Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter

Tails of Iron II

Release Date: January 28, 2025

Action, fantasy, platformers, RPG elements, 2D, indie games, side-scroll, action adventure, soulslike, singleplayer

7.8

OpenCritic

86%

Steam

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A sequel of a well-received title, combining elements of action adventure, RPGs and soulslikes. Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter has us play as Arlo who is the Warden of the Wastes. We explore cold northern regions, trying to deal with a new threat of the Dark Wings.

Videos and Screens

[1:17] Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter - Launch Trailer

[6:00] Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter - Gameplay Overview Trailer

7.8

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 71% of Critics. There are 21 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

God is a Geek: 9 / 10 by Chris White

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter builds on the original and makes it better in every way, with excellent combat and a strong story.

Full Review

COGconnected: 83 / 100 by Mark Steighner

In a deluge of Soulslikes and 2D Metroidvanias, 2021’s Tails of Iron stood out, thanks to its beautiful art, excellent combat, and engaging premise. All of that’s true for Whiskers of Winter. The sequel is just as visually distinctive and narratively interesting. The game’s combat can be extremely challenging, but this time there are options for dialing back the difficulty, which makes the game slightly more accessible to less hardcore ARPG fans. Tails of Iron 2: Whispers of Winter doesn’t radically reinvent the first game’s art or approach but definitely improves and deepens it. Anyone feeling fatigued with copycat pixel art Soulslikes should give Whiskers of Winter a try.

Full Review

Seasoned Gaming: 8.5 / 10 by Ainsley Bowden

Odd Bug Studio has crafted another superb adventure with Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter. It’s nearly everything you’d want out of a sequel. It builds upon a solid foundation while expanding key aspects of the world, story, and combat in meaningful ways.

Full Review

86%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Very Positive (50)

STEAM

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter Description

Plot
Mechanics

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is the second installment of a series of action adventure games with RPG elements and soulslike inspirations, launched in 2021. The game was developed by the authors of the first part of the series, namely the independent team Odd Bug Studio.

Plot

The action of Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter takes place after the events depicted in the original. While the great war between the Rodents and the Frogs has ended in the south, the northern, icy and snow-covered lands of Ratdom must face a new threat. They are the forces of evil called Dark Wings, driven by a thirst for blood and revenge.

The main character of the game is Arlo, the young heir to the title of Warden of the Wastes, who decides to face the danger. To accomplish this, he will have to embark on a long journey, unite the feuding clans, and also develop both his own skills and the family settlement.

Mechanics

In Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter we watch the action from the side. Traversing the lands of the north, we get to know their inhabitants, carry out various tasks (in addition to missions pushing the plot forward, there are a number of side quests to be completed), and also face the Dark Wings and other beasts inhabiting this territory.

On the battlefield, we must be in constant motion, performing quick dodges and launching lightning-fast counterattacks, as well as parrying the blows of our opponents. The protagonist can eliminate enemies, making use of a spear, using a bow or beating them with a club. There are also traps on his forearm, the skillful use of which increases his chances of victory.

As we progress, we develop the protagonist, gather better weapons and armor, and also improve the equipment we already have. Thanks to this, over time we can better adapt Arlo to the individual style of play, while preparing him to face increasingly stronger adversaries. In addition to regular enemies, we are faced with the generals of the Dark Wings, who play the role of bosses here.

This is not the end, because during the campaign we also gain gold, which we can spend on the development of our settlement, which serves as a base. By investing in specific buildings, we gain access to new equipment and traps, or even meals that provide us with various buffs.

Technical aspects

The graphic design of Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is maintained in the atmospheric, cartoonish style known from the original. As was the case in the first Tails of Iron, the narrator is Doug Cockle, known for his role as Geralt in the English-language versions of The Witcher games.