When fairy tales fight back
Developed by Passtech Games, the creators of the acclaimed Curse of the Dead Gods, Ravenswatch brings a fresh perspective to the top-down action RPG genre, blending compelling storytelling with innovative gameplay mechanics.
Set in the enchanting yet perilous realm of Reverie, Ravenswatch introduces players to a world plagued by the malevolent Nightmare. This dark force threatens to engulf everything in its path, and it’s up to the heroes of the Ravenswatch to stop it. Drawing inspiration from various folklore and legends, the game’s narrative weaves together the tales of these heroes, each with their own unique backstories and abilities. Aladdin who can use the power of the Jinn, Geppetto who can create dolls who can fight, Beowulf, The Ice Queen and more make up the roster of playable heroes.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
Ravenswatch excels in its gameplay mechanics, offering a seamless blend of action, puzzle-solving, and exploration. Each of the heroes possess unique abilities and playstyles, Scarlet can transform into a wolf at night while the Siren character attacks using a wisp that players can control but the catch is they character is unable to move. The combat is fluid and responsive, with visually stunning effects that make each battle a spectacle. The roguelike elements, including procedurally generated levels and permanent upgrades, add depth and replayability to the game. The game’s controls are intuitive, allowing players to easily navigate the richly detailed environments and engage in combat with precision.
One of the better features of Ravenswatch is its cooperative multiplayer mode. Playing with friends or in my case, strangers add a new dimension to the experience, fostering teamwork and strategic planning. The heroes’ dialogue in multiplayer mode is well-written and adds personality to each character, enhancing the cooperative aspect of the game.
Which leads me to the issues I have with Ravenswatch, for starters the difficulty feels balanced for multiplayer. But single-player feels next to impossible after the first level, once you reach the boss of the second level in single-player there is too many moving parts for one hero to handle. Another big issue with Ravenswatch is its length, I finished the games 4 levels playing multiplayer in about an hour and a half. Once we completed the game, we unlocked a harder version of what we just played, that’s it. After this game spent so long in early access on PC, I must confess I did expect more in the way of content, but I will say; what is offered here, is fun to play.
Ravenswatch is a lot of fun to play, I unlocked all of the playable characters and played with each and had a good time with all of them. The randomly generated nature of each level is nice but the truth of the matter is this game is very short. And while I recommend that players play multiplayer, the game does offer the option to play single-player but it’s hard as balls. I am sure some of you who love these brutal difficulty games will enjoy, but for those of us who have yet to ascend that difficulty mountain, dis tew much. All that being said though, I like Ravenswatch quite a bit. While my time with it is short, it was still a pretty enjoyable experience.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
