Unlike the first game, it was left hanging in the air whether I would give Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter the full review. As you can see that side of the argument won. It was pretty tense, though. Some additions the sequel made didn’t exactly land that well for me.

Moving north from the familiar lands surrounding the Crimson Keep featured in the original, we step into the boots of Arlo. Bastard son and now Warden of the Wastes who will have to do his duty as dreaded Dark Wings return to put the entire region to the torch with far greater brutality than southern Frogs could ever dream. It falls on Arlo’s shoulders to unite the disparate races in order to resist the menacing tide. You might even find some unlikely yet familiar allies...

At its core, Tails of Iron 2 is a very familiar affair with some inclusions I’ll get into later. Provided you’ve played the last game there isn’t much to add here, but just in case you didn’t you can jump into this one perfectly fine as there’s no narrative continuity. You’ll miss out on some background and character info, but that’s to be expected.

You’re looking at a very Metroidvania-lite with greater emphasis on combat. I’d argue this one puts GREATER focus on the art of mettle, thanks to its expanded gear system, while the traversal is kinda pushed to the backside. You only need to unlock the heavy 2H weapon slot for the few breakable walls. In fact, I rescind the Metroidvania comparison – game is a 2D action adventure. Structurally you venture across half dozen distinct zones made up of separate screens. Fast travel via signposts does eventually become the norm here as you will have to re-visit areas for missions.

Souls-like combat and accompanying systems are also present even as equipment weight becomes the great equalizer determining how you approach encounters. Unlike the original I actually went along with dipping into medium from light loadout despite taking a mobility hit as it was worth the damage resistance gains. Old trusty “piss flask” is still with you letting you convert its contents into health as are kegs to refill it from.

Now for all the new stuff sequel decided to bring aboard and there’s a surprising amount of it, but nothing that outright amazed me as the great game changer.

Probably the biggest ones you’ll tangibly feel in moment-to-moment gameplay are the addition of i-frames and bonafide elemental system that applies to both your weapons and armor. Speaking of which, there’s a third armor slot – shoulders. You’d think this would be a phenomenal gain if added to what we had before, but Tales of Iron 2 honestly takes it too far by having too much gear without any real means of sorting through all of it or even knowing whether you have that particular helmet when buying from the shop, for example. Add to that 3-tier upgrades for EVERY piece of gear and you see how quickly this entire system turns into a mess. If I’m being generous it’s a hefty sidegrade where 80% of the gear will be left unused and waste of gorgeous art assets. Which is a damn shame.

Also, there’s a day and night cycle now with its own enemy variety. Sadly, there’s also one horrendous decision I cannot fathom why they made: fighting bosses in phases where they run away at 30% health reduction phases. This is never fun, it just takes couple of fights for the novelty to wear off and for the player to realize “oh no, this is actually the norm”. At least it’s relegated to optional hunts even if it does the wind out of roaming bosses because you have to commit to hunt them down to the end. That is, if you want the crafting materials of which there are aplenty depending on enemy categories. Provided you REALLY cannot stand the crafting system I think you could get by with buying some equipment even though you won’t be taking advantage of the elemental resistance/damage system.

Before I move on from the subject of gameplay it is worth noting I found Tails of Iron 2 to be more challenging at the basic level although not necessarily for the reasons you may think. Naturally, stay on top of your gear progression as game will make you think you can get away with basic stuff until you start head butting. Where the actual “challenge” and annoyance came from was having more annoying enemy types. WereOwls as a whole can go die in a fire and Dark Wings also had a very dodgy types, especially when they came in groups. Some hit box nonsense notwithstanding I didn’t have problem with bosses proper.

Narratively this is a darker story as Arlo is less of an inexperienced youth the was Redgi was. You’re quickly put in the role of a Warden and determined to do your thing. Yes, you upgrade the castle and get your own services going. I wish the free expansion developers generously developed for the game, Blood & Brine, played a significant role when integrated into the main game itself. You do get some more boss fight, brand new zone and a fishing mini-game. To cap off the storytelling department I must say I didn’t really like the cliffhanger ending, but I suppose it means the third game is happening at some point?

Lastly there’s the matter of production where the game very much delivers in that familiar fashion. 2D artwork looks great with even more creativity going into designs as artists got to play around. There’s a staggering amount of assets that went into Arlo’s equipment specifically and Winter’s Edge looks great fully upgraded. If I had a critique it would be a more subdued and atmospheric soundtrack where only boss tracks really get to shine. Maybe that’s precisely what works for someone else.

Final Thoughts and Rating?

Sequel to a beloved game that could, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter makes some bulky sidesteps that only somewhat work in its favor. Continuing in the same style of action adventure where a rat-turned-ruler has to save his realm from an invading horde, this time it’s Arlo from the North who must fend off Dark Wings. Souls-like combat in 2D format is nothing new, but game expands on the equipment system without including the means of sorting the newfound item galore. Introduction of retreating roaming bosses you must fight three times to beat is a puzzling decision that quickly grates on the nerves. You’ll make use of said equipment as there’s more trickier enemies to contend with. All things considered Tails of Iron 2 sadly falls just a notch under the original for me, though.