Passtech Games has finished the revision of the cooperative roguelike Ravenswatch. Version 1.0 has been released on Steam. The game will be released on consoles in November. The project allows you to take a fresh look at the characters and plots of classic fairy tales. The Snow Queen throws ice spears at monsters, and Little Red Riding Hood turns into a werewolf. You can also play as Sun Wukong, the hero of Chinese folklore. You can read more about what has been added in version 1.0 on the developers’ blog, and below – what newcomers will find in the game:
- Nine playable characters with unique talents and skill trees.
- Three regions to explore, inspired by the magical forests of fairy tales, the legends of King Arthur, and the tales of the Arabian Nights.
- The ability to explore the dark world of fairy tales in four-player co-op.
- Every playthrough will be unique thanks to a set of over 200 talents and 50 magical items.
- Moderately difficult bosses and over 50 unique enemies.
I’m thrilled to add Ravenswatch to this list, a game that continues this trend by delivering a fun experience that seamlessly blends elements I love to create a fantastic game. Simply put, Ravenswatch is a fun roguelike that will have you hooked if you’ve followed my reviews of similar games. Unlike many other games that use the addictive gameplay of the genre, Ravenswatch features a distinctive setting, innovative mechanics, and a delightful design philosophy that harmoniously creates an exceptional gaming experience. Against this unique backdrop, the concept of Ravenswatch revolves around preventing the apocalypse by managing a group of well-known characters from classic fairy tales.
The potential of the game can only be discovered with a full team.
Each character in this collection is taken from a well-known fairy tale but given a darker, more sinister version, transforming them into fearsome warriors of dark fantasy. Ravenswatch’s execution of these reimaginings of classic fairy tale characters is exceptional. For example, Little Red Riding Hood is portrayed as a werewolf, the Pied Piper commands a pack of rats, and Beowulf becomes a brave warrior with a dragon companion.
All heroes available at this stage of the game
The ideas, while remaining true to their original nature, are creatively interpreted with an aesthetic flair. In addition, the game skillfully incorporates elements of these stories into the gameplay mechanics of each character in a way that is enjoyable and respectful of the fantastical image of the character portrayed in the game. This balance ensures that the fantasies are impressive but not overly powerful or make the game too easy.
The game’s design is unconventional for the roguelike genre, eschewing the traditional combat systems found in most roguelike games in favor of mechanics reminiscent of action role-playing games (ARPGs). Each character has pre-determined skills and starting stats. Defeating enemies earns experience points (XP), which can be used to choose from a variety of random upgrades to these skills. What makes this game unique is that it gives players the ability to flesh out their characters’ fantasies, making them feel powerful without upsetting the balance of the game.
During the night phase of each level, Red Riding Hood randomly transforms into a werewolf, trading her assassination skills for a more aggressive, tanky set of abilities. Carmilla, on the other hand, is a powerful vampire mage who requires enemy blood to fuel an incredibly destructive Blood Vortex that slices through enemies but weakens them if used carelessly. Aladdin is a fast-paced skirmisher who can use his magic lamp to grant powerful wishes for himself and his teammates, making him a support character who makes sure his allies have everything they need.
The graphics have some great angles in places.
In this game, your character development is tied to your individual play sessions. As you progress deeper into the game’s chapters, you will unlock additional skill options. Likewise, Ravenswatch hides each character’s story within its progression system. This means that if you want to uncover the game’s particular take on a character’s story, you may have to spend a lot of time playing with your favorite characters.
I am very pleased with how the game handles character skills and upgrades. It provides a fun and intelligent character development experience, as each character has multiple play styles that can be customized through gameplay options. What I like most about Ravenswatch is that the game is fun. The skills in this game feel important and enjoyable, not just numbers to be balanced.
Each character has a wide range of unlockable skills
This game has a level design that is different from the norm in its genre. Instead of moving through randomly generated rooms, each chapter creates a map with various items scattered throughout, some of which remain hidden until discovered. You are given a certain amount of time, usually around 20 minutes, to traverse the map, collecting upgrades and experience points (XP) before a boss appears and forces you to fight it.
The boss must be defeated to complete the level, and there is an option to complete difficult tasks before he appears to reduce his health, or you can face him immediately if you feel you are strong enough.
This game is incredibly reminiscent of an action role-playing game (ARPG) but condensed for optimal enjoyment. It contains many outstanding elements similar to Diablo while maintaining the user-friendly aspects of a roguelike game.
The character designs are also pleasing to the eye.
One of the great aspects is that the game supports multiple players at the same time, with up to four people able to fight together. Honestly, I am really looking forward to trying this game out with my friends in the near future!
Basically, my main issue with Ravenswatch is the lack of a tutorial. While the game isn’t particularly difficult to understand, some aspects, such as some gameplay mechanics, aren’t clearly defined or explained even when you hover over their icons. This results in a learning curve that can be quite experimental at times. For example, I found myself struggling to use the upgrades that allow you to reload upgrades or stores because the terminology used for these mechanics wasn’t immediately clear to me.
Try not to take any damage in this horror of special effects
As a player, I can’t help but be hungry for more in Ravenswatch. The game is full of charming characters, enticing abilities, tantalizing bonuses, and intriguing cards that leave me wanting more, but let’s talk about the problems.
The replayability doesn’t feel unique enough. Chapter bosses become very repetitive and boring after beating them 2+ times. The last boss of a chapter feels more like a stat check than anything else, which can be annoying for some characters. The roguelite-style unlockables don’t make me want to replay and unlock more, the traits are cool, but most of them don’t create a unique build, they just add a stat to your abilities and don’t change the gameplay from the main game.
Still, the visual style is striking
Another important aspect of character development is the story. And let’s face it, maybe 25% of the players will read the story. I would be more invested in the story if the characters were more relevant, but I’ll get to that later.
The first chapter feels perfect, absolutely perfect, and covers everything I want from the game, but chapter 2 has this sudden difficulty spike for the normal mobs. A lot of mobs become tanks for some reason and require brute force to stun and kill. Maybe this is to ease you into Chapter 3, but Chapter 3 feels much easier than Chapter 2 (mob-wise).
The bosses of chapters 1, 2, and 3 are fun on the first try, but the third boss again feels incredibly far removed from the first two. The combat doesn’t flow as well as the others and really just feels like a stat check to pass.
The combat is actually really good. They’ve nailed the focus with ability effects, movement, enemy attack indicators, it all feels really good. The only thing that bothers me is that the character sets don’t always seem to use their full potential. The fast characters seem pretty good, but the slow characters seem VERY slow.
Ravenswatch is a fun roguelike that I plan to spend a lot of time with. Filled with innovative concepts, from the immersive environments to the thoughtful design behind the mechanics, I’m confident that once you give it a try, Ravenswatch will find its place among your favorites. It’s really hard to review because the game feels amazing, the character designs are really cool, and I like the gameplay, but the loop is too tight to enjoy for any length of time.
After a few playthroughs, even with different characters, it gets very repetitive, which I understand is the point of these games. However, the curve in which you unlock new abilities and gameplay variations through leveling feels wrong. You have to play through the game quite a few times to unlock abilities for a character, and with only four chapters, it’s a tough sell.
Overall, Ravenswatch is a decent game for those who enjoy cooperative action RPGs and aren’t afraid of the trials of a roguelike, but it lacks the polish and variety to qualify for top marks.
