We've been treated to a very nice surprise with the release of Tunic on Xbox Game Pass today, and the even better news is that it's an excellent game, getting superb ratings across the board.

Here at Pure Xbox, we gave it an "Excellent" 9/10, describing it as "a fascinating and fantastic adventure that’s one of the very best games we played so far in 2022", and many of the critics have been agreeing with us so far.

Below, you'll find a selection of reviews from across the web, as well as our own.

VG247 - (5/5)

"It doesn't want to yell at you – it wants to encourage you. To explore, engage, and experiment. It’s the perfect palate cleanser, taking anywhere between six and 20 hours, and absolutely essential if you’ve got a fondness for adventure games with a potion in their pocket, a cape around their neck, and a twinkle in their eye."

Pure Xbox - (9/10)

"Tunic is a fantastically clever adventure that kicks off in familiar Zelda-esque fashion before branching out to become its own thing entirely. There's an exquisitely designed world to explore here, a great big puzzle-box to probe and prod at as you progress through a story that's got just the right amount of mystery and intrigue about it to keep you hooked in."

Windows Central - (4.5/5)

"Tunic is an absolutely delightful game to slink away to for a few hours to explore, discover, and conquer. Solving puzzles and uncovering the myriad of hidden secrets can make for a calming adventure, but there's always the potential for an exhilarating moment of victory after a particularly difficult boss."

IGN - (9/10)

"It is a fantastic Zelda-style game for the Elden Ring generation, and solving its ceaselessly clever campaign and challenging combat through careful studying of your indecipherable but intuitive in-game instruction booklet and agile controller work gave me a well-earned payoff and feeling of satisfaction that I won’t soon forget.

NME - (4/5)

"Tunic is so much more than just a game about a cute fox. It’s a wonderfully satisfying adventure game that’s not afraid to kill you and leave you confused as to what just happened. It’s happy for you to be lost, inconvenienced, and befuddled. It’s also one that offers the elation of overcoming a tough challenge regularly throughout, and also, the fox is definitely very cute."

Noisy Pixel - (7.5/10)

"Tunic has a couple of issues, but it’s nothing major enough to stop me from thoroughly enjoying the game. It’s a pleasant and relaxing throwback to older Zelda titles with enough secrets to keep you busy for a good while. If the visual style and 16-bit inspiration appeals to you, I’d say Tunic is definitely worth your time. Just get ready to get lost, or stick to a GameFAQs page."

As you can see, the vast majority of reviewers are classing Tunic as a great game, so it's a big win for Xbox Game Pass! It currently holds an impressive Metascore of 87 for PC, with the Xbox version only having a few ratings so far.

Will you be picking up Tunic on Xbox this week? Let us know in the comments.