We’re all a little mad here
Ravenlok is an action-adventure game from Cococucumber; whose last game Echo Generation was quite a surprise hit. One of the things I love about this studio is their games are made with an eye-catching voxel tech and pixel art style. While Echo Generation was a sort of ‘Stranger Things’ type adventure, Ravenlok wears its inspiration on its sleeve as well, only this time it’s Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Ravenlok begins with a big move to the country by our young heroine named Kira, who isn’t exactly stoked about being here. But after helping her mom and dad unpack some things, she finds a mirror that once cleaned up becomes a portal to a whole new world and of course Kira falls through it.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
Kira awakens in the fantasy realm of Dunia where she quickly meets Finn who informs her that it is his belief that she is the prophesied savior; Ravenlok and she has come to free the people from the evil queen. Equipped with a sword and shield, Kira sets off on her quest to stop this queen and to get back home. Along the way she will run into a host of various characters; mechanical versions of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, of course there is a white rabbit, playing card enemies and the list goes on and on. As I said this game is a love letter to Alice and Wonderland, but it also manages to evoke vibes from the film Coraline as well, which is about as visually appealing as Ravenlok is.
Speaking of the visuals, if there is one thing, they don’t lack it is variety. Players will take Kira through various labyrinths, old Victorian style houses and much more. Truly, Ravenlok feels like the culmination of team Cococucumber’s work with voxel tech, if Echo Generation was beautiful, then Ravenlok is stunning. Seeing small teams like this grow and level up with each game is truly one of the wonderful things about indie studios. This eye-catching style doesn’t just stop at the various environments either, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how amazing each of the characters models look. From the feral mushroom type enemies to three headed dragons, all the visuals in Ravenlok have a certain whimsical nature to it.
Combat is simplistic in Ravenlok, using a sword and shield players will attack various enemies. But instead of having various combos and fluid attacks; Kira just kind of flails her sword from left to right as fast as the attack button can be mashed. Players will find bombs and other usable items that can be thrown at enemies during combat as well. The easy nature of the combat isn’t a huge issue at all, I was just hoping for something a bit more refined. My real issue with the combat is with the boss fights, for whatever reason all the bosses followed a similar pattern to defeat; at least until near the end of the game where Ravenlok slaps players with a difficulty spike. I don’t understand why this has become so commonplace in video games lately, players having a good time and then BAM some boss who one shot you.
I said this above, but I feel like it bears repeating; Ravenlok feels like the culmination of all the work this team has done using voxel tech. It is a beautiful game, one that evokes images of various Disney/Pixer type worlds and just as vivid. Each of the worlds offer side quests and various characters to interact with that was all enjoyable. Aside from the easy combat I enjoyed my time with Ravenlok and if you are looking for a quick fantasy adventure, I can’t recommend it enough.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
