Ravenswatch review

It feels like years ago that I previewed Ravenswatch as it first entered early access (it was actually about a year and a half ago, give or take), and coming back to it now is proof that sometimes that early access model is worth its metaphorical weight in gold. Curse of the Dead Gods already made me a fan of Passtech Games, an isometric roguelike dungeon crawler that arguably shares a little DNA with Hades but feels entirely like its own entity.

That Ravenswatch comes from the same studio is immediately apparent. The art style is stunning, somehow conveying a macabre, grim atmosphere with bright, cartoony visuals, chunky character models and lightning fast combat.

It takes place in the mystical land of Reverie, which has been invaded by nightmares intent on corrupting and controlling the realm. In response, a cadre of legendary heroes has been called to the land to help defeat the Master of Nightmares. Initially there’s the hulking warrior Beowulf, the Pied Piper of Hamlin (whose style changes the game into a wonderfully responsive twin-stick shooter), the Snow Queen who can freeze her enemies and skate on a stream of ice, and Scarlett (Little Red Riding Hood to you and me), here portrayed as both as whip-quick dagger fighter and a huge werewolf that takes over when the game’s day-night cycle clicks past sundown.

Each run has four days and nights, which will tick away no matter what you do. In that time you must fight through Nightmare’s minions, collecting Dream Shards with which you purchase currency from the Sandman. Passtech have squeezed plenty of well-known fairytale or folklore characters into Ravenswatch, including Aladdin, the Three Little Pigs, and even Sun Wukong, which makes the world feel rich and mystical.

The downside is that there’s not much of a story when there’s room for plenty. You do unlock grimoire entries that detail a little of each character’s backstory, but there are no story cutscenes or any real dialogue to add weight to the narrative, and the side quests exist as simply that, things to distract and reward you on your path to defeating the Master of Nightmares.

The characters do feel wonderfully diverse though, with a variety of powerful attacks on cooldowns and even a shared pool of “raven feathers” which act as extra lives – a rare thing to see in a roguelike. Having them changes the way you approach the game though, as you may choose to sacrifice a revive to go ham on a difficult elite or a weakened boss, knowing that you won’t destroy your hard work with one risky move.

As you level up you’ll receive buffs that always come with a choice of three. It’s not room-based like Curse of the Dead Gods, and instead each area is open to explore – although the constant presence of a ticking clock adds urgency to what you’re doing. It’s always worth fighting through to a map icon, though, as you may find a character in need of aid or a magical item to boost your progress. The more you find, the more are added to future drop pools.

One thing Ravenswatch never does is slow down. It’s not relentless, exactly, but you won’t often have time to dilly-dally, and if you’re playing with a group (you can have up to four), the action is incredibly frantic but always buttery smooth and beautiful to look at. You can unlock multipole additional character as you progress through runs with the existing four, which opens up many different combinations of heroes and playstyles.

If anything, the only drawback (if you can really call it that), is that Ravenswatch suffers when played solo. Solo play is possible and it’s certainly still fun, but the free-use of Raven Feathers doesn’t balance the difficulty enough in your favour. All your skills being on cooldowns can lead to crucial moments where you’ve nothing to clear or control a crowd of mobs, and even Beowulf won’t tank many direct hits before he drops. There’s limited healing in the form of green orbs or when you level up, but the enemies are many and varied and it’s easy to be overwhelmed.

Played with friends or strangers, though, Ravenswatch is an absolute blast. Gorgeous to look at, smooth and responsive to play, and peppered with the kind of variety that encourages you to keep going back and trying new heroes or pick-ups, it’s another excellent release from Passtech Games and a genuinely superb multiplayer roguelike.