Tails of Iron promises players souls-like combat wrapped in a seemingly cute but actually brutal animal world, and, for the most part, it delivers on this promise. Just like its inspirations, dodging, blocking, and parrying are all vital to the game's combat, so it's very important that the player understands how each of these three distinct actions works and when to use them.
The tutorial explains the basics, but there's more to it than what is shown during Redgi's fight with the training dummy in the Crimson Keep. Players first learn how to dodge, block, and parry during the aforementioned training dummy fight, but these are skills that will be needed throughout the entirety of the game. For this reason, players planning on sticking with Tails of Iron until the end would do well to master these mechanics.
Enemy Attacks in Tails of Iron
There are four main types of attacks that enemies will use against the player. Attacks with a red aura are unblockable and unparryable, meaning that they must be dodged. Attacks with a yellow aura are the opposite, they cannot be dodged and must therefore be parried. Attacks with a grey/neutral aura are ranged attacks, which should be blocked in most cases. Finally, attacks with no aura can be dodged, blocked, or parried, but can be harder to see coming since there's no obvious indicator.
- Red Aura - Dodge
- Yellow Aura - Parry
- Grey Aura - Block
- No Aura - Any
How to Dodge in Tails of Iron
Learning how to dodge in Tails of Iron is easy, with players simply needing to press the Circle button. Pressing the button once will cause Redgi to dash forward or backward while double-tapping it will instead see Redgi roll, covering more distance. Attacks that are red must be dodged, but it's important to note that dodging in Tails of Iron does not give invincibility.
Whereas most games in the soulslike genre allow the player to roll through attacks, Redgi can only avoid attacks by dodging if he is completely out of the attack's hitbox. Dodging does allow the player to move through enemies, however, giving them a more advantageous position. If the indicator is four red lines, the attack can be dodged just by dashing, but if it is a red circle, it is advised to double tap to roll instead.
How to Block in Tails of Iron
To block with the shield, players should hold down L2. Redgi's shield will completely negate damage from most attacks, the main exception being attacks with a red aura. Yellow aura attacks can usually be blocked but may leave the player stunned for a moment. When faced with archers or other ranged attackers, blocking is the best defense as arrows and the like can't be rolled through or parried.
How to Parry in Tails of Iron
Parrying in Tails of Iron is unique in that it is actually fairly easy to do. While blocking (holding L2), pressing R2 will see Redgi rush forward, block an attack, and then counter by bashing the enemy away with his shield. This leaves enemies vulnerable and can deflect yellow aura attacks. Parrying also works on normal attacks, but it can be harder to get the timing down on these.
In order to proceed through the punishing story of Tails of Iron, players will need to use all three of these defensive options in conjunction with one another during fights. They'll have to keep a close eye on enemy attacks to see which action will best protect Redgi and leave enemies open for attack.
Tails of Iron is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.