Home » Articles » Previews » Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter – First Impressions
Earlier this month I was invited to a preview event to watch some exclusive footage of Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter. I got to see the opening moments of the game that included three boss fights. I was given a lot of new details regarding new gameplay mechanics, monster hunting, and lore details.
Daniel Levitt
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter
Back in March, Odd Bug Studio revealed Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter, a sequel to their rodent action RPG opus. The trailer highlighted a new protagonist, a new region to explore, and a terrifying new enemy. After praying to the rat gods, I was invited to a preview event. I was shown the opening moments, featuring a few boss fights and cinematic moments. Even though it was a short amount of time, I managed to get a good amount of details on what the sequel had in store for us.
The original Tails of Iron was released to critical acclaim back in 2021. You played as a young rat king forced to take arms against the frog menace after a surprise attack on his kingdom. The game had brutal combat similar to a Soulsborne title but in an art style reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon. The sequel promises to provide even greater bloodshed within their Game of Thrones-esque medical rat kingdom. I’m excited to share what I saw in the preview, so sit back for a spell and I’ll tell you about it.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter will be arriving later in 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Table of Contents show
Story – A New Violent Tail Begins
The main narrative of Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is set after the bloody conclusion of the original. This time you take the role of Arlo, son of the Warden of the North. They were teased in the original game during the post-game content for the original game. It’s great that we’re not just being put in a completely different world and that the sequel aims to expand the lore. Similar to the original game, a fearsome enemy attacks the kingdom, causing Arlo to embark on a ruthless quest for revenge. This time, instead of frogs, we get the Dark Wings, the new vampiric bat enemies from the frozen wasteland.
What I Got To See in the Preview
The preview went through the entire intro, starting with you waking up in bed for a hunting trip. You explore Winter’s Edge to join your father in hunting a beast that sneakily introduces future side activities. After the trip, you return to Winter’s Edge to slumber but awaken to the Darkwing onslaught. The rest of the preview had you take on the Dark Wing Bats and their leader Baron Kazak. Tragedy ensues reminiscent of the first game and Arlo awakens in the rubble of his home. He ventures forth to avenge his fallen family and friends and encounters another Dark Wing boss. After defeating the boss the preview ended.
The intro may have similarities to how the original game began but it’s different enough to not feel like rehashed content. It sets up the game perfectly, providing the tutorial of both old and new mechanics. The introduction of the new threat feels a lot larger compared to the frog race of the last game. I felt like I could prevail in the original while in the sequel it felt like an impossible task was ahead of me. Another positive is that Doug Cockle (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt) returns to narrate the adventure. He was a high point of the original, I felt like I was listening to a tale from Geralt around a campfire. I’m looking forward to him telling me the tale of Arlo and his quest against the Dark Wings.
Fight the ferocious Dark Wings and their leader Baron Kazak
Gameplay – Expanded Combat, New Mechanics and Quality of Life Improvements
Tails of Iron 2 manages to keep everything we learnt from the original alongside adding new features and improvements to the old. Old Bug Studio has taken feedback from its community and has expanded practically everything. It builds upon the hardcore combat with enhancements to the weapons available in the sequel. There are now elemental effects (fire, ice, electricity, and poison) to imbue in weapons and armour that’ll give you an advantage in combat. A day and night system was added which determines what foes Arlo will face during the time of day.
A new gameplay mechanic added with weapons is the sharpness meter. Each weapon has one and it’ll go down unless you use your whetstone which works similarly to the health flask. It’s split into three sections, Green for full damage, Yellow for half damage, and Red for no damage. You’ll need to actively sharpen your weapons during combat to deal the desired damage. If it falls into the Red your weapons will bounce off, making you vulnerable for a brief moment. I do have concerns if you’ll be doing this a lot during the earlier parts of the game. However, I have full faith that it won’t disturb the flow of combat too much, especially in boss fights.
Equip the right gear to tackle enemies, and watch out for elemental damage.
Some Quality of life improvements have made their way to how you traverse through levels. You now have the ability to sprint alongside the new grappling hook tool. One improvement that I’m very happy about is the improvement in how you select gear. Originally your inventory was kept in chests that are scattered around the map. Thankfully, in the sequel you have full access to all weapons and armour on the go. Base building has been improved, allowing players to construct buildings wherever in Winter’s Edge. You can build a blacksmith to craft powerful items, a kitchen to create tasty meals to upgrade your health, shops with a wide range of items to purchase, and more.
The inclusion of hunting side quests was discussed, having them spice up how previous side activities were in the original. You’ll hunt these beasts and fight them in the traditional boss fight. However, if they lose enough health the beast may run away to heal. You’ll then have to track them down on the map which also has been updated. Previously you could only view the current region you were in but now you can access other maps. There’s also the addition of chopping off parts of bosses that stop them from using certain attacks. Once you do finish off the beast, you gain rare materials to craft weapons and armour.
Audio & Visuals – A Cold Nightmare
The graphical design of Tails of Iron 2 works off the art style that the original introduced while enhancing it with greater visuals. I only got to see three areas contained in the first region, these being Winter’s Edge, the Outskirts and Highland View. The environment portrays a cold wintery landscape that teases the Dark Wing invasion. In the original Tails of Iron, the environment felt very summery with numerous forests and swamp environments. The sequel is definitely on the winter side with mountain areas and snow-covered landscapes. During the preview, I was told that there would be seven regions in total and that we’d be meeting new races like Owls and Fish. This could lead to some interesting areas to explore similar to the underground mole nation from the original game.
Audio-wise, just like the first game, there’s no spoken dialogue shared between characters. They use images in speech bubbles to show what they want. You mostly just hear the narrator (Doug Cockle) describe scenes in a storytelling fashion. In the preview, the soundtrack seemed similar to the original game until the Dark Wings showed up. During one of the boss fights, a metal soundtrack played that turned the fight’s intensity up to eleven.
- Explore Winter’s Edge and rebuild it throughout the game
- Craft your gear at the blacksmith, this time with the choice on what you create
- Discover new tribes along your adventures, will they be friend or foe?
- Hunt down monsters and claim their rare materials for weapons and armour
Thanks again to the kind folks at Old Bug Studio for inviting me to the preview event.
