Ravenbound is the latest adventure from Systemic Reaction: a beautiful roguelite-style open-world game that draws inspiration from Norse mythology to weave together a series of challenging and captivating missions. It takes place in Avalt, where players control an avatar who must muster enough power from the buried race of gods (Ellri) to challenge the Betrayer, an Ellri who has turned his back on his kind and spread hatred across the world. . .
In my opinion, the best thing about Ravenbound is the story, about which more details can be learned thanks to the monuments that the player reads as he progresses and the dialogue, which shows us that this avatar n He’s not the first he’s tried to defeat .au Traitor (and probably not the last either).
The land of Avalt is very beautiful, although it can feel a little repetitive at times when gliding across the map in your crow form. It takes some getting used to handling this mode of flight, but it is a very efficient form of travel. The problem is that there are not enough Raven Towers on the map and you need them to be able to fly. They also give you crow’s claw for extra mobility. It’s a very handy whip-like tool that helps your avatar swing around like a Viking Spider-Man.
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The combat is fast and frenetic, and there are a wide variety of enemies you can test yourself against. Some groups of corrupted humans allow the player to be a kind of force of nature and fight raiders to the death. Other bigger and more important enemies challenge the player with hit and run tactics that will quickly and permanently end the carefully crafted avatar.
As for roguelite-style elements, the game is based on obtaining a series of cards that influence character creation, avatar stats, and combat effectiveness, as well as adding certain passive abilities. The evolution between games may seem low, but it exists, especially when you experience the challenges and rewards of Ávalt in a more direct and efficient way. Because of these characteristics, Ravenbound is a game in which each attempt (or even each completed game) is completely different from the previous one and it is really fun. Particularly before defeating the Traitor, when your main goal is to find the perfect build for your playstyle, and agonizing over and over again when your best avatar has been defeated, is both fun and frustrating. .
One element that stands out is the use of mana, the currency to be able to use the cards. For some unfortunate builds, it looks like the mana is extremely low and can leave the player with a very interesting planned build but no way to do it. Some character options before you start playing are much better than others. This pushes players into misguided fights in order to open chests full of hate (thereby raising their own hate bar) in order to advance. It can be a double edged sword.
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I have to say I hate the hate mechanic, even though it’s very appropriate considering the theme of the game. Hatred grows when you open chests full of them, which should really be a reward for successfully completing fights , and stays until eliminated by actions like completing a tomb. The thing is, it’s ridiculously hard to get rid of. Hate makes the hands of the cards you receive worse and strengthens the enemies – creativity’s nightmare. I guess it’s done like this to encourage the player to plan everything carefully and create a specific build to avoid hate, but it’s hard to do that in a game where dropped gear is random. There should be more facilities to search for better cards, as it’s very rare that you get penalized for it.
Plus, it goes hand in hand with an even bigger problem: the world of Ravenbound is too open and free. Apart from the main story, the player can decide how he wants to go through missions and defeat enemies to gain more power. It may seem appealing at first, but the universe of Avalt can end up being chaotic and overwhelming as you fight for better items, but your avatar’s hatred is completely out of control.
Overall, Ravenbound is a fun game and an innovative (but not extreme) take on the action genre. hack and slash. Its open world is beautiful with an expansive universe and story, the combat is lightning fast, and its roguelite-style elements, while not perfect, have a lot of potential.