Graven (XSX) Review

A decent medieval, FPS, RPG hybrid

Graven on Xbox brings forth a captivating journey into the realm of classic-inspired first-person action-adventure gaming. As a homage to the revered titles of yesteryears, Graven excellently blends elements of exploration, puzzle-solving, and intense combat into a cohesive and nostalgic experience. From the moment you step into the grim and atmospheric world, you’re greeted with sprawling medieval landscapes that echo the depth and detail reminiscent of gaming classics. The developers have not only captured the essence of those older games like Hexen but have also injected modern-day polish that enhances the gameplay.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

The retro shooters that have been coming out here lately have had a lot in common with Doom or Quake. Games that were about moving fast and shooting faster at enemies, while picking up guns and armor; well Graven is not that. It does share a lot with Hexen or Heretic from years ago but Graven has a lot of RPG in its FPS. This makes the game feel more open, and in fact there are even side quests that players can pick up. The story starts off with the player taking on the role of an exiled man who is trying to reconnect with his daughter. I’m not going to sugar coat this, the story kind of sucks. There is a resolution but my curiosity about this guy and his daughter was not the driving force of me playing.

That goes to the combat, you see in Graven is an FPS but players have all the tools to interact with the world like in Baldur’s Gate 3. Players can cast fire spells to burn wooden barricades, pick up barrels and other things and move them around the world. I enjoyed the combat when it was there, this is not a run-and-gun game by any means. With long spells dedicated to exploration, puzzle-solving, and running around to find lore and story there was times when Graven felt like a ‘Dark Souls’ game. Which this feeling extends to the level design as well.

The world in Graven is made up of interconnected lands with hub worlds for players to load up on gear. There will be new paths that open up as the player progresses as well, most of which is tied to finding keys or solving an environmental puzzle of some sort. The puzzles aren’t the hardest but the game isn’t the best with its hints, which means players will end up doing a lot of backtracking to solve things. The art style is what is legitimately attractive here, the medieval architecture and fantasy elements allow for some epic vistas that despite the issues with the game made for a feast for the eyes.

Graven does a lot of good things, it’s a dark fantasy old-school, FPS for starters. Adding in bits of classics like Hexen was a great way to go here. But mixing in elements of RPG’s is what really set Graven apart, the ability to interact with the environment with magic and other things for puzzle solving was a lot of fun. But the puzzles are time consuming and will require a lot of backtracking and searching and then there is the soulslike stuff…ugh. But even with all of that, welding magic, swords and crossbows in this adventure was a solid good time.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Excellent atmosphere
  • Fun combat with lots of options
Bad
  • No in-game map makes navigating frustrating
  • Narrative isn’t really that good
7
Good
Written by
Terrence spends his time going where no one has gone before mostly. But when not planning to take over the galaxy, he spends his time raising Chocobo and trying to figure out just how the sarlaac could pull Boba Fett’s ship with its engines firing FULL BLAST into it’s maw with relative ease; yet it struggled with Han Solo who was gripping *checks notes* SAND!