Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter builds upon its predecessor's foundation while expanding the scope and refining the mechanics
In the frigid northern reaches of Ratdom, a new story unfolds that feels both familiar and fresh. Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter puts you in the boots of Arlo, heir to the Warden in the North, whose peaceful life is shattered when the Dark Wings – a vicious army of bats – descend upon his kingdom, leaving destruction and death in their wake. After witnessing his father's murder and barely surviving himself, Arlo must rebuild his shattered realm while pursuing vengeance against those who took everything from him, which is very similar to the first Tails of Iron game.
The game's hand-drawn art style immediately captures your attention, bringing to life a medieval world where anthropomorphic creatures wage war and forge alliances. From the snow-covered peaks of Winter's Edge to the misty swamps and ornate owl cities, each location feels distinct and alive with detail. The environmental storytelling is particularly strong – destroyed villages, abandoned mines, and mysterious ruins all hint at histories and conflicts that extend beyond Arlo's immediate quest.
The atmospheric soundtrack perfectly complements each area and situation, from haunting melodies in abandoned towns to pulse-pounding combat themes. Doug Cockle's narration (famous for his role as Geralt in The Witcher series) returns, lending gravitas to the tale and helping bring the world's characters to life despite their limited dialogue.
The core combat system builds upon its predecessor's foundation while adding new layers of complexity. Every encounter demands attention and strategy – this isn't a game where button mashing will save you. Enemies telegraph their attacks with color-coded indicators, requiring you to choose the appropriate response: dodge, parry, or block. The timing windows feel precise but fair, and successfully reading and countering enemy patterns is deeply satisfying.
New to the sequel is an expanded arsenal of weapons and combat options. Beyond the basic swords and axes, you'll find spears for keeping distance, heavy hammers for breaking guards, and various ranged weapons. The addition of elemental effects adds another tactical layer – poisoned weapons can deal damage over time, while frost attacks can slow enemies. The whetstone system has been reworked into an optional damage buff rather than a mandatory maintenance mechanic, which helps maintain combat flow.
The game features a robust equipment system that goes beyond simple stat improvements. Different armor sets offer protection against specific enemy types or elements, encouraging you to switch loadouts based on the challenges they face. The weight system adds another consideration – heavier armor provides better protection but slows your movement and dodge rolls.
Rebuilding Winter's Edge serves as both a story element and progression system. As you complete quests and gather resources, you can upgrade various facilities in your kingdom. The smithy provides access to better weapons, the kitchen offers stat-boosting meals, and other improvements unlock new options for customizing your approach to combat and exploration.
Monster hunting contracts, which are new to the sequel, provide optional challenges and rewards, though these can sometimes feel repetitive in structure. Still, they offer good opportunities to test your combat skills and gather resources for upgrades.
The world design encourages exploration with hidden paths, secret areas, and optional challenges. The new grappling hook mechanics add vertical options to navigation, though the implementation can sometimes feel a bit clunky. Each area hides equipment, resources, and bits of lore that make thorough exploration worthwhile.
The level design cleverly loops back on itself, with shortcuts and connections that make backtracking less tedious. This is particularly important as you'll often need to return to previous areas with new abilities or equipment to access previously unreachable areas in a metroidvania style.
While the combat can be demanding, the game offers multiple difficulty options that allow players to tailor the experience to their preferences. The standard difficulty provides a tough but fair challenge that requires mastering the combat system. For those more interested in the story and exploration, the easier difficulty settings reduce enemy aggression and damage while maintaining the core gameplay mechanics.
Not everything in the sequel hits its mark perfectly. The grappling hook, while an interesting addition, sometimes feels unnecessary and can be finicky to use. Some of the monster hunting quests follow overly similar patterns, fight the boss, they escape, you follow them a couple of times and then you eventually kill them, and backtracking through previously cleared areas can occasionally feel like padding.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter builds upon its predecessor's foundation while expanding the scope and refining the mechanics. The gorgeous art style, challenging combat, and engaging world-building create an experience that stands out in the crowded Soulslike genre. While the story might follow familiar beats, the execution and attention to detail make it feel fresh and compelling.
The combination of tight combat mechanics, meaningful progression systems, and beautiful presentation creates an engaging experience that will appeal to both action RPG veterans and newcomers willing to face its challenges. Despite some minor issues with new mechanics and quest repetition, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter succeeds in delivering a compelling action RPG experience that proves great things can come in small, furry packages. I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a code provided by the publisher. Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is available on PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC.
