One of the highlights of my entire gaming life is teaching myself how to read in this game. Now THAT was a special experience.
I loved the exploration and the puzzle-solving.

What doesn't work for me even a little bit is the combat. I think the combat mechanics are the weakest part of Tunic by far, but everything else is so exceptional that it shines in spite. I just wish it had been designed without enemies and embraced its exploration and puzzling since that's clearly the heart of this game design.

What I did to mitigate this is play a pacifist run. I adjusted the game settings. I didn't kill anything except the bosses which are strictly required. I wanted to not engage with the combat mechanic.

But yes, I loved unraveling the mysteries and solving even the postgame puzzles. Highly challenging and highly rewarding. With the exception of that damn haiku.