Game: Of Blades & Tails
Genre: Action, Adventure, Strategy, RPG
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows) and Xbox)
Developer | Publisher: Felix Laukel | Pineapple Works
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: US $14.99 | UK 13.49 | EU € 14,99
Release Date: November 6th, 2025
Review code provided with many thanks to Pineapple Works.
Of Blades & Tails – Not All Foxes Who Wander Are Lost
Of Blades & Tails is one of those games that had me tilting my head a little at first, trying to decide exactly where I stood with it. It’s a turn-based RPG with a traditional roguelike flavour and a whole lot of fox-led wandering. Parts of it won me over fairly quickly, while other parts needed a bit of persistence before they settled into place. It’s a game with genuine ambition and a clear sense of identity, even if not everything lands smoothly from the start.
Humans Are Gone
You play as Reik, a fox who discovers that the world once belonged to humans before they mysteriously vanished, leaving the animals to get on with running society. That setup alone has a playful spark, and the early story beats give you enough intrigue to set off on your adventure with purpose. The opening forest leads into a central village, and from there the world opens up in a surprisingly generous way. You’re basically told: go explore. And honestly, that’s one of the game’s strengths. You can wander freely, chat to villagers, scoop up side quests, poke your nose into caves, and gradually follow the main plot at your own pace. There’s an old-school RPG looseness to it that I really appreciated.
Traditional Feelings
Movement and combat operate on a turn-based system: every time you move, enemies move too. It’s the classic grid-based dance you’ll recognise from traditional dungeon crawlers, except here it’s spread across forests, ruins, and larger open areas. You can keep things simple and just bump into enemies to attack, or take a more thoughtful approach by using skills, spells, and weapon abilities. The game gives you plenty to experiment with: swords, staves, crossbows, magical tricks, and a bag full of loot that grows faster than you might expect. The potential for different builds is definitely there, and once the systems click, combat becomes more flexible and interesting.
Adjusting
But getting to that point isn’t always smooth. One of my early struggles came from the menus. They feel like they were designed with PC in mind, and the Switch version requires a bit more wrestling than I’d like. Navigating tabs, holding triggers to access certain sections, and squinting at small text in handheld mode can be distracting, especially when the inventory fills up so quickly. There’s a lot of information to take in, but it’s presented in a way that doesn’t always feel organised, so simple things like equipping items or switching abilities occasionally take longer than they should.
Combat controls also need some settling in. There’s a difference between moving freely and entering “aiming” or more strategic modes, and remembering which buttons trigger which actions can be awkward, particularly if you’ve taken a break and returned after playing other games. Of Blades & Tails is definitely the sort of adventure that benefits from committing to it rather than dipping in and out.
Difficulty Curve
Then there’s the difficulty curve. I started on the standard setting and was immediately thumped by enemies that felt far above my pay grade. Giant spiders in the opening dungeon showed no mercy whatsoever, and even after adjusting skills at the campfire (where you also save), I still spent a lot of time either getting flattened or running away in embarrassment. Grinding early on seemed almost unavoidable in my playthrough, and that slow start can be discouraging when you’re still trying to grasp the game’s rhythms. The good news is that once you break through that opening stretch, things gradually open up. More abilities become available, gear options broaden, and the world starts to feel more inviting than punishing. It just may take some players longer than expected to reach that stage.
A Jolly Wobble
Visually, the game uses a very minimal pixel style with almost no animation. Reik sort of “wobbles” across the screen, and while that might sound odd, it has a certain charm all its own. I will, however, give praise to the cosmetics of your character change with new weapons and armour equipped. It’s clearly a low-budget aesthetic, but it works within the game’s tone, and the environments themselves, forests, caves, and villages, are recognisable and pleasant to explore. The soundtrack sits comfortably in the background and does its job without getting in the way.
The Best is There in Time
What ultimately held my interest was how much thought clearly sits beneath the surface. There are treasure maps to piece together, caves and dungeons to discover, and loads of equipment to tinker with. The open world is inviting in its own quiet way, and the animal tribes give the setting a personality. When everything aligns, your build feels right, the loot starts getting interesting, and you’ve settled into the rhythm, the experience becomes much more rewarding.
Conclusion: A Game That Grows
My final feelings on Of Blades & Tails land somewhere between appreciation and caution. There’s a genuinely enjoyable RPG here, but it asks for patience. It’s not a quick pick-up-and-play sort of game, and the early hours may feel tougher than expected. But if you’re in the mood for a turn-based adventure with an open world, a fox hero, and plenty of room to experiment, there’s something worthwhile waiting beneath the rough edges. I liked it, even if it took some time to get there.
Final Verdict: I Like It
Do you like our content?
Subscribe to our daily news and never miss a review!