulslikes, with some truly stunning artwork, but a lot of its new ideas unfortunately don’t measure up.
Monster Hunts Get Repetitive
One of the defining new features in Tails of Iron 2 is monster hunts. Arlo can channel his inner witcher — while being narrated by The Witcher — to help townsfolk far and wide with beasts ravaging their crops and stealing away their friends. It’s an interesting idea that gives more purpose to each location and lets us enjoy even more of that tight, fluid combat.
However, most boil down to the same formula: find the monster, damage it a bit, move to the next map marker, damage it a bit again, move to the final map marker, and kill it. More boss fights to test your rat mettle against is a welcome idea, Tails of Iron thrives in its intuitive Soulslike duels after all, but they grow repetitive in no time.
With the game adding traps, it’s strange that there’s not more to these hunts. There are new mechanics already in-game that could make them feel more organically interwoven into the world, but they're rarely used in any meaningful way, so these fights are instead treated like optional bosses who run away. It completely disrupts the flow that makes combat so thrilling in the first place.
The Grappling Hook Is A Disappointment
Another new layer to Tails of Iron 2’s world is its grappling hook, which allows you to zip across vast open spaces and reach higher ledges. Introduced at the very start of the game, it becomes a natural part of your exploration toolkit from the jump, but it’s clunky and unreliable. The snap into the grappling animation isn’t fluid whatsoever, and you have to wait for a grapple point to glimmer before it can even be deployed. These often don’t trigger for no apparent reason.
It doesn’t add much to the world. The open spots that we use it to cross would’ve had a platform to jump on in the original game, and reaching higher-up ledges would’ve likely been done with a ladder — in fact, these are still commonplace, and far less tedious to use. Despite its Hollow Knight inspirations, Tails of Iron 2 also doesn’t feel much like a Metroidvania, so the grappling hook rarely opens up new paths or interesting secrets, it’s just a more fiddly way to get around.
Then there’s the whetstone. Or rather, there isn’t. During battles, your weapon would dull and bounce off your enemy, pushing you to sharpen it. In my initial preview, I talked about how this broke up the pace of combat and hindered what made the original so special, a sentiment fans shared after playing the demo. In response, the whetstone was repurposed into an optional, reusable damage buff.
But its original purpose feels endemic to a lot of the sequel’s new ideas, which sound novel, but only disrupt the core foundations that worked so well in the first game. Removing the whetstone saved its combat, but its philosophy can still be felt in so many other respects.
Rebuilding Winter’s Edge Is Far More Gratifying
Seeing The Crimson Keep rise from the ashes after the frog’s siege in the original story was one of the most endearing parts of our adventure, as the previous protagonist Redgi’s actions were reflected in the world around him. That’s true of Tails of Iron 2 and Arlo, but it now goes a step further.
Early on, after the bats murder the Warden in cold blood and leave Arlo to pick up the pieces, we recruit a builder who helps us embolden the city’s resolve. We can restore the Smithy, Kitchen, and Shop, before taking them to even higher heights, unlocking new weapon tiers, health upgrades, and decorations, and perhaps most importantly - a place to call home.
While Winter’s Edge is restored with every quest, wiping away the dust to once again show its grand stature, the builder allows us to directly play a part. It’s a huge step up from one of the first game’s best ideas and makes returning home feel that much more impactful. It is a bit basic, with three tiers for each of the four buildings, leaving little room for customisation, but the utility in each unlock makes it feel far less shallow. There’s a drive and purpose to restoring Winter’s Edge that far supersedes The Crimson Keep.
What works in Tails of Iron 2 works better than its predecessor. Some of the most inspired Soulslike combat has been taken even further, and the fairytale story surpasses that of Redgi’s. The beautiful setpieces stretching across Ratdom make every single moment feel varied and unique, and the new characters are as endearing as the old. But the additions weaken the formula.
Many of the new ideas feel out of place, underused, and poorly implemented. More often than not, they simply get in the way rather than adding anything of value. It’s a great experience and a worthy follow-up to one of 2021’s standout indies, so it’s unfortunate to see some of its new ambitions fall flat.
9 Images 9 Images CloseYour Rating
close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10Your comment has not been saved
Like Follow FollowedTails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter
RPG Action Systems 4.0/5 Released January 28, 2025 ESRB T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Violence Developer(s) Odd Bug Studio Publisher(s) United Label, CI Games Number of Players 1 Steam Deck Compatibility Unknown PC Release Date January 28, 2025WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITAL- Gorgeous artwork and incredibly varied locales.
- Arlo?s story is even more heartfelt than Redgi?s.
- One of the best Soulslike combat systems has been made even slicker.
- Rebuilding Winter?s Edge beautifully reflects our journey.
- The grappling hook is clunky, underused, and often feels out of place.
- Monster hunts get repetitive fast.
