Sometimes, you just need an escape. From work, from responsibilities – from everything. On Your Tail stars a young fawn named Diana in exactly that position. On a whim, in need of relaxation, Diana leaves her home to take up residence in Borgo Marina, a sun-drenched coastal town in a fictional version of Italy. Here, she meets a range of new anthropomorphic friends (furries are going to love this game) and prepares to live idly.
But even on holiday, we can rarely escape who we are, and so Diana’s coastal journey quickly transforms into something other. While she can spend time in the game relaxing, by picking up fishing and other soothing activities, her curious nature quickly leads her to where she’s most comfortable: doing detective work, and solving mysteries.
While Borgo Marina is idyllic on the surface, there are deeper secrets in the town – and an array of crimes that must be solved. Armed with a trusty device that can see between the past and present, and a sense of responsibility, Diana soon puts her skills to catching thieves and solving break-ins, all while life in Borgo Marina goes on.
Exploring On Your Tail‘s Steam Next Fest demo
In the game’s Steam Next Fest demo, you can lead Diana across town, get to know a vast array of townsfolk, and eventually tackle the game’s first mystery: someone has broken into Mamma Lucia’s restaurant, and pinched precious goods. Lucia is devastated, but welcomes the chance to catch the thief and solve the crime. This case is a simple, solid introduction to life in On Your Tail, and the many mysteries you can expect to unfold.
On Your Tail shines in its approach to solving mysteries, with a novel detective system that is delightful to puzzle through. You’ll spend much of your time in this adventure wandering sunlit beaches and talking to folks – collecting their characters cards as clues for your next steps – and then eventually, you will be required to determine guilt in each crime.
When you enter a location, you can talk to witnesses to discover clues, and also use your trusty magnifying device to gain a window into the past. Hovering over objects in a crime scene will reveal whether they’ve moved, been knocked over, or disappeared, allowing you to trace their movements, and how they may have been exploited in crimes.
Each time you spot a difference between the past and present, you’ll get a clue in the form of a card – and eventually, you’ll be able to solve the mystery by playing through a mini board game-like sequence, laying out cards in the correct order to determine what exactly happened.
It’s a very novel system that I haven’t seen in games before – and one that elevated my time with On Your Tail. By design, the game is a lot like a virtual board game, with Diana serving as the player avatar as they journey to various locations, collecting clues, before barrelling towards the heart of a central mystery.
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What’s even more fun about this particular mystery set up is that when you’ve solved a particular crime, Diana will turn to the camera like Professor Layton, and give you a smile or a grimace based on how you’ve gone. It’s a minor touch, but one that adds a sense of pride and reward to every solution. You’re consistently encouraged to move forward, to search higher and lower, and to think more deeply about potential solutions.
The On Your Tail demo available on Steam is only quite short, but it gives a great glimpse into what On Your Tail will be on launch. In Diana, the game has an endearing and intrepid protagonist to guide the action, and in each board game-like mystery puzzle, there is plenty of intrigue to keep the turns twisting.
There is more beneath the surface in On Your Tail, and I’m keen to see what lies beneath. For now, the game is set to launch in 2024, so keep an eye out for more details in the near future.
