Analysis Ravenswatch – Once upon a time… an addictive roguelike

Ravenswatch is a cooperative roguelike action set in a dark fantasy universewhere our fairy tale heroes must face hordes of monsters to save their world from the evil that is ravaging it.

I didn't remember the story being so grim

A fabulous animated cutscene is the first thing we witness when Ravenswatch starts. We see how Little Red Riding Hood She fights and narrowly escapes monstrous creatures that try to kill her. But at a certain point, the Pied Piper of Hamelin appears on the scene, accompanied by Beowulf and the Snow Queen. Suddenly, the adorable young woman in red who was initially surrounded begins to transform into a giant wolf and the game's logo appears. It doesn't take much more to put it in context, because as we progress we will find out what it is.

Ravenswatch places us in the ruined kingdom of Reverie. This place was almost completely destroyed by the nightmare monsterswho corrupt everything they touch. To save him, We will take control of heroes from mythologies and folk talesbut with a dark touch.

And this sinister touch of the characters is what makes us want to know more about them. Well, the more we play and advance with each hero, the more we will learn about their story.

What kind of devil is this?

On a playable level, Ravenswatch belongs to the genre roguelike. In other words, we will advance through different dungeons or floors until reaching the final boss of each area. If they kill us, we will lose most of the gains we made in the war. run.

Although the visuals and level design are reminiscent of many other roguelikes like Hades, the truth is that The gameplay of the Passtech Games title is more similar to that of the Diablo saga. This means that we will have a fluid, agile and frenetic isometric combat, but with skill management. In other words, we will have to learn to control the cooldowns of each skill at will. cool and know when it is most convenient to launch them. Button mashing isn't enough here.

Entering a level after choosing a character, we will have a total of about 20 minutes to explore them, defeat enemies, carry out side missions to increase experience and increase the level, obtain new passive improvements or obtain gold to exchange. During this time, three days and three nights pass, with different bonuses and challenges depending on the time of day. We will have to use every minute wisely to be ready to face the Nightmare Lords. These final bosses will be very powerful and will significantly increase the difficulty level of the game, making us die several times in their clashes.

In case of death, either against bosses or during normal fights, we will have the opportunity to resurrect thanks to the raven feathers. However, we will have a limited number of them and if we spend them all we will definitely die, thus losing all the bonuses and money. Fortunately, the new skills and upgrades we discover will be unlocked for future games. In addition, We will raise the level of the chosen character, which will allow us to learn more about their history..

All for one and one for all

Another of the peculiarities of Ravenswatch is that it has the possibility of playing cooperatively. While very enjoyable in individual mode, multiplayer offers an extra layer of fun by being able to create synergies between multiple characters during battles. Although the resurrection feathers are shared here, the difficulty is reduced because there are more players and the final challenges are less demanding.

The Brothers Grimm meets HP Lovecraft

On a visual level, Ravenswatch presents us with a series of characters and scenarios based on the stories of authors such as the Brothers Grimm, Carlo Collodi, Joseph Jacobs and many others, but passed through a twisted and very comical filter.. We will therefore have versions dark and gloomy fairy tale heroes who fight nightmarish creatures that seem designed by HP Lovecraft.

Each hero is designed with their own mechanics and they all have their strengths and weaknesses, so most of them feel very different to deal with. For example, Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood's in-game name) is an expert hunter armed with daggers, bombs, and, at one point, a shotgun. His fighting style is fast and crit-based. But the interesting inclusion of day and night cycle which developers Passtech Games added means that when the moon rises, Scarlet transforms into a werewolf. In this form, his entire moveset changes to become a tankier character with much higher damage.

Concerning the sound section, this is distinguished by a very good ambient sound management. The soundtrack complements the aesthetic of the game very well, accompanying the themes of medieval-style violins and flutes. It should be noted that, although the game is in English with Spanish texts, Each character's voice acting, pronunciation, and accent correspond to their story's country of origin. Which gives them even more personality.

Eventually

Ravenswatch is a solid and addictive roguelike that will give us a few hours of fun if we want to play it alone or in the company of three friends. Its dark fantasy universe based on classic stories and fables gives it a special appeal that other similar works do not have. In addition, its gameplay is very polished, which encourages you to try different combinations of heroes and skills to defeat the tough final bosses and thus discover their stories. With everything and with this, Passtech Games has created a very fun title with frenetic and well-designed gameplay that manages to stand out in the rogue genre.

And colorín Colorado, this analysis is finished.